7 days of Oktoberfest beers – Spaten
Colin Joliat The first thing that popped into my head after trying Spaten’s Oktoberfest was Terry Crews yelling, “Remember this shit at Christmas!” in the degenerately acclaimed movie The Expendables. Unfortunately, this seasonal offering won’t be around in another month, let alone at Christmas, so I’ll just have to drink a few more right now.
Don’t get me wrong. I don’t think this is the greatest beer ever poured, nor has it secured a place among my favorite beers. On the fifth evening of my beer-a-day “research” campaign though, it really stood out compared to the others. Had I given you a sample of all five beers thus far and told you that only one was an Oktoberfest, I can almost guarantee you would pick this one. Something about it just screams “Prost!” That may be due to the fact that Spaten has been doing it longer than any other brewery.
Per the brewery themselves, “Spaten Oktoberfest Beer, created in 1872, is the world’s first Oktoberfest beer, brewed for the greatest folk festival in the world.” Thankfully, they decided that they should share it with more than just those lucky few who make the journey over to the festival itself. It’s pours somewhere between copper and brown and has a good amount of head. This was the first time I didn’t feel as though I was racing the clock to snap my picture. It tastes more malty than the previous offerings but shares the same caramel flavor. The carbonation is prevelant but not to the point of distraction like the Hofbräu München. It’s medium bodied and very drinkable, coming in at 12/24 on my proprietary session scale.
Vital stats: 5.9% alcohol and 23 IBU. You can find Spaten just about anywhere, so you shouldn’t have too much trouble if you want to give it a shot. I’m definitely glad it happened to make my 7-beer cut.
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