Spaten Optimator

Brewed by Spaten-Franziskaner-Bräu (InBev)
Style: Doppelbock
Munich, Germany

Bought because of the rave reviews it gets on RateBeer - Not a big fan of German beers in green bottles. Regardless, reddish amber color, small beige head, aroma of malt (a little too sweet for my liking) and needs more hops. Probably won’t buy again.

(gr-btl brz-lbl, 6 pack, 8¢/oz)

§lct-mhgy, med-body, med-co2.

dark-malt red-grape-juice earthy aroma.

T1 dark-malts minerality.
T2 dark-roasted-malt §earthy-hop.
T3 §coke §sambuca §earthy-hop iron/mnrls/tannins.
fairly drinkable and simple but too minerally/tannin.

Pours deep amber brown with fading tan head. Deep malty aroma with spice and alcohol. Flavor is toasted/roasted malt, baked bread, and light spice. Alcohol warmth. Crisp with medium to full body and slightly bitter aftertaste.

Bottle - What a classic. Pours deep brown with a tinge of red and a small cream head. Smells of sweet caramel malt with a bit of sourness and nuttiness. There’s just a bit of hops below the surface for balance. You’ve got to let it warm up a bit, but the taste is smooth and sweet, with a caramel burst of maltiness that transitions into some nice balancing hops. That bitterness stops it from being cloying or too syrupy. It’s just easy to drink which still keepign that sweetness. Feels great in the mouth -- smooth, thick, and a bit syrupy. It’s easy to forget how good this is.

i love this beer. its an amazing yet easy drinking and tasty beer, especially with its alcohol content. Dark in color, thick off white head. The flavor lasts too. It has tons of malt, toffee, a touch of chocolate and a good alcy kick. not too much carbonation. finishes slow.

"Delicious" sums up this beer. Toffee apple nose. Rich palate, with flavours ranging from chocolate, toffee, raisins, stone fruit, and medicinal notes. Very moreish.

Clear, mahogany color. Spare but persistent head. Coffee and toffee notes from the malt dominate with a hint of dried fruit coming through. Not overly sweet. Subtle hop contribution. Pleasant finish and hint of alcohol with each sip. I am always impressed when I taste a German beer that observes the Reinheitsgebot: that brewers can coax such a complex of flavors from four basic ingredients, sans additives.

50cl draught stein with lid in Munchen. Decided against going out of my way to have a Celebrator, sampled this instead, and certainly wasn’t disappointed. Deep amber body, thick dense beige foam that hangs around. Rich aroma; lots of toffeeish malt, chocolate and nuts, undertones of prune and fig with a hint of booziness. Moderate carbonation, thick texture with a somewhat chewy texture. Delicious chocolate and caramel maltiness that holds complex undertones of dried fig and plum, raisin, sherry and subtle alcohol perfume. Beautiful lingering finish, low bitterness. Fantastic dark strong lager!