The Quiet Reliability of Ayinger
I have been working on lagers for the past six weeks, slowly making my way through pale, amber, dark lagers and this week, bocks. A feature of the book I'm working on is called "the beers to know," which includes a selection that typify the type I've just been writing about. Every time I get to that section, I buy a bunch of European lagers, look through my travel notes, and study ratings sites like BeerAdvocate to see which small breweries around the country I should be looking at. And every time, Ayinger is there at the top. Their beers are among my faves, and they're beloved by the people, too. For a number of reasons, I don't put a lot of stock in the ratings sites, but have a look at how well Ayinger does; below is a list of the various styles and where Ayinger ranks among all beers of that style brewed in the world. First is BeerAdvocate, second RateBeer.
Hefeweizen: 6, 8When you click through these styles, you see a lot of familiar names near the top--Augustiner, Andechs, Weihenstephan, Schneider. But Schneider doesn't brew lagers, and most of the Bavarian lager breweries don't brew any wheats beyond a single weizen. Ayinger, with all-Bavarian ingredients, open wheatbier fermentation, and a modern eco-brewery, plays both fields. I don't often hear them discussed in the hushed tones reserved for Augustiner and Schneider--who certainly earn their respect. Leave aside the ratings, which are obviously problematic, and go with what your senses tell you. I think you'll conclude that Ayinger is surely one of the best Bavarian breweries.
Dunkel lager: 3, 3
Doppelbock: 1, 1
Export: 2, 16
Maibock: 13, 1
Marzen: 8, 1
Dunkelweizen: 3, 4
Weizenbock, 5, 12