Spaten Münchner Hell (Premium Lager) - Spaten-Franziskaner-Bräu

krunchie

Sweden

4.55/5  rDev +23.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

Reviewed on April 21.

A: Clear, yellow liquid with an airy, crisp head. Lovely "classic lager"-foam. A lot of CO2, looks great!

S: Lager yeast, pilsner malt, swedish hard bread (knäckebröd) and weak citrus aroma.

T: Sweet pilsner malts and great bready taste. I love malty bread taste in a lager so this is right up my alley. Some syrup taste after half a bottle, still very nice. No unpleasant surprises, not even after the last sip.

M: Light and crisp. Just like a lager's supposed to be. Thumbs up

D: 100% drinkable! Great thirst quencher and goes down very easily. Probably my favorite bavarian hell atm.

...and it's quite cheap here in Sweden! How do they do it? :)

Serving type: bottle

05-17-2009 14:23:41 | More by krunchie

mithrascruor

California

4.6/5  rDev +25%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

16 oz. bottle poured into a mug.

Appearance: Crystal-clear golden yellow color, with a thick off-white head that lasts for quite a while.

Smell: Great spices, grains, a tad bit of fruit, and a dash of hops.

Taste: It's like the smell, only better! Very well balanced and refreshing. My only complaint is that while there's a lot of interesting flavors, the complexity isn't very striking.

Mouthfeel: Light-bodied, very smooth. Just the right amount of carbonation as well.

Drinkability: An extremely drinkable lager that you could keep drinking all night.

This is certainly the best Munich Helles Lager that I've had (and I've tried a fair number). Better than the other in every respect: looks better, smell and taste is more balanced and/or "refined." Easy and nice to drink for practically any occasion. This will definitely be on my next shopping list.

Serving type: bottle

06-08-2006 03:44:56 | More by mithrascruor

Dave1999

Virginia

4.6/5  rDev +25%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Looks decent enough for a lager yellow in colour with a white head.

This smells skunky with an aroma of hops and flowers. Some people don't like the green bottle skunk but I do.

Tastes great, probably my favourite lager. Its got bitter hops and is somewhat complex.

Nicely carbonated and refreshing.

A good session beer and a definite step up from the usual lager.

Serving type: bottle

02-01-2012 15:46:11 | More by Dave1999

shbobdb

Indiana

4.72/5  rDev +28.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Ahhh, now this is how beer should taste. Who knew Spaten had it in them? The beer is really just freakin' fantastic. A strong malt presence with just enough earthy hops to balance out the beer leaving a sweet, but not too sweet taste. Really very subtle and extremely quaffable.

Man, this beer man, this beer. It is so freakin' tastey. A brainless drink, but man, does it ever taste good.

Serving type: on-tap

06-17-2006 15:21:53 | More by shbobdb

Nixon

Washington

4.72/5  rDev +28.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

I love this stuff! If you take a swig and hold it in your mouth you can clearly taste all the components...sweet and 'biscuity' malt, flavorful hops and pure, refreshing Alpine water.

German brewers really know what they're doing. They've managed to assemble a pretty big beer...about 2 ABV percentage points higher than products from our large brewers...and keep it flavorful and refreshing.

No one single ingredient has to overpower the others to let you know it's there. The brewers present them all to us equally and you get the sense that they've worked hard to make sure it comes out that way. When properly poured into a clean glass you get a fluffy, lasting head crowning the rich golden liquid that holds just the right amount of gassiness. Well done Spaten!

Serving type: bottle

05-07-2009 17:33:03 | More by Nixon

alankwak

Florida

4.75/5  rDev +29.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

A: Golden bright with good carbonation. Fine head with good head retention and lacing.

S: Light here. Not much in the way of hopiness but that's proper for the style.

T: Yes. Outstanding. Light grassy notes and extremely smooth. Some Sazz flavor with some malt evident.

M: Full to medium mouthfeel. Light enough as a session beer but still of the highest quality in a lager.

D: Shoooot. This is of the highest quality. I would put this up in there with the best of them. If this were a pils I'd say it wasn't hoppy enough but it's not. For this style an excellent beer!!

Serving type: bottle

03-05-2011 02:25:23 | More by alankwak

monoXcide

Virginia

4.78/5  rDev +29.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

This beer is amazing! It is what got me into the finer beers. Before I had a Spaten, my preconceptions of beer was that nasty stuff that is branded with names such as Miller and Budweiser. Not being a snob, but come on, can those brands really compare to this?! I absolutely love this beer!!!

Appearance - Pours clear and golden with a thin head and little lacing. Very nice looking. Some complain about the head and lacing but I don't look at beer...I drink it.

Smell - This is what a beer should smell like. The only way to describe it would be fresh and kinda grain like. No smell is particularly dominant.

Taste - Clean! Purity Law takes a bit of a new meaning with this one. This is very refreshing. Everything feels like it is in perfect balance with each other. I wish I could describe it better then just clean but it does have a little bitter bite at the end that is great.

Mouthfeel - Remember that thin head and little lacing? It is in there but it comes out in the mouthfeel. A bigger head means that the carbonization is wasted there instead of coming out in the mouthfeel. It has just the right amount of carbonization...if you poured it right that is.

