Ayinger Celebrator Doppelbock

Celebrator Dopplebock

Ayinger Brewery

Information: Site “A beer, purely dominating in malt flavor. It’s origins from a Monk’s classic recipe are reflected throughout. Almost black with a very slightly reddish tone. A sensational solid foam and a very unusual scent that has an almost lard-like quality. The accompanying coffee tones are very evident in the finish.“

One of the very interesting things about a ‘Doppelbock’ is the strange fact that you almost always see a goat on the label. Why is that? We’ll get to that in a second. Here’s what a Doppelbock is, by the way, “Doppelbock or double bock is a stronger version of traditional bock that was first brewed in Munich by the Paulaner monks, an order founded by St. Francis of Paula Historically, doppelbock was lower in alcohol and sweeter, thus serving as “liquid bread” for the monks during times of fasting, when solid food was not permitted. Today, doppelbock is considerably stronger than traditional bock, ranging from 7%–12% or more by volume.” So why the goat? From Wikipedia once again, “The Bavarians of Munich pronounced “Einbeck” as “ein Bock” (“a billy goat”), and thus the beer became known as “bock”. To this day, as a visual pun, a goat often appears on bock labels.” In fact, this beer actually comes with a goat… ornament I guess on the neck of each bottle in the 4-pack. Kick ass.

I love getting beers that end in -ATOR. Why? Well, quite often they’re of the bock variety for one reason. But the main reason is basically because that’s the way the Germans and Austrians did it, so American companies have adopted the practice. I’ll have one of those for you all very soon. Anyway, this one is all German, and all ready to be opened… so here we go.

Though the above description says the first pour kind of reminds one of lard… well, I’m getting more of a bacon-like yeast. So I guess it’s in the same ballpark. The head is a light tan and it certainly hangs on for a while. It has a very biscuit-like body that has a kind of buttery backbone with a very minor hoppy characteristic. More over it has a mild nutty flavor with a very heavy malt forefront that absolutely leads the pack. It is a stunningly delicious sample of the doppelbock variety and I would highly recommend it. Especially with sausages. Preferably Bavarian.

Rating: * * * * *
A great doppelbock that you won’t soon forget.