Beer: Spaten Oktoberfest

Brewery: Spaten Brewery Munich, Germany

Overview: Spaten, sponsor of Oktoberfest celebrations the world over is a classic German brewer of the style, so I had to pick some up to review this September.  So here we go.

Aroma: Sweet bread, fresh hops.  Heavy malt smell with some underlying sweetness.

Appearance: Dark gold to light amber.  Clear.  Foamy white head that dissipates quickly.

Flavor: Malt, malt, malt, malt, malt.  And perhaps some malt in there.  This has a heavy bread-like quality to it and you chew your way through the center but it avoids sweetness.  Some light bitterness in the finish, but not overwhelming, with a very clean finish on the tongue erasing the malt.

Overall Impression: Overall just a perfect example of what I expect the style to be.  Malt-heavy but not so overwhelming as to fill you up, and just a note of spicy hops in the finish to balance the malt and counteract any sweetness.  I could sit and drink an entire six-pack of these at once, but I'd be wondering if I could get up afterwards.  This is a great celebratory beer to pour in September or October and raise your glass (bottom end up, top in your mouth).  Truly enjoyable.

Vitals:
Style Oktoberfest
Price $8.99/six-pack
Found In Chain Import Store
Alcohol Content 5.9% by volume
Availability Seasonal (August to October)


Rating: 96