Celebrator Doppelbock

I do like to think, at least for the most part, that I am fearless when it comes to trying new beers. Yes, I read the labels and see what it is before actually buying a pack of any kind but for the most part I'll buy a beer even if I have no real idea what I'm in for. Luckily, I have a beer store where the owner will point me in the direction I need to be. On my most recent trip, I discovered a beer with an interesting label. There was a goat on either side of a goblet of beer.

Who's going to win here? Beer lovers

Being a visual person, I was intrigued and happily brought the four pack to the front to be rung up. The owner asked to see if I enjoyed malty beers before he sold it to me. After confirming my love of such beverages, he pointed a few out to me to try the next time I come in. I went home, excited to try my new beer. Today, in celebration of International Beer Day, I did as such.

Celebrator in celebration!

In addition to having a beautifully designed label, you get a free goat charm and who doesn't like free things?

Look how cute!

But seriously, this beer is well worth trying. Lacking a proper stemmed glass, I poured the beer into a pint glass. The beer was nearly black in color with red highlights when the light hit it. There was very little head in the beer but in pictures of it on the brewery's website, a good frothy head is shown. I don't know if this is because of how I poured it or if the beer wasn't at the right temperature or some other extraneous variable made it incapable of producing such.

Now, admittedly, I am strongly biased for malty beers. I'm not a very big fan of pale ales or very hoppy tasting beers. They are not without merit but I do prefer my beer to be heavy on the malt. That being said, this beer was delicious. It had a good malty aroma to it that stayed with the beer through the whole drinking experience and only developed a more toasty note toward the end. There was a good texture to the beer. It wasn't too heavy in spite of it's color and I feel that needs to be said as I find some friends shy away from a beer based on its looks without trying it. It had a good sweet flavor to it, sweet being relative for a beer. The finish of it was toasty with a coffee, very nearly chocolate taste to it.

However, despite all of the good qualities of this beer, the price was very steep running $14.99 for a four pack. I would likely buy it again for a special occasion but not for just anything. Overall, the beer was worth trying, without a doubt, but perhaps not for the price. I do believe that I'll try to check out the maker of this beer, the Ayinger Brewery when I travel to Europe next summer.