Drinkability - Holy hell! This beer is very smooth, goes down very easy, does not fill me up, and does not disappoint. Each sip is better then the last and I can easily finish off a bottle and then plow through a few more. As long as it continues to find my mouth, then I am still drinking it. Spaten is to beer as Lay's is to potato chips...I can't have just one!

Get you some and enjoy with friends.

Serving type: bottle

12-28-2008 06:17:48 | More by monoXcide

BobLuvBeer

Illinois

4.85/5  rDev +31.8%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Crystal clear and golden. Carbonation evident in the number of bubbles. Head is thick, with a grassy straw aroma. Almost buttery scent. Hops dominate taste, but come with a although heavy feel on the palate, are easily accepted. Not overly bitter at all. Floral hops shine in this one. There is just enough malt pushing through to give it balance. Overall, very crisp and well balanced beer.

Serving type: bottle

08-21-2004 14:33:56 | More by BobLuvBeer

manofmanners

Connecticut

4.85/5  rDev +31.8%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

Spaten, the spade, is one of my top 5 beers in the world. It has a nice golden color, perfect aromoa to it, and by far the best taste.
It goes well with any food, which is a plus, and you can drink it year round. It will take the chill away in the winter and cool you down in the summer. Try it and you will be hooked.

Serving type: bottle

12-29-2005 19:12:23 | More by manofmanners

TheBeerProf

Wisconsin

4.85/5  rDev +31.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75

Appearence: Pours Straw Gold with a nice 2 finger frothy off white head that fades over a couple minutes. Ever so slight haze... Just under crystal clear. I would have gotten better lacing if I would have drank more down when it came to me cold and with frothy head, but what fun is that?

Smell: Sweet Aroma of Pilsner malt, as indicated by a pleasant level of DMS. Very slight toffee sweet overtone mixes with the DMS, If it is diacytl it is literally ON my threshold. Very mild noble hop aroma that lends or blends into an earthy mineral note. Beautiful.

Taste: Clean and malty with a small and desirable hint of DMS that fades as the bitterness balances the initial malt sweetness. Very nice balance as indicated by the gradual morphism from sweet and grainy to dry and lightly bitter. Mineral on the tongue just after swallowing when drank over top of the tongue. Clean and focused.

Mouthfeel: Sweet to start and drying in the finish averaging on mid round. Balance is impeccable.

Very Very tasty brew. This beer to me exemplifies a German premium lager.

Serving type: on-tap

03-29-2013 18:36:57 | More by TheBeerProf

FarmerJohnny

California

4.9/5  rDev +33.2%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

12 oz bottle poured into a pint glass
No freshness date

A - A gorgeous hazy golden-straw color with a nice frothy head.

S - Classic german yeast and hops make this the one of the best smelling Helles Lagers I've experienced. Doesn't beat an IPA though.

T - My first impression is "wonderful." Very clean all around. You can "taste" the floral hops on the finish and it keeps you coming back for more.

M - Very, very clean. The light malt comes through upfront, followed by a crisp finish that makes this very refreshing.

O - Munich Helles Lagers done right are some of my favorite lagers for summer. That being said, this Helles is done to near perfection. Pick up a six pack for yourself and enjoy a summer afternoon (or two or three).

Serving type: bottle

07-12-2012 00:34:34 | More by FarmerJohnny

amk786

California

4.97/5  rDev +35.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

This beer is a great German Lager. For anyone who loves to drink classic american pilsner such as Budweiser will love this German creation. This beer is extremely smooth, the taste is neither bitter or sweet but perfectly balanced. The color of the beer is light golden, and has a malty aroma with a hint of lemon.

Serving type: bottle

01-28-2012 03:05:58 | More by amk786

surfmeister

California

5/5  rDev +35.9%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Possibly the best beer brewed...
Appearance: yellow/gold, plentiful white head with good retention to the bottom of the glass, nice to look at
Smell: good malt/yeast aroma jumping from the suds, little hop
Taste: big malt, bread, slight bitterness in the finish but true to the style this is a malt lovers' beer
Mouthfeel: this is where this beer stands out IMHO, full substantial mouthfeel for a "yellow" beer, kept wanting to hold a big gulp in my mouth
Drinkablility: The standard bearer for "yellow" beers

Serving type: bottle

12-17-2003 18:35:56 | More by surfmeister

gregiscool

Florida

5/5  rDev +35.9%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Great tasting Munich lager, just the right amount of smoothness to bitter beer taste. Very smooth, pours a golden type color and smells great. Smells of a wholesome beer, fine bubbles from the carbonation. A very good Munich style lager, and the price is very good for a delicious tasting beer.

Serving type: bottle

07-23-2010 20:53:03 | More by gregiscool

apasternak

Ohio

5/5  rDev +35.9%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Brewed in Munich, this is another delicious Germany beer. Simple but delicious. I had this beer a lot when I was in Germany and thought it was delicious. Color is not the darkest I've seen in a beer, but was also not the lightest. Clean, full-bodied flavor.

Serving type: bottle

04-04-2013 16:47:23 | More by apasternak