Oktoberfest, Spaten-Franziskaner-Brau, Germany

It only seems fitting to review a German beer as one of the Octoberfest reviews. Spaten Oktoberfest claims to be the "world's first Octoberfest beer", which seems a bit dubious as it was first brewed in 1872 while the first Octoberfest celebration was in 1810. Hmmm...

The beer is well made, but might suffer from being a bit too "classic" or something. It has a nice walnut/amber color, and a very malty aroma. The aroma is initially very strong (almost too much), but it fades after the first few sips. Malt and sugar are very prominent in the flavor, as you'd expect from this type of beer, and there is a light taste of hops in the aftertaste. The hops, while definitely in the background, help to balance out the sweetness. The beer is very easy to drink, almost like a light beer, and at 5.9% ABV, you might want a second.

In comparison to some of the other Octoberfest beers that have already been reviewed, this one doesn't quite stack up. It is definitely a nice beer, but the better American offerings leave this German in the dust.

Rating = 3.0

Is this the best that Germany has to offer? We'll find out, as there are more reviews of German and Bavarian Octoberfest beers to come...