Restaurant Beer Profile: The beers of Ayinger Bräuerei

 
 

Ayinger’s unique ingredient is the water that is drawn from a 176 meter-deep well on their property. The aquifer produces a certified mineral water that is superior for brewing the beer styles of lagers and hefeweizen. It is the only source of its kind in the Munich region. This water is so good that it is also bottled and sold under it own label.

The Inselkammer family has also put its investment where it counts—in brewery equipment and technology. Their high-end automated systems are rare today in smaller Bavarian breweries. These systems allow much more precise control of the brewing processes. This leads to a more consistent product. At Ayinger, quality control is paramount.

So how does this translate to the beers? Ayinger beers are some of the most award-winning German beers of the past decade. Even the tough reviewers of America’s premier beer-rating websites (ratebeer.com and beeradvocate.com) appreciate Ayinger beers for their exceptional drinkability and their exemplary execution of traditional German beer styles.

The handcrafted beers from smaller Bavarian breweries are undoubtedly among the best beers on the planet. They are also among the most food friendly. The problem is, most are no-shows or suffer from inconsistent distribution in the United States.

This brings us to Bräuerei Aying Franz Inselkammer, or Ayinger for short. Ayinger beers are not only superbly food friendly, they are also consistently available in most all US markets. These facts combined with their superior quality makes them strong candidates for restaurant beer lists.

Founded by the Johann Liebhard in 1878, the brewery is named after the little town of Aying, where it is located. Aying lies in the green Bavarian countryside about a half-hour drive out of Munich. Still family-owned today by the Inselkammer family, who are descendants of Liebhard, the brewery’s philosophy respects tradition but utilizes the most modern, efficient equipment to pay those respects.

Ayinger specializes in making real Bavarian-ingredient beers. Most all their malts come from Upper Bavaria, produced from barley grown by local farmers. Their hops are Bavarian sourced—largely premium Hallertauer Tradition and Hallertauer Perle—from the revered Hallertau hop region.

Don’t let the Ayinger’s modern brewery facade fool you—this Bavarian brewery got its start over 130 years ago. But in Germany, where many breweries have roots several hundred years deep, Ayinger would be considered a fairly new company. This new facility, which opened in 1999, is among the most advanced in all of Europe.

These are but a few of the great pairings for these beers. The beautiful thing about them is, across the range, they are so versatile. Your culinary team will have fun working up their own perfect pairings and your customers will love the results.

Bavaria has over 600 breweries today, many of them quite small and quite good. But none have the total package that Ayinger offers. These include an ultra modern, efficient brewery; high end ingredients; consistent quality; beautiful beers; and strong US availability.

The US importer is Merchant du Vin, a firm that specializes in high end European beers. They are able to provide the support that restaurants need to be successful in selling Ayinger beers.

Testing a new beer by adding it as a limited-time seasonal selection or as a weekly featured special will provide the opportunity to assess customer response to the new label.

To support the introduction of any new beer, don't forget the importance of staff training. A brief written description and sampling of the new product along with suggested food pairings will provide wait staff with the tools they need to increase craft beer sales.

Go to the Ayinger Bräuerei website or the Merchant du Vin website for additional information on the beers, their brewing philosophy and availability.

The Ayinger brewery is so clean you could literally eat (or should that be drink) off the floor. This view of the Ayinger fermentation room shows the sparkling clean state that is typical of the entire facility. It is truly a most impressive brewery.

Ayinger Beer and Your Food

Ayinger beers excel at drinkability. They are so clean and consistently well made. To the restaurateur this means the beers will pair up oh so well with foods on your menu. These are beers that will complement rather than overpower your menu items.

Ayinger Jahrhundert Lager. A sturdy export-style lager with an affinity for panini, charcuterie, rotisserie chicken, pan seared schnitzel and Latin.

Ayinger Altbairisch Dunkel. A traditional dark lager that matches up so well  with oven-roasted fare including beef, pork, and winter vegetables.

Ayinger Bräu Weisse. A superior hefeweizen that loves green summer salads, satay, gnocchi, chilled soups, and white pizza.

Ayinger Ur-Weisse. A darker, richer wheat beer that pairs with poultry and richer sauces, a traditional Thanksgiving dinner, smoked gouda, pecan pie.

Ayinger Celebrator Doppelbock. Sets the current standard for the style and complements duck, strong cheeses, creme brulèe and chocolate cake.

Ayinger’s brewhouse doubles as the brewery taproom. The visually striking facility is a great place to enjoy a beer with a view of the Bavarian countryside. The brewery enjoys a strong local following, selling approximately 90% of its beer within a 70 mile radius.














See a brewery when visiting wine country


Wine isn’t the only tasty beverage fermenting in the tanks of Napa and Sonoma counties. Nor is wine the only local product to take gold at prestigious international competitions. And wineries aren’t the only ones with interesting, educational tours.


Why not take in a great artisan brewery on your next trip to California’s wine country. Many of the microbreweries have tours and tasting rooms that welcome your visit.


Wine Country Beer is your guide to finding the best local breweries in the northern and central coastal areas of California. Sample world-class, award winning beers. Learn more about the brewing art and the master crafts people who make it happen.

WineCountryBeer.com