Spaten Optimator
Spaten-Franziskaner-Bräu

Spaten OptimatorSpaten Optimator
Beer Geek Stats | Print Shelf Talker
From:
Spaten-Franziskaner-Bräu
 
Germany
Style:
Doppelbock
Ranked #71
ABV:
7.6%
Score:
87
Ranked #15,459
Avg:
3.9 | pDev: 12.05%
Reviews:
1,422
Ratings:
3,298
Status:
Active
Rated:
Sunday at 03:18 AM
Added:
Apr 06, 1999
Wants:
  118
Gots:
  522
No description / notes.
View: More Beers
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by grg001:
Photo of grg001
Rated by grg001 from Texas

4.77/5  rDev +22.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.75
Love this beer. It sets the standards for everything I personally love about beers. Truly a great beer IMO.
Mar 01, 2015
More User Ratings:
Photo of LukeGude
Rated by LukeGude from Iowa

3.75/5  rDev -3.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Bottle poured into glass at the magnificent Donny’s Glidden Lodge supper club in Sturgeon Bay.
Sunday at 03:18 AM
 
Rated: 3.91 by smithj4 from New York

Nov 13, 2023
Photo of QuietlyJudgingYou
Reviewed by QuietlyJudgingYou

4.49/5  rDev +15.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5
Appearance: Pours a very dark brown, almost black color. Thin and quickly dissolving dark tan head.
Smell: Sweet, bready, brown sugar, roasted nuts.
Taste: Dark bread, nutty, brown sugar, hint of raisin and a hint of dark chocolate. Nice balance between sweetness and bitterness. Fairly long aftertaste reminiscent of coffee.
Feel: Medium to full bodied, well carbonated, no alcohol warmth, satisfying.
Overall: Delicious. What a doppelbock should be.
Oct 30, 2023
Photo of JZH1000
Reviewed by JZH1000 from Colorado

3.7/5  rDev -5.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
12oz bottle, best by 11-2023

On the pour just under 2 fingers of light tan head formed on top of a very dark, reddish brown, that is quite clear. The head doesn't have the best retention, but it tries to stick to the glass.

Aroma is dominated by a sweet and fruity molasses Aroma. There is a slight bitterness, but all the malt has melded into this sweet molasses.

The flavor is a whole lot less of that sharp molasses, and brings some mellow, but still quite sweet, roast malt, as well as the crisp German lager thing I still can't quite put my finger on, which is nice. There is a definite, but not pronounced hop bitterness.

The feel is very full, but not in an overwhelming way, again due to that unexplainable by me, German lager crispness, that lends extra drinkablity to this beer. It is still quite an armchair sipper.

Overall this is a solid doppelbock, but unfortunately I enjoy it a bit more straight out of the bottle, since the aroma is a bit offputting to me.
Oct 17, 2023
Photo of mcm180
Reviewed by mcm180 from Ohio

3.39/5  rDev -13.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Pours into my Guinness glass dark but clear, black with very dark amber hints. 1 cm head that dissipates quickly.

Smells sweet and malty. Smells more like Coca-cola than like beer.

Tastes ok, toasty and roasty and malty. The alcohol is noticeable (7.6%). Tastes like cola as the beer warms up. Kinda acid-caramelly notes.

Feels crisp, light but carbonated well. Feels like a Coca-cola too. Maybe I poured the wrong thing?


…nope. Definitely not coca-cola. Unless New New Coke has a lot of alcohol in it.

Overall: OK. I’d had it before and remembered it more fondly than I’m liking it now. Maybe context matters? I’d had it at a German restaurant with German food and German people. Now in my house by myself and by itself? Not what I was hoping for.

I’ll get it again if I’m at that restaurant.

Update: after I gave my review, I read some others. Syrupy is a good word for this beer I found in another review. As much in feel as in taste. A little raisiny.

Funny that others find the alcohol not overly noticeable. I’m not having that experience. But perhaps my tolerance is just waning as my hair is graying.
Aug 21, 2023
Photo of KenjiN
Reviewed by KenjiN from Massachusetts

4.75/5  rDev +21.8%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
This lager boasts an extremely dark brown color and an off-white head. The nose projects sweet, nutty, and roasty notes; it projects richness. This is a complex and appealing aroma.

This beer is medium-bodied. It's easier to drink than I expect a beer of this (7.6% ABV) strength.

There's a lot going on in the flavor department. There are toasty and roasty flavors -- along with notes of brown sugar and molasses.

Has this beer been changed in recent years? I don't remember liking earlier samples so much.
Aug 09, 2023
 
Rated: 5 by Dalkri from Massachusetts

Jul 19, 2023
Photo of nasal
Reviewed by nasal from Illinois

4.07/5  rDev +4.4%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.25
Malty. Not too sweet. Some dark fruity mapley toasty-roasted notes. Not hot at all for 7.6%. Not a top-tier beer for me, but this is wonderful and I'll definitely be revisiting it.
Jun 23, 2023
 
Rated: 3.85 by Flarpswitch from Oregon

Apr 19, 2023
 
Rated: 4.44 by Jacob313 from Michigan

Mar 24, 2023
 
Rated: 4.17 by rpmello81 from California

Mar 18, 2023
 
Rated: 4.16 by SoundMakesSense from Indiana

Mar 05, 2023
 
Rated: 3.92 by HobbitHops from South Carolina

Feb 12, 2023
Photo of Doppelbocker98
Reviewed by Doppelbocker98 from Nevada

4.34/5  rDev +11.3%
look: 4.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
A real contender for high-quality doppelbock at a reasonable price point.

The color is a dark brown, but not black. I drank from the bottle so I can't comment on the head.

The smell is malty like a doppelbock, but what stands out is the skunky smell of the hops. The skunkiness is almost like a Mexican lager, and there's even something slightly smokey like tobacco might smell. Those smells are mostly drowned out by a sweetness.

The taste is a bit fruity. There is a malty, sweet flavor that is characteristic of most doppelbocks, but I find that it's extremely muted. What stands out is the skunky, hoppy flavor. If you prefer doppelbocks that have some qualities more akin to a lager, I feel that you may enjoy this more than similar doppelbocks. There is an earthiness that pairs very well with the fruity, maltiness from the doppelbock.

It's not quite as thick and syrupy as a typical doppelbock. There's more wateriness than I really would expect to find in a doppelbock.

I find that this beer is a great alternative to other high quality doppelbocks when they're sold out at my local store. This is a classic doppelbock that won't disappoint. It's certainly lower quality than a beer like Ayinger's Celebrator, but it's still a solid doppelbock.
Feb 07, 2023
 
Rated: 3.74 by DavyJonesXXX from Texas

Feb 04, 2023
 
Rated: 3.92 by DFred from California

Jan 21, 2023
Spaten Optimator from Spaten-Franziskaner-Bräu
Beer rating: 87 out of 100 with 3298 ratings