Spaten Optimator

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

Serve in Dimpled mug, Stein, Stem glass

Poured from a bottle into a snifter. Appearance is a beautiful dark brown with an impressive khaki colored head of about three or four inches that prevails atop the beer for a very long time. Aroma is faint, but what I do pick up on is some malt. The first sip is quite shocking...its tastes like this beer has been setting on lemon peels prior to bottling. What the hell is this? At first I didn’t believe I had a good bottle. After sharing a drink of it with a friend, he confirmed that it was indeed how the beer has tasted every time he had it. I don’t get this beer at all. Drain pour.

Bottle pour. Body is dark brown with a nice light brown head that left some sloppy lacing. Nose is light chocolate and caramel with a hint of nutty malt and roast. Taste is pretty similar with a slightly hoppy/bitter finish. Nice dark malty characters and a nicely hidden abv. Good stuff.

Bottle to snifter. Pours deep brown with a small, dark, head. Lots of malt, all the character you would expect from a great dopplebock

Just tried my first Optimator, at Chicago’s Mirabell Restaurant. The barmaid made a big deal over my order, pronouncing the name as if it was an Arnold Schwarznegger movie 12 oz bottle poured a clear dark brown with a large tan head. Aroma is mostly malty with some chocolate and maybe raisins. Much sweeter and boozier than I expected from a doppelbock. It was a perfect end to a great meal. It serves its purpose quite nicely, thank you.

Pours a clear, dark brown with a large caramel head. The aroma has a slight hops tinge, but it is mostly a coffee roast with a slight chocolate malt. The taste with light bitter with a light to medium sweet. A true medium body with a creamy and slightly oily texture. The finish is a slight bitter, sweet. This is a pretty good beer. Much better than I expected and I would buy it in a bar if they had it in my area.

Deep brown beer with a frothy head that doesn’t stick around long. Caramel aroma with flavors of raisin and sweet roasted barley. Mild hop finish.

Pours a dark mahogany with very little head or lacing. Nice nose with plenty of malty notes. Pretty much a malt bomb. Sweet malty flavors. Very nice beer if you appreciate the style.

Appearance is dark ruby-brown, translucent and almost no head on the pour. Smells of caramel, malts, raisins and dark fruits. Taste is a bit sweet with caramel malts, raisins, dark sweet fruit. medium mouthfeel. Quite tasty and light for the flavor it is pumping out.