Spaten Maibock

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

Serve in Lager glass, Shaker, Stein

16 ounce pint - $5.50 at Taco Mac in Kennesaw, Georgia. Appearance: Served up a clear, deep yellow-hued body with a medium-sized, white head that soon settles into a thin ring. Smell: A whiff of pilsner malt, some soft, sweet-accented breadiness, a thin sliver of honey, and spice and dried leaves in the background. Taste: An initially twangy taste of faintly grainy pils malt. Lightly sweet, hinting barely at mild honey. German noble hops provide touches of florals, spice, and a slight leafy quality. Modestly bitter. Drying on the back end, with a final pop of malt on the finish, then a lingering mingling of graininess and bitterness in the aftertaste. Mouthfeel: Medium-light body. Medium-plus carbonation. Overall: A decent, suitable maibock.

Tap. Fluffy pure white head, clear golden orange-yellow. Very fruity in both the aroma and taste - stone fruits and apples. Gets a bit grainy as well, and has some metallic notes in the flavor. Sweetish, and has a heftier nearly syrupy body. Too sweet for me....

Had at Huettenbar. Nice malt sweetness. Not every sip but some had a spicy flavor. Serving: Tap

Like so many things that have attained iconic status, it’s tough to say anything too good or too bad about this. Both the aroma and the palate beckon with so much malt that it hints of sour grapefruit. Yet the body is surprisingly thin, and the carbonation surprisingly coarse for those of us who cut our teeth on American craft brews. A nice beer, but it’s too bad not every classic can be "Casablanca."

Obviously a standard take on a style that still needs more appreciation. This suffered, for me, from a stickiness on the palate that made the bock a bit too hard to swallow. Otherwise a tasty lager with nice backbone.

Draft - hazy light gold - medium-heavy and fairly sweet maibock - flavors of honey, kind of heavy yeastiness, a bit of bright fruity character - lightens up through the middle, and some floral bitterness develops, that becomes a little soapy in the finish - okay.

on tap. Pours a yellow brownish color with a large off white head. Nose is unbaked bread, pizza dough, ad brewers yeast. Taste is sweet bread, earth, and bran muffins. Meh.

Tap. Clear golden body with a large white head. Grainy, bready, lightly banana estery. Touch grassy. Taste is bready, mild diacetyl, lingering light fruitiness. Corn flakes. Doughy. Slight bitter, herbal/grassy finish. Smooth mouthfeel, medium bubbles.