Ayinger Brewery (Privatbrauerei Franz Inselkammer) has been brewing classic Bavarian beers in the tiny village of Aying, south of Munich, Germany, since 1878. Although Ayinger’s brewing techniques and selection of ingredients are strictly traditional, its brewing equipment is completely modern and fully automated. Ayinger is dedicated to operating its brewery with a minimum amount of environmental impact by engaging in ecologically sound and sustainable practices. See environmental issues. It sources most of its brewing barley and wheat from surrounding farms, whose fields are fertilized in part with wholesome organic waste from the brewery itself. Hops for Ayinger beers come exclusively from the Hallertau region, only a short distance away, northeast of Munich. Ayinger’s brewing water is pumped directly from a 176-m-deep (approximately 560-foot-deep) aquifer next to the brewery. This water source is rich in carbonates, which makes it particularly suited for brewing dark, malt-accented beers. The brewery produces about 150,000 hl of beer annually. Among its dozen authentic Bavarian beer styles, perhaps the best known is the Alt-Bayerisch dunkel, a mildly hopped, deep mahogany, full-bodied beer with a rich finish. Perhaps its most famous beer worldwide is the Celebrator doppelbock, a strong winter lager of 6.7% alcohol with dominant malty notes but surprisingly little residual sweetness in the finish. The golden jahrhundert-bier (centenary beer), first brewed on the occasion of the brewery’s 100th anniversary, has about 5.5% alcohol, a spicy upfront bitterness, and a honey-like aroma. Other popular Ayinger beers include the Ur-weisse, a traditional Bavarian dark wheat ale; the Bräu-weisse, with the typical clove and banana fragrance of a Bavarian hefeweizen; and Liebhard’s kellerbier, an unfiltered lager, left hazy with yeast. Ayinger is a family-owned brewery, and the local populace treats owner– proprietor Franz Inselkammer as if he were mayor or perhaps even a benevolent prince.

See also bavaria.