It’s no secret I’m a fan of Ayinger. That makes me a bit of an exception in my hometown of Munich and I just don’t understand why except the local population tends to drink nothing but Helles. Now, I like Helles as much as the next person and on a hot summer day, it’s my tipple choice, too but I like many styles of beer and Ayinger makes them all well. Admittedly, their Helles is atypical for Southern Bavaria, registering on the dry and somewhat bitter side but that’s their choice and even if you don’t like it, the brewery makes many excellent regular beers. Their true strength, however, are their seasonals and come May, their Maibock gives challenge to Hellerbocks near and far.
the charming village of Aying, a short distance south of Munich
I had it for the first time last May and it impressed me so much that I’ve made it a point to make the trip out to Aying for every seasonal ever since. Well, as time goes, a year had passed and it was time to return once again for the strong golden wonder. To make things more interesting, I enlisted some co-tasters as my first time out for it, I was solo. My wife and friend Karen had also come for Ayinger’s Winter Bock and Celebrator but we finally enticed Karen’s somewhat skeptical fiancée to make the trek, as well.
Ayinger Maibock & the Bavarian band taking a break
It was a glorious day last Sunday and the chestnut trees were in full bloom. The sun shone as it only seems to during the work week so we got to work on our first Maibock shortly. Thumbs up all around and with our food order in, I knew it would be a winning afternoon as if anything is better than Ayinger’s beer, it’s their food coupled with it. A Bavarian band played for good measure.
My wife and I enjoying the first Maibock & our Fleischpfanzerl
My wife and I opted for Fleischpfanzerl with a truly lovely Bavarian cucumber/potato salad. These veal/pork mix patties were quite good and floating in an ample tasty sauce.
Karen & Dai and tasty looking Tafelspitz
Karen had the Tafelspitz, a pot roast type meal that she said was as good as it looked. Dai opted for the Riesen Schnitzel and true to its name, it was quite large enough for a large trip. My wife spotted a rhubarb cake on the menu and were glad we decided to top our meal off with it.
Riesen Schnitzel & Rhubarb cake
My wife’s cousin and his family joined us later and had quite a nice Obatzn, the standard Bavarian cheese spread. They also had Eismarillenknödel, a brilliant looking concoction of ice cream and yellow plums made into round balls.
Obatzn & Eismarillenknödel
We wandered around the small charming village of Aying after our meal, checking out the somewhat upscale Ayinger Hotel out back and small cemetery and church. We stopped in the small self-service Biergarten for one more beer, not wanting to give up on the glorious, if fading, day. It may have proved to be one too many the next day but it sure didn’t seem that way at the time.
Self-service Biergarten & village church
If traveling out to Ayinger, jump on the S-7 from Munich in the direction of Kreuzstraße. Get off in Aying. Many trains actually terminate there anyway. You can use an XXL ticket and the group version of the ticket is good for up to five thirsty travelers. It’s less than 20€ and good all day so gets you there and back. From the station, it’s a nice 10-15 minute stroll to the brewery. Though the restaurant is charmingly rustic, try to time your visit for a sunny day as the Biergarten is quite idyllic.
What a truly splendid day in the sun that was! Great food, lovely beer and of course excellent company. I’ve become a convert to the Ayinger bocks.