Background – From Spaten themselves “Our Spaten Oktoberfest beer is brewed in spring for the world’s largest folk festival. Countless Oktoberfest visitors are enthusiastic about this beer every year. Because every sip with its unmistakably tasty taste is as special as the Wiesn itself.”
Appearance – The bottle design is simple with a nice color scheme, with blue and silver being the dominant tones. The green bottle does help it stand out and the font used looks great. When you pour this out you will get a very dark amber with a robust foamy head that leaves alot of lacing.
Aroma – Typical of most Marzens this boasts alot of toasted malts, with hints of caramel and some kind of hop that I can’t really define. It smells like tradition.
Taste – The taste is really well done. The malts are heavy upfront but not overpowering. Then you get the caramel sweetness with a touch of hops. I cannot recommend this enough, allow this one to warm up a bit while drinking. The notes really open up as it reaches room temperature.
Drinkability – This is beer drinks like you expect an Oktoberfest to drink. Smooth with a medium mouth feel, a slight hop and burn after the initial sip. Then you get a sugar film on your lips. Alot to enjoy with this one.
Overall – To the surprise of no one the Germans do Oktoberfest beers the best. This is subtle in all the right ways but delivers with the flavors you would want.
Game Pairing: When it comes to game pairing I decided to pick Gauntlet from the arcade. I wanted to go to a traditional game to match this legendary brew. While Gauntlet may not blow people away today it is undeniable that it is a solid experience that spawned an entire genre.
Be sure to check out all of the other Oktoberfest Beer reviews here.