“The fresh taste of Ator 20 results from its cold fermentation and long, cold maturation, 20° Plato, and strong-bodied malt.”

Glassware: Half Stein.

Appearance: Chestnut complexion with a deep ruby red gradient at the edges. It forms two fingers of finely beaded foam and maintains its shape well. Healthy lace work as it ebbs.

Aroma: Very sweet, very bready and just the mildest touch of hops to counterbalance. Definitely picking up the classic German yeast profile – banana bread, earthy spices and apple pie. Layers of caramel and toffee, dark fruits and liqueur (Port, Cognac, Sherry etc), candied red berries, cherry cola and toasty malts. Good complexity and structure. Digging it thus far.

Flavour: Delicious but we must admit the candy/artificial fruity notes could do with a bit of dialling back. It starts brilliantly though, with sweet and chewy caramel, dark fruits and banana bread then the candied cherry and toffee apple opens up around the mid. A nice little toasty accent develops late and leads into a super sweet, tangy and fruity finish.

Mouthfeel: Silky smooth, well rounded and chewy. Carbonation is kept pretty low key, medium body. The 7.5% ABV is pretty well disguised.

Overall: There’s no questioning its authenticity but if compared to the likes of Aventinus, Sünner or Andechser it doesn’t really stack up. This is in no way a write off as it’s actually a decent crack but there are better options out there in our opinion.