Beer of the Weekend #325: Ayinger Celebrator
It is that time of the month again: time to sample brews for next month’s LV recommendation. I have strictly observed my midweek teetotalism for the past month and am eager to start sampling the beers I picked up at John’s today.
Hats off (again) to John’s beer guru Joe Hotek, who reminded me that bock is an ideal style for March. Initially skeptical, I remembered that monks drank bock for sustenance during Lent. In my sample sixer I have four bocks — three of which I have already formally sampled. (I will use them to refresh my memory in the coming days.) Tonight I am tackling the fourth: Ayinger Celebrator, brewed by the Brauerei Aying of Aying, Germany.
Serving type: 330 ml bottle. No freshness date.
Appearance: Poured into a pilsner glass. The color is dark brown with caramel and ruby tones. A finger and a half of tanned head formed and dissipated to leave a spotted lacing and ring around the edge.
Smell: It is a pleasant balance of malts and dark fruit. Toasted grains, caramel, toffee, fig, a little coffee, and black raspberry. As the beer warms it emits scents of plum, perhaps raisin, and that boozy bock touch.
Taste: Yeah! It has that nice, helles kick of grassy hops. The mouthfeel is light, dry, and easily drinkable. The flavor is bitterer than the smell led me to believe. However, the malts shine, too, with flavors of toasted grains, caramel, toffee, cocoa, and hints of coffee and dark fruit.
Drinkability: It is a very solid brew. Mister Goat Ornament and myself could easily enjoy this throughout Lent.
Fun facts about Ayinger Celebrator:
-Style: Doppelbock.
-Price: $3.49/bottle at John’s Grocery in Iowa City.
-Serving temperature: Jackson’s Great Beer Guide recommends 48ºF.
-Alcohol content: 6.7 percent ABV.
-Food pairings: BA recommends German cuisine, buttery cheeses (Brie, Gouda, Havarti, Swiss), earthy cheeses (Camembert, Fortina), chocolate, and game meat.
-Apparently, each bottle of Celebrator is adorned with a plastic, white goat ornament.
-Doppelbocks are typically given names ending in “-ator.” According to the “Bock” Wikipedia page, “there are 200 ‘-ator’ doppelbock names registered with the German patent office.” This tradition stems from the first doppelbock, Paulaner’s Salvator. “Salvator” means “savior” in German.
-According to the Great Beer Guide, Celebrator was originally called Fortunator. Ayinger felt the name was too “clumsy” for the US market and renamed it Celebrator. It is now known as Celebrator in Germany, too.
The Quiet Man’s grade: A.
Hats off (again) to John’s beer guru Joe Hotek, who reminded me that bock is an ideal style for March. Initially skeptical, I remembered that monks drank bock for sustenance during Lent. In my sample sixer I have four bocks — three of which I have already formally sampled. (I will use them to refresh my memory in the coming days.) Tonight I am tackling the fourth: Ayinger Celebrator, brewed by the Brauerei Aying of Aying, Germany.
Serving type: 330 ml bottle. No freshness date.
Appearance: Poured into a pilsner glass. The color is dark brown with caramel and ruby tones. A finger and a half of tanned head formed and dissipated to leave a spotted lacing and ring around the edge.
Smell: It is a pleasant balance of malts and dark fruit. Toasted grains, caramel, toffee, fig, a little coffee, and black raspberry. As the beer warms it emits scents of plum, perhaps raisin, and that boozy bock touch.
Taste: Yeah! It has that nice, helles kick of grassy hops. The mouthfeel is light, dry, and easily drinkable. The flavor is bitterer than the smell led me to believe. However, the malts shine, too, with flavors of toasted grains, caramel, toffee, cocoa, and hints of coffee and dark fruit.
Drinkability: It is a very solid brew. Mister Goat Ornament and myself could easily enjoy this throughout Lent.
Fun facts about Ayinger Celebrator:
-Style: Doppelbock.
-Price: $3.49/bottle at John’s Grocery in Iowa City.
-Serving temperature: Jackson’s Great Beer Guide recommends 48ºF.
-Alcohol content: 6.7 percent ABV.
-Food pairings: BA recommends German cuisine, buttery cheeses (Brie, Gouda, Havarti, Swiss), earthy cheeses (Camembert, Fortina), chocolate, and game meat.
-Apparently, each bottle of Celebrator is adorned with a plastic, white goat ornament.
-Doppelbocks are typically given names ending in “-ator.” According to the “Bock” Wikipedia page, “there are 200 ‘-ator’ doppelbock names registered with the German patent office.” This tradition stems from the first doppelbock, Paulaner’s Salvator. “Salvator” means “savior” in German.
-According to the Great Beer Guide, Celebrator was originally called Fortunator. Ayinger felt the name was too “clumsy” for the US market and renamed it Celebrator. It is now known as Celebrator in Germany, too.
The Quiet Man’s grade: A.
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