Pint-Sized Review: Ayinger Ur-Weisse
August 18th, 2008 by brianS
It was beastly hot out here in the Sactown area last week. But the topper was bonding time with Mrs. S: hanging art on the wall cutout in our stairwell. There's nothing quite like hanging wall art to build up a thirst.
Sunday Project
You'd think that drilling four holes and putting in four wood screws would be a piece of cake, but somehow around our house these things always turn into adventures. In this case, a two-hour adventure, including the midcourse trip to Home Depot. Let's just say I earned my beer.
And a lovely beer it was. The Ayinger Ur-Weisse "Authentic Bavarian Dunkel Weizen" pours a pretty, amber hue with an aggressive white head. I didn't notice much of an aroma, but the mouthfeel was soft and bubbly and the flavor was fruity and very malty, with just a touch of hops for balance. It starts and finishes dry. I'd tell you how much I paid for it, but the wife has "cleaned up" in our home office, so the receipt is long gone. Probably around $4 for the 500ml bottle from my Bevmo (*Bevmo's website says $2.79 -- a bargain!). Not a session beer at a hefty 5.8 pct ABV. But this is a smooth and refreshing afternoon treat.
Ayinger Ur-Weisse Dunkel Hefe-weizen
Not every brewery waves its mission statement like a flag, but Ayinger seems to take itself seriously. "It is our obligation to promote, maintain and nourish real beer culture." I'm a daydream believer, I guess. Ayinger also proudly produces the fantabulous Celebrator Doppel Bock, one of the world's great beers. But this dunkel weizen is no slouch.
and this Ayinger Biermädchen definitely builds up my thirst level.
Lots of reviewers remark on apple and pear notes in this beer. I dunno, because it didn't really linger very long in my glass. Each sip I took just egged me on for another. This beer scored well with the kids at Beer Advocate as well as those at Ratebeer and Beer Pal, and for good reason. It's an excellent, excellent beer. Fantastic drinkability, light enough to work as a summer beer but with enough heft to work through the fall as well. This beer was a gold medalist as the top-rated dark hefe in the World Beer Championships each year 2003-2007. And well worth it.
This entry was posted by brianS on Monday, August 18th, 2008 at 4:01 pm and is filed under Barley Pops and Hop Hits, Featured Articles. It is one of 524 entries by the author. We are no longer accepting Letters to the Editor on this post.
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E-6 replied on August 18, 2008 at 7:39:17 pm
There's nothing quite like hanging wall art to build up a thirst.
Besides making it, that is.
meat replied on August 18, 2008 at 11:20:19 pm
I'll drink to that!
Gutzon replied on August 22, 2008 at 11:40:45 am
Ayinger's Hefe is no slouch either! One of the standards of the genre, methinks.