Question for myself: why don't I have a decent doppelbock-specific glass? And further, why don't I have an Ayinger Celebrator glass? And more importantly and deeply, why hasn't Ayinger Celebrator Doppelbock, or anything from the Privatbrauerei Franz Inselkammer KG, Brauweri Aying ever appeared here since I started this?
There's a reason why I had to check on this recently, and I'll get to that later, but I was ultimately disappointed to learn that in the nearly 9 years of this blog I haven't posted about any of their beers. BeerAdvocate says that I've reviewed six of their beers on that site, so I was diligent in the past, but haven't followed through here on the blog. Part of that is my fault, for not picking them up at the store or being aware that I should do so, and part is due to the distributor not giving me samples. I actually had this beer on tap at Acadia 3 1/2 years ago, but did not take the opportunity to snap a shot and use it to post my old review, which I sometimes do. And due to those reasons I hinted at above, I called on the Sample Man, ( a lady, in this case) to help me out.
So, I now have a bottle of the classic German doppelbock, with the little goat around the bottleneck, and I will use a Belgian abbey dubbel glass, because that's the closest thing I have to the shape of the doppelbock glass.
Here are my notes from February, 2003:
Ayinger Celebrator Doppelbock lager, 6.7 % ABV, Aying, Germany.
A color as black as night, and a toasty tan head.
Strong and seductive aromatics: sweet and candyish, with notes of toffee, anise, and cocoa, and a slightly burnt character that perhaps derives from the higher alcohol.
Taste is huge with malt, highly warming (note the ABV), full, rich, and delicious. A perfect aperitif beer. Three things ring above all else: malt, coffee, and caramel.
Solid, bold, and loaded with coffeeish flavor. One of the world's greatest brews.
My 16 and 1/2 year old notes? Do they stand up? Yep, I called it. Nothing more to add. We could go on, wax rhapsodic, perhaps, but sometimes brief and to the point is more than good enough. It is actually perfectly delicious, complex, and beautiful.
And the reason I was thinking about them is Richard. I'm going to go back to a Facebook post from a week or so ago, and give tribute to one of my favorite long-time customers and his departed wife.
This is Richard. (I haven't seen him post anything online in a while, and he always pays in cash, so I've forgotten his last name.)
But Richard is among my favorite customers of all time. I've felt for years that I would be at my happiest if I were to come to work, walk up to the bar and see a room full of Richards. And I don't mean only white, male, retired dentists, no, of course not. I mean anyone who only wants the best beer available, and doesn't care about anything else.
Richard used to come to the Blue Nile and only order our best, every time. I once asked him why he didn't want the free pints that came to him when he ordered an expensive Belgian beer during happy hour, and I will never forget his answer. "If I wanted a discount, I'd go to the gas station and buy a case of PBR."
Which I am sure he never did.
After I left the Blue Nile and went to Acadia, Richard followed and I always was delighted to see him and serve him. Today, I came in and he'd been there for a bit, drinking some Hammerheart Flaming Longship, and told me he had a story to tell me. The gravity of his tone suggested something, and my instincts were true. Richard's story was that of his wife Jean, of nearly 45 years of marriage, and her untimely, accidental death, only a few weeks ago.
I'd met Jean several times and she was nothing but sunshine and light, happiness and smiles. It was heartbreaking to hear of her passing.
I listened to Richard tell the story of their life together, their tales, their travels, the family they raised, and he told the story of getting into craft beer, locally, at Johnny's Bar in St. Paul on University Avenue, where they were the only place to have Ayinger Celebrator Doppelbock on tap. Throughout his story, he kept going back to how no one else ever had it on tap, only a few places, maybe one place in D.C., etc.
And I thought to myself, I know someone who had it on a few years back....maybe he missed it... maybe not...but...
So, I went downstairs and checked the tap handle box of the distributor who never asks for them back, and there it was, a handle that did not include the name of the beer, so I had to write it myself in Sharpie. Celebrator Doppelbock, which was also Jean's favorite.
And I gave it to him, and he refused, so I insisted, and he accepted. And he said it would make a nice complement to the beer glasses I'd given him over the years, and I said I hoped it would keep memories of Jean alive.
So, Cheers to Jean and Richard, everyone, and all the beers we cheer together to keep us happy and alive!
And here's to celebrating life, love, and friends!
Dark, malty and rich. Ayinger, at the foot of the Bavarian alps, is one of the world's most respected breweries, family owned and operated since 1878.
Confluence Ash Tree ESB.
