Booze Reviews: Spaten Optimator

For the return of Booze Reviews, I’ve decided to do something different. Spaten is one of the five major Munich breweries (the other four being Paulaner, Augustiner, Löwenbräu, and Hofbräu), and as such they have several hundred years of experience brewing awesome beer. They make several varieties, including a pilsner and an Oktoberfest brew, but my personal favorite is the Optimator.

Spaten Optimator is a thick, dark double bock, a type of beer that came about when German monks needed something heavy to get them through the days of Lent, when they were not allowed to eat until sundown. It’s easy to see this legacy in the Optimator–drinking it feels a bit like eating a loaf of bread, but it has a bit of a molasses taste to it. It’s sold in half-liter bottles, and should be poured into either a glass of that size or (as I prefer) a one-liter stein. It’s meant to be poured with and consumed through a thick head of foam.

Optimator is not a cheap beer, but it’s also not particularly expensive as imported beer goes. It’s also not a beer for the faint of heart. This is a strong, dark beer with an alcohol content of 8% ABV. This isn’t something where you can have a couple and still be “okay to drive.” If you’re a fan of Miller Lite and Corona, you probably won’t care much for the Optimator, but if you have developed a taste for good dark beers you can’t go wrong.