Ayinger Celebrator Doppelbock

Ayinger Celebrator Doppelbock
Style: Doppelbock

Alcohol Content: 6.7%

From: Aying, Germany

Purchased From: Noble Green Wines, Hampton Hill, United Kingdom

http://en.ayinger-bier.de

Recently, feeling in the festive spirit, Kevin and I decided to re-home a stray cat that had crossed our paths. Due to his ragged appearance, we decided to re name him Scrappy. After an emotional couple of weeks of caring and feeding the little chap, it was time for him to be rehomed in leafy Bury St.Edmunds. Feeling sad about his departure, we both decided we deserved a little treat, so we popped down to Hampton Hill Noble Green Wines (quickly becoming our favourite bottle shop) and picked up our Christmas beers. Whilst browsing the shelves, I came across a beer which was aptly named Celebrator. After buying a few bottles, we soon made for home to celebrate Scrappy's successful rehoming.

Personally, I'm very excited about this beer. So as I sat down with some delicious festive nibbles (Brie and Cranberry parcels from Marks and Spencers in particular), I began researching to help 'prep my palate'. Ratebeer.com suggests that; "Celebrator has a creamy head of tight bubbles contrasting beautifully with its profound dark robe.". A dark robe I ask you; perhaps this is an academic master in disguise?

Intrigued, i decided to perform a little more research on the Brewery. Ayinger is a is a medium-sized German brewery located in Aying, Bavaria, about 25 km outside of Munich. Founded in 1876 by Johann Liebhard, the brewery struggled during the Great Depression and almost closed it door due to the hyperinflation and falling property prices. However, as the economy stabilized, the brewery was also able to restructure its debts and slowly develop into the brewery we know today. 

Colour: Pours a deep, mocha brown, with a foamy  tan head that later clings to the edge of the glass. When I hold this bock up to the light, hardly any light penetrates through this dark, mysterious liquid.

Aroma: Surprisely, this beer smells like a blend of alpine apple strudel, Christmas cake and sweet custard. Once warmed, the drink slowly develops subtle hint of smokiness, cocoa nibs and dry fruit.

Body: A beautifully fully body, complete with a delicate carbonation that coats your mouth on every sip. Now I'm beginning to understand the what the "Dark Robe" is all about, it's just so silky in the mouth. Personally I am surprised how full bodied it actually felt. Despite having a relatively low alcohol content, the sweet caramel sweetness adds a thick denseness that i would normally associated with my beloved Barley Wines. Amazing stuff.

Taste: Very, very fruity. This beer is bursting bold flavours of rich, spiced fruit cake. The use of caramel malts help to deposit notes of sweet, sticky molasses and hints of chocolate and coffee. Yum! Yum! This is a drink that you could easily ruin if you try and coif too soon, so its worth sipping slowly and really savouring that fruit cake taste. This beer really is a pudding in a glass. P.s. Each bottle comes with a collectible goat trinket. Since we brought quite a few of these beers, I'm beginning to build quite a collection!

Similar to: http://beefsbrewery.blogspot.co.uk/2014/05/paulaner-salvator.html

Different to: http://beefsbrewery.blogspot.co.uk/2014/11/brooklyn-brewery-summer-ale.html

For the latest news on reviews follow me on twitter @beefsbrewery or like me on Facebook at Beefsbrewery

Paulaner Salvator

Paulaner Salvator

Style: Doppelbock

Alcohol Content: 7.9%

From: Munich, Bavaria, Germany

Purchased from: Beer Boutique, Putney Upon Thames

http://www.paulaner.com/

Solang der alte Peter.......

Paulaner was established in 1634 in Munich by Minim friars of the Neudeck ob der Au cloister. The brewery is named after the founder Francis of Paola, the founder of the order. After many years of brewing, the Neudeck cloister was abolished in 1799 and the brewery was purchased by Franz Xaver Zacherl. Keen to keep the breweries traditions alive, he continued to produce their traditional Doppelbock (latin for saviour). After years of strong growth the brewery finally ended up in the hands of their current owners, BHI holdings (a joint venture between Heineken and Schörghuber Ventures). In 2010, Paulaner sold a total of 2.1 million hectolitres of beer and exported to around 70 countries. Not bad for a former cloister hey.

The subject of this review is Paulaner Salvator, which is considered by many to be one of the first doppelbocks and very true to the original style. The drink was originally brewed for the friars as a form of "liquid bread" during times of fasting. Some may consider this beer to be the original meal replacement. So let use our loaves and see what the beer has to offer shall we. 

