Spaten Münchner Hell / München / Premium

Brewed by Spaten-Franziskaner-Bräu (InBev)
Style: Dortmunder/Helles
Munich, Germany

Overall Impression: A clear golden beer with a decent, but not overwhelming or outstanding taste to it.

Clear golden color with a bright white head. Grassy hop aroma, hay, grainy. Not much flavor. Mostly grainy with a touch of hops. Thin palate, really thin and watery.

Bottle. Light aromas of straw for the malt, grass for the hops and hints of wine, steamed vegetables like celery, and band aid. Head is small, fizzy, white with no lacing and is fully diminishing. Color is sparkling super-clear gold. Flavor starts lightly acidic and bitter, then finishes lightly acidic and moderately bitter. Plalate is light, watery, has a lively carbonation and finishes lightly alcholic and dry. This is not my favorite version of a Dortmunder.

Had onboard the Sapphire Princess (no plug intended!). Poured a medium clear gold beneath a smallish white head. Aroma was quite hopped, and the taste was rather bitter - no complaints here. Mouthfeel was thinner than I like.

500 ml bottle, at a pub in the Nordstan shopping centre, Göteborg, as "Spaten München - Original Munich beer". ABV is 5.2%. Pale golden colour, moderate head. Pleasant aroma of flowery hops. The flavour is fairly bland and boring, but there are no unpleasant off-flavours.

No: 743
Rated: 27.06.2009
Bottle brown, 500 ml,11.7 P. got it in Munchen
Appearance: Pours pale metalic, shiny yellow, not perfectly clear in the body texture, carbonation of the body is very weak, head is just white, foamy, initially medium, quickly decreasing to almost non existant, no lacing, pretty dull looking body, gently citrusy in colour, gentle sediments are floating in the body texture.
Aroma: Rather weak, weaker than Helles beer from Lowenbrau Brauerei, notes of dust and very gentle flowery - spicy hoppyness mixed with alcoholic background. Quite typical aroma of Helles beer but rather weak what is present in its weak malty - crispy background despite its 11.7 P, tea like impression (of a regular black, non-sophisticated tea).
Flavour: Front is slaty oriented with watery oily mouthfeel, notes of alcoholic warmth go together with spicy notes of hops origin, rather non-sophisticated and water aftertaste with no crispness of malt origin, poor flowery side of hops, somehow lacking in this interpretation of Helles style. Finish duration is short, beer is not that clean in the aftertaste as Hellers beer from Lowenbrau Brauerei.
Palate: Body is light, texture is watery, carbonation on palate is moderate, finish feel is slightly accidic and moderately astringent, slightly alcoholic and kin of dull.

Have had this dozens of times, usually from old skunky bottles at get-togethers, this time from a newish green bottle served in a dimpled half-liter from Löwenbräu (Forgive my blasphemy!). Extremely grassy, outdoorsy nose overspills the bottle, malt with decent backing from noble hops. Unfortunately, some notes somewhere between mashy grain and corn. Pale (clear) golden pour with a frothy white head. Malty sweet taste with above mentioned grass and near-corn, now with a little citrus in the main and a mildly bready finish. Manages a nice, rounded balance, soft water does wonders for an otherwise bland medium body. Light bitterness and spice; endlessly repeatable Helles-Pilsner hybrid and, when fresh, great beer for the warm and inviting outdoors.

Pours pale yellow with a 1-2 finger foamy white head that has good retention. Aroma is grass, fresh grain, a little hay and light planty notes. Flavor is sweet hay, grass, lightly toasted grain and a little honey to the finish. Palate is thin, with a neutral feel and a light, fizzy carbonation.