Beer of the Weekend #30: Ayinger Altbairisch Dunkel

Happy Halloween, everybody. I was never into Trick-or-Treating, but I have always loved the spookiness and aura of All Hallows Eve. Costumes, horror movies, jack-o’-lanterns. On Russell Drive we went all out. We bedecked the house with pumpkin, skeleton, and ghost decorations. We put a CD player in my window and repeated a disc with spooky voices and noises. I turned out all the lights and lit candles to enhance the frightening ambiance. At the front of our house was Jason, a dummy we made by stuffing an old sweatshirt and pair of sweatpants with newspaper and strapping a hockey mask to a basketball. We sat him in a lawn chair. He wasn’t scary. His midsection was so bloated he wouldn’t have been able to stand without assistance. The southside was a constant stream of kids. Good times.

Tonight at the pier I saw four guys dressed in gorilla outfits, playing bad techno on a boombox, and dancing around screaming, “Gives us back our planet!”

When I was in college, Halloween apparently surpassed Saint Patrick’s Day as the number one drinking holiday in the United States. So on that note, lets get drinking!

The beer this weekend is Ayinger Altbairisch Dunkel, brewed by Brauerei Aying of Aying, Germany


Serving type: Six 16.9-ounce bottles.

Appearance: Poured a deep caramel with two fingers of foamy head that lingered for quite some time. (I’m using my wheat beer glass because AAD comes in a half liter bottle. Speaking of half liters, the mark on the other side of the glass is “0,5l,” which is German for 0.5L. I originally thought it stood for “0.51L.” I’m an idiot.)

Smell: I got a strong cider scent. There’s a little caramel, too, along with vanilla, maple syrup, and smooth malts.

Taste: Toasted grain with toffee. Bananas and apples, along with a little caramel. Sweet syrup and a bit of molasses.

Drinkability: This is very drinkable. It’s tasty and smooth. It’s rich with flavor but not heavy.

Fun facts about Ayinger Altbairisch Dunkel:

-Serving temperature: 48ºF.

-Alcohol content: 5.0 percent ABV.

-Ayinger is pronounced “eye-ing-gr.”

-Altbairisch means “old Bavarian,” and dunkel means “dark.” According to
Great Beer Guide, the first lagers were brewed in the Aying area and were originally dark. AAD is just an old school Bavarian lager.

-The Munich basin, were Aying is located, grows the world’s best barley and malts for brewing.

The Quiet Man’s grade: AAD is very tasty and smooth. I’ve been wanting to try it for some time and I wasn’t disappointed. A-.

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