Colour: Pours a deep, rich ruby red with a small amount of tan foam. This foam helps to provide excellent lacing throughout the life of the drink.

Aroma: As soon as you pop the cap, notes of honey, cinnamon and nutmeg will flow out of the bottle. Once poured, this will morph like a power ranger into heady notes of sweet caramel and the complex depth of roasted hazelnuts.

Body: As soon as you pour this drink, you will notice how dense it appears. In the mouth, this thickness is instantly apparent. As soon as this beer enters your mouth it will coat your tongue and leave A thick, sweet stickiness clogging on the back of your throat. The beautifully light carbonation then cleanses the stickiness away leaving your mouth refreshed and awaiting more.

Taste: The first sip will provide notes of sweet caramel, promptly followed by hints of over ripe fruits such a plums, currants, raisins and sultanas. As you swallow the warmth of the alcohol will start to shine through. If you mix these sensations together, it will feel like you have just eaten a slice of your mum's Christmas fruit cake. Rich and very fulfilling. As the drink warms, flavours of yeast and cocoa begin to develop helping to round out this beer perfectly. I first came across this beer at a German Restaurant in Kingston and instantly fell in love with it. It's sweet, strong flavours worked beautiful against the heavy meat and potato dish I devoured. A truly excellent version of a doppelbock that I would highly recommend to anyone.

Similar to: http://beefsbrewery.blogspot.co.uk/2014/02/thwaites-crafty-dan-big-ben.html

Different to: http://beefsbrewery.blogspot.co.uk/2013/12/tiny-rebel-full-nelson.html

For the latest news on reviews follow me on twitter @beefsbrewery or like me on Facebook at Beefsbrewery

Schlenkerla Rauchbier Urbock

Schlenkerla Rauchbier Urbock

Style: Urbock

Alcohol Content: 6.5%

From: Bamberg, Franconia, Germany

Purchased From: Purchased from: Utobeer, London Borough Market
http://www.schlenkerla.de/indexe.html

Schlenkerla is a historic brewpub in Bamberg, Franconia, Germany renowned for its smoked Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier.

Schlenkerla roughly translates as "Dangling". Schlenkern is a German verb meaning to swing or to dangle. The -la suffix is typical of the Franconian dialect. The name reportedly originated with a previous brewmaster of the brewery who possessed a hobbling gait. An image of this hobbling brewer can be seen in the designs on the Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier bottle.

Schlenkerla are world famous for using an old fashioned smoking technique which involves drying the grain over an open beech wood fire . Thus it is unavoidable that smoke penetrated the malt and to give a rich smoky flavor. So as it's been awhile since I reviewed a beer from Germany, and from reading around on various blog sites, this drink comes highly recommended. Um eine gute Gesundheit. Prost!

Smoking Hot?

Colour: This beer pours a dark brown almost black colour. You will notice a light tan or almost butter like head, which at first is very thick a creamy looking. This then slowly melts into the glass leaving a light dusting in the glass.

Aroma: Ok, I admit it, this is the strangest beer I have ever smelt!! Extremely rich smoky bacon or pancetta notes rise up from the glass and washes over your nostrils. It's like you're eating a bacon sandwich or a meat platter. The smell is so intense that it will stay with you even if you leave the room.

Body: In the glass the drink looks a lot like Guinness, but in the mouth it's far lighter. The smoky richness of the malts also translates to the mouthfeel. The smoke will cling to the back of the throat will every sip. This can be a little overpowering at first, but you do get use to it.

Taste: As I mentioned earlier about the nose, the primary flavour of this beer is smokey bacon. This taste comes from the smoking of barley malts over beech wood logs. The flavour is then intensified by a long maturation period of three months. There is a slightly creamy after taste which is created by the deep malt sweetness of the barley. At 6.5% ABV, you would expect to taste some alcohol, but due to the intense smoking this is very well hidden.

Similar to: http://beefsbrewery.blogspot.co.uk/2013/08/flying-dog-gonzo-porter.html

Different to: http://beefsbrewery.blogspot.co.uk/2013/10/camden-brewery-pale-ale.html

For the latest news on reviews follow me on twitter @beefsbrewery or like me on Facebook at Beefsbrewery

Erdinger Uriweisser

Erdinger Uriweisser

Style: Weiss Beer

Alcohol Content: 4.9%

From: Erding, Germany

Purchased From: Beers of Europe
http://www.erdinger.de/en.html

The beginnings of Erdinger Weissbräu date back to 1886, the year in which construction of a wheat beer brewery in Erding was first officially recorded. After several changes in ownership, the General Manager at the time, Franz Brombach, bought the brewery in 1935 and re-named it Erdinger Weissbräu on December 27, 1949.

