Spaten Optimator

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

Serve in Dimpled mug, Stein, Stem glass

Looks amazing in the glass, thick creamy head. Aroma of cooking malt. Dry and crisp yet oddly thick for that. Labeled as malt liquor (presumably for legal abv. reasons) but this is some awesome malt liquor.

Pours clear dark chestnut, with a medium tan head, and fine lasting lacing. Sweet aromas of toffee and banana bread, with some earthy hops. Medium body, velvety, rich, and crisp. Flavors of toast, dark fruit, a hint of chocolate, with an earthy and citrus finish.

Bitter, but toasty taste, definitely not what I expected when looking at the beer in the bottle. Medium body, minimal head when poured. Aromatic.

Pours dark brown with an average sized light brown head. Nose is malt and caramel. Taste is malt, bread, caramel, and toffee. A nice beer, very satisfying.

UPDATED: APR 27, 2010 The steady go to beer. Bad day at work, have the optimator!.Great taste and great price and available everywhere.

Sampled at the 8th Annual Music City Brewer’s Festival. Red-brown with a light tan head. Aroma is grassy, caramel, metallic and thinned by the alcohol. The taste is caramel, malts, grassy hops.

On tap, Bavarian Grill, Plano. Impressive sized mug arrived at the table dark amber-black, average off-white head. The food had arrived by this point so I couldn’t make out too much of the aroma, some light caramel/toasted malt/biscuit. On the tongue, very alcohol-forward, but the strong, balanced roasty-toasty flavors came through as well. You don’t have to be a huge dopplebock fan to like this beer, as it is rich & thick yet has a moderate sweetness & soft carbonation that make it very approachable. And it goes without saying, supremely excellent with German food!

Bottle. Pours an amber body with a tan head. Sweet and nutty with hints of caramel, dried fruit, lager notes, toffee and a full body. Nice session lager.