Bayernbiere Bought and Drunk

No Starkbierzeit for you!

 

Aventinus is indeed a beer of beauty and thankfully they produced a beautiful glass to drink this beer:

 

Given its strength, I'd say it's a weizen doppelbock. Schneider say the same.

 

Oh, I am one of the "many," but there are others who want to argue that there's no such thing. Don't tell it to Schneider (as you already found).

 

And it used to say on the 'old' purple Aventinus label that it was a weizen doppelbock. To be honest, I'm not sure what the new labels say since I don't recall having had a bottle since those started showing up.

 

If that was the biere du jour, probably not. At 8.2% it's monstrous even compared with the normal doppels like Salvator and Korbinian. Plus, it's kind of heavy. Usually Aventinus is my last beer of the night no matter where I am.

 

Aventinus is one of my all time favorites..... Had it in 2004 or 2005 the first time, and I am still going back to it now once in a while.
Its complex,bold, and also very simple and easy going for its strength.
I never really liked pale Weizenbocks, even the high regarded ones like the one from Guttmann.
The only Weizenbock that for me ever came close to lovely Aventinus was Holler-Busch Weizenbock from Held Bräu Oberailsfeld.

Oh, and Aventinus ages very very well given the right conditions- there is no need to look for fresh ones if you ask me.

 

Salvator is 7.9. I've yet to be able to discern between 8.2 and 7.9 ABV... especially after the first one.

 

Huh...go figure. Looks like Andechs is only 7.1% and Celebrator is 6.7%. I dunno when I actually last had a Salvator, so I guess I probably shouldn't have assumed.

 

( @grantcty beat me to it, but I'm going to go for it anyway!)

Schneider-Weisse refers to their Aventinus as a Dopplebock, so whether or not this plays into stylistic differences I don't know. Perhaps their Tap 5 Hopfenweisse would be a better comparison to a Weizenbock? Although the Tap 5 is a pretty unique creature as well.

I've never really had a lot of love for the Weizenbock style, to me it tastes like a Hefeweizen with too much alcohol in it. However I did really enjoy Ladenburger's Weizenbock. I'm not sure if they're available in the US, though, my guess is no.

 

It can get oxidized and be less-than its delicious fresh self. Even the Aventinus Eisbock is a little earthy and cardboard to my tongue and I've always liked the regular better.

I've never thought Weizenbocks tasted like they were "intentionally imperial," as some of today's bigger beers come off. Maybe because they're older styles and the brewmasters weren't trying to be "extreme" for the sake of extreme when they developed their beers, dunno. But as I mentioned previously, every time I have an Aventinus it's like I'm rediscovering what beer can be all over again -- and for that reason I only have it once in a while. Keeps the fascination in tact!

 

Maybe it is a matter of preference as well as storing conditions.
I had a few bottles of Aventinus for a few years in a cool, dark cellar and they were amazing, no oxidation notes for me. Very tasty.
The Eisbock I love as well, but it is way more expensive and hard to get. I mean, the normal Aventinus is very easily aviable for less than 1 Euro per 0,5l bottle..

 

I believe they sell a purposely aged version of the regular Aventinus in different packaging. I want to say my local bottle shop has this routinely along with the Eisbock.

I highly recommend pairing Aventinus with chocolate, specifically chocolate cake.

As @Domingo said, it's a great way to end the night, and an incredible way to end a dinner paired with chocolate cake.

 

Seriously? Ugh. I can't remember the price tag on the last bottle I bought, but it sure wasn't less than a dollar, let alone less than .90 cents!

 

Due to laws regarding best by dates, pre-aged Aventinus is not allowed in germany

And yes, around 90 cents... Which is still -kind of-expensive for beer here, at least it was before craft stuff with silly price tags entered the scene.

 

Even flourless chocolate cake! I used to drink Anchor Porter for dessert with flourless chocolate cake (back in my bar-hopping youth), I can imagine the Aventinus being just as tasty.

 

http://www.specialtybeercellar.com/aventinus-aged/

Yep, I knew I've seen it.


Aventinus, the world’s oldest top-fermenting wheat-doppelbock, has received accolades for the perfect balance of fruity spiciness (banana, clove, vanilla) and notes of chocolate (crystal & dark malts). In addition, the beer has demonstrated wonderful aging potential with aromas and flavors of chocolate (very soft), port and sherry when aged for three years or more.

Therefore, in 1999, the SCHNEIDER brewery decided to age 240 cases of AVENTINUS each year in their historical ice cellar in Kelheim with each batch held for a minimum of three years.

Each Fall for many years t come B. United International is proud to release a small allotment of the latest vintage to all our customers across the USA. Please enjoy it now or hold on to it in your own cellar for further development …if you can handle the wait.”

 

$4.50 USD for Aventinus around here; $6.00 USD for the Eisbock. Not that there aren't reasons for that -- shipping beer tens of thousands of miles can't be cheap. Still, I'm sure it's one of the many reasons they tend to linger on US shelves.

 

Normal Aventinus is usually $3-4 out here. I still consider that to be a pretty solid deal considering what something that potent usually runs. Funny enough, we tend to pair it with the chocolate-chip bread pudding from Whole Foods. It's amazing.

Not sure how or why, but we ordered an Aventinus Eisbock at the Weissesbrauhaus, and it was already a couple years old. Is that one an exception to the dating rule or was that a mistake? When it comes to aging bigger beers, I have a mild tolerance to oxidative notes. This was was beyond my personal tastes, although my wife liked it.

 

...and charging about 10x the amount of the fresh stuff at the source, I'm sure.