In 1965, the son of Franz Brombach, Werner Brombach, entered the business. He took over the private brewery in 1975 and still leads his father's successful business today. In addition to a strong emphasis on quality, Werner Brombach focuses above all on a targeted sales and promotion strategy with a clear brand identity, which highlights the values of the old Bavarian beer specialty and its superior quality standards.

Today, Erdinger weissbier stands for wheat beer enjoyment and the Bavarian brewing tradition. The traditional brewery has established itself as the national and international market leader for weissbier. As one of Germany's largest private breweries, Erdinger Weissbräu is among the leaders on the national German beer market.this review focuses on Erdinger Uriweisser beer. So lets go tasting! Prost!

Colour: A beautiful orange with a slight yellow hue. As I poured this into a pilsner glass, I was able to get a rich, thick and creamy white head in my glass. As with all good Weiss beers, this head stayed with with me throughout my drink. Ah it's just like being back in Munich! Speaking of Munich, as you can see from the photo below, this beer looks very similar to the ones served in the English Garden in Munich. Ah  great memories with the boys back in 2009.

Aroma: In the glass, you are bombarded with notes of bananas and warming clove notes. As with most wheat beers the drink is quite thick. To me, it was almost like smelling the banana custard that my mum use to serve to me after a roast dinner.

Body: As with all Weiss beers, the drink is quite thick and creamy. This is not a drink that is designed to rushed. Get one of these beers in the summer and kick back with a few friends. It leaves no sticky after taste in your mouth. Pure bliss of a drink.

Taste: Out of all the Weiss beers I have drunk outside of Germany, this beer taste almost identical to the ones I tried in Munich during my 2009 visit. Full of cloves and fresh bananas, this beer is under pinned with notes of freshly cut wheat and rainy days. There is also a sharp, sour lemon under tone that makes this brew slightly more tart than their standard Weiss beer.

Another tasty treat from German: http://beefsbrewery.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/gaffel-kolsch.html
Something different: http://beefsbrewery.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/skinners-heligan-honey.html

For the latest news on reviews follow me on twitter @beefsbrewery

Gaffel Kolsch

Gaffel Kolsch

Style: Kolsch

Alcohol content: 4.8%

From: Cologne (Koln), Germany

Purchased from: My good friend Jon brought this back from the Christmas Market for me.

What on earth is Kolsch you may ask your self? Well Kolsch is a local beer speciality that is brewed in Cologne, Germany. The word Kolsch can only be applied to beers produced in Cologne due to its protected designation of origin status. In other words if i made a beer in London, i could not sell it as a Kolsch. The most famous example of this would be Champagne which can only be produced in the Champagne region of France. Kolsch itself is quite similar to other pale German lagers in both appearance and taste.

Now i have been to Cologne myself and to my shame i only tried a very small amount of Kolsch (literally a thimble size). In my defence i will say that this was before my beer awaking and had i know about it then, i certainly would of swapped my Erdinger for it. Unfortently, I was only passing though Cologne, as i was on my way to Dortmund to watch the football. If you ever get a chance to go to Cologne please go. Its an experience not to be missed.

Myself and Jon outside the famous Cologne Cathedral

Thimble of Kolsch

The origins of the Gaffel brewery can be found all the way back in the 14th century and it is considered to be the oldest brewery in Cologne. So they must really know what they are doing. From reading their website they only produce three beer lines. If your really good at something then why deviate that's what i say. Its also worth saying that this brewery is still privately owed which is remarkable given its size.

Colour: Pale yellow a bit like straw. Kolsch is not as clear as other lagers and the yellow colour is quite similar to a Weiss beer.

Smell: Refreshing floral notes but you can also smell a small bit of a bitter undertones from the hops. As with most lagers i try, i find it very hard to actually smell anything from them. I've had to train my nose in order pull out the scents.

Body: Smooth as a naked women's bum. The drinks slides down a treat. One of things i noticed about the Kolsch, was that when you pour the beer there are a number of very large bubbles. Certainly larger than any that i have seem before.

Taste: Very sweet for a lager which is due to the Kolsch brewing style. There is a very slight bitter hit in the after taste but its nothing to write home about.

Follow me on Twitter for the latest news on reviews @BeefsBrewery