Ayinger Brewery- Celebrator Doppelbock: I’ll be bock, just not for a while…

Bock beers will surprise a lot of people in the fact that they are actually lagers. They are named after the Einbeck or Einbock region of Germany that they originate from. Doppelbocks tend to be strong and dark with a toasted and or roasted earthy flavor. But you aren’t here for a history lesson; you’re here for a beer review, so I digress.

Celebrator from the German based Ayinger Brewery pours a thick mahogany, almost black in hue. It boasts an extremely demse coffee-with-cream colored head. The aroma actually is very reminiscent of roasted coffee coupled with an earthy, sweet, raison scent. I would be remiss if I also did not mention the very pronounced alcohol waves that emanate from this brew as well. Celebrator is surprisingly bubbly for a bock beer, with hundreds of little bubbles dancing in the glass ten minutes after I poured it.

The flavor is like a favorite cousin, sweet in small doses, but not someone you’re going to bring to every party. Celebrator has a very sweet mouthfeel with underlying hints of roasted coffee and a certain leathery woodiness. It is also remarkable smooth while being cavity inducingly sweet and finishes with a slight hint of alcohol.

Ayinger Brewery’s Celabrator Doppelbock is a very tasty beer. It does have its faults however. Celebrator is overall too sweet to receive an upper echelon ranking. And the flavor clings to your palette far too long to make it a “session” beer.  If you love sweet, roasted, dark beers, definitely give this a shot. But I have a hard time believing that this is going to be anyone’s greatest beer of all time, anytime soon.  

ABV: 6.7%

Consumed: New Belgium Globe Glass

Verdict: Buy A Twelve Pack

Ayinger Brewery- Celebrator Doppelbock: Am I Worthy?

It is my understanding that Ayinger Brewery’s Celebrator Doppelbock is considered among the most “iconic” beers of all time.  The German Beer Institute describes a Doppelbock as “Doppelbock (literally "double bock") is a stronger and usually darker version of the Bavarian Bockbier.  It is exceptionally malty, with very little bitterness.  Standard Doppelbocks may have as much as 7% alcohol by volume.  In the strongest versions (around 10 to 13%), you can actually taste the alcohol.”  So now that we know exactly what a Doppelbock is let’s look at what the brewery has to say.

Ayinger Brewery classifies this as a Doppelbock and their product sheet describes Celebrator as “Celebrator Doppelbock is a rich, classic Bavarian specialty lager traditionally consumed as a celebration beer.  This "double bock" is a profoundly dark beer, full-bodied and velvety from half a year's aging. Despite its richness, it has a faintly smoky dryness in the finish.”

This brew poured a dark cola color with ½ tan head, strong malty aromas and states a 6.7% ABV.

If you are a fan of dark beers or Doppelbocks in general this may be the standard bearer for what all others aspire to be.  This is a tasty malty flavored brew with slight hints of caramel and roasted malts that give that ever so tiny taste of coffee but with a little sweetness in the aftertaste.  Now to me this isn’t your everyday drinker but its intention is to be a celebration beer as the website states.  Celebrator to me seems as if it would be the perfect beer to celebrate getting your Master’s degree, 15 anniversary of your annual snowboard trip with the guys to Big Sky Resort in Montana or your 50^th birthday with your recently wedded 35 year old wife.  Life is good.

ABV: 6.7%

Consumed: New Belgium Globe Glass

Verdict: Buy A Twelve Pack