Spaten - Oktoberfestbier

When I saw this in the fridge of The Bottle Shop I was almost moved to tears. I never thought I would see one of the big 6 Munich beers ever again (the big 6 consisting of Spaten, Lowen, Hof, Augustiner, Paulaner and Hacker Pschorr,) but here I sit with a chilled bottle of Spaten's Oktoberfestbier, a self explanatory name that I refuse to spell out for anyone who may not understand what OKTOBERFEST BIER might mean. In Munich Spaten is considered the worst of the 6, joking that the spade on the front of the bottle is what it feels like you have been beaten with after a heavy night of drinking it. The Germans have VERY discerning tastes when it comes to beer. Spatenbrau was the first beer I encountered in Munich and I instantly fell in love with it, their Oktoberfestbier is a little bit more of the same but with a bumped up percentage.

To those who have not yet experienced German beer, it is best had from the source, it is often fine in bottles if you can get a good one but it is at it's finest when dispensed from a massive barrel in a beer garden, surrounded by umpa music and a thousand people eating sausages. The aroma of Spaten Oktoberfestbier is a crisp barley, the taste is slightly bready, slightly honeyed, with a smooth cereal feel. The moment you pour this is the moment you drink this, I've already finished it, I had to lick the residue from the side of the glass to come up with those adjectives just now.

Spaten wasn't ever going to get a fair crack of the whip, I have too many memories attached to this beer to ever give it a bad review and anyone who says critics should objective should SHUT THE HELL UP! I would happily drink this until my liver grew legs and decided to make a run for it before the going got any worse.

I imagine that, at Oktoberfest, the head would've stuck around for a lot longer and the taste would've been more defined, it would've gone down a lot smoother... Somehow (those crafty Germans always find a way.) But, short of petitioning the people of Munich to send me zip-lock bags of beer every month, this is the best I'm going to get. It's Munich's worst lager apparently, but it beats the living crap out of all of ours... With the exception of 1 maybe.

On a side note, if anyone knows where I can get the Oktoberfest beers from the other major brands, then I'm all ears. The Bottle Shop, apparently, have Augustiner in regularly, so expect that review in the future because I imagine that will be an extremely happy reunion.

Food Suggestion: Bratwurst, Mash, Sauerkraut, Whole grain mustard, a pretzel... Or some Jagerschnitzel with a potato dumpling...and sauerkraut if you're feeling like a bit of a change. Though, since we're in England, SAUSAGE AND MASH! YAAAAAY!

Drink this if you like: Smooth as silk lager. Drink this if you like beer that tastes like beer but goes down like air. If you're a fan of Warsteiner or Bitburger and want to step up, this is your next port of call.