Spaten Optimator
Spaten-Franziskaner-Bräu

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.

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.

 

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.

 

 

 

 

 

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.

 

 

 

 

Purchased from high end super market (Central Market, Austin, TX).
6 pack.

Served: Ice Cold into Ice Cold Mug.

Look: Dark Brown. Little darker than a German-style dunkel.

Smell: Hints of chocolate, caramel and malts.

Taste: Light malty smooth taste. Much lighter than other bocks with powerful finish of spices and fruit.

Overall: Great German Beer with plenty of flavor and kick, without the heaviness.

Poured from a bottle.

Appearance - Mahogany cola color with a miniscule head that dissipates to nothing quickly.
Smell - Malty mostly with some Dark fruits
Taste - Maple and malts, hint of figs and brown sugar,
Mouthfeel - Medium to heavy, mild carbonation on the finish, light bitterness
Overall - Decent doppelbock. Worth giving it a try if you come across it.

Appearance:
Dark mahogany, clear, thin head , minimal lace.

Aroma:
Toffee, caramel, decocted Munich malts. Dried fruit, Very faint hops.

Flavor:
Malt forward for sure, slightly sweet, Balancing hop resin bitterness. Clean, slightly sweet and spicy finish

Mouthfeel:
Moderate mouthfeel. low CO2, smooth and not hot

Overall:
A solid benchmark doppelbock.

 

1.5 x 12 oz bottles
Bottle Date: 10.2022
Consumed on: 16 Nov, 2022
Glass: 0.5 L Becher
ABV: 7.6%
Serving Temp: 57.3 F (1st review), 64.3 F (updated review)


Look:
Dark mahogany brown that almost appears chestnut. 2+ finger creamy beige to khaki head hangs around for half of forever, only really dissipating after I starting drinking the beer. Lacing is fine.

Smell:
Rich bready malts that lean to the sweet side. Touches of caramel and toffee are evident as are notes of dark fruits and even figs. There are hints of nuts and light earthy notes that are more in the background. As the beer warms, notes of semi-sweet chocolate and cocoa powder appear.

Taste:
Very similar to the aroma but with more dark bread notes and some semi-sweet chocolate ones as well. Some dryness and a light bitterness shows up near the finish and lingers into the aftertaste. What bitterness is there is just enough to keep things from getting overly sweet.

As the beer warms, a dry, powdery chocolate note appears, and the malts overtake (but do not obscure) the sweet notes.

Feel:
Very smooth and slick; perhaps a tad syrupy. The body is medium, but it shades noticeably toward medium-light.

Overall:
A fine doppelbock. Very solid and well-constructed even if is not spectacular. This one is a bit too sweet and too light in its body for my preferences for the style but it is done well.

Note: if the beer is allowed to warm (such in into the 60s F), the malts and a dry chocolate note become the dominate flavors and aromas and this beer starts to resemble doppels such as Celebrator, Asam, and Korbinian in many ways. I find that I prefer the beer at this temperature. My updated ratings reflect my impression of the beer at about 64-65 degrees F.

When sampled in the low 50s F, my ratings were as follows:

look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
combo: 3.77