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

DCon

Missouri

3.4/5  rDev -7.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Enjoyed on-tap @ the iTap House in Soulard (St. Louis), MO for $15. Tapped into my new Spaten Litre Seidel Glass and enjoyed in this large of a glass because of the iTap Soulard Sunday Opening Event. The First Litre was $15 and after that $10 for every Litre refill.

Aroma- Grainy, sweet, malty, and very boring. Only hints of all of these while it seems like over 5 minutes I have my nose down into my litre. Are you going to drink that Litre?

Appearance- Received with a 2 finger (or more), foamy head that dies quickly but leaves a ring of lacing. Pale gold color body that is clear and has huge carbonation bubbles. Lacing is good.

Flavor- Light grains and malts, sweet, and has no bitterness at all on the finish. A great refreshing taste and clean!

Mouthfeel- Light-Medium Bodied, High Carbonation, Smooth, and leaves bit of grain on the palate.

Overall Impression- Not my favorite of the Helles Lagers, but still brings me back to Austrian/German festival days. Easy drinking, light, clean, and bottoms up! Prost!

Serving type: on-tap

08-03-2011 16:00:40 | More by DCon

DrewSnyc667

Massachusetts

4/5  rDev +8.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12 oz bottle poured into a .5 L mug

Bright yellow color, fizzy exciting activity with a nice foamy head that's very patient in its retreat

S - Grassy and skunky, invitig hop bitterness

T - Grassy hops are very prevalent. Rich buttery malt balances out the brew nicely. Hop bite is more similar to a pilsner than a helles

M - Very calm on the palate. Slight sweetness sticks tot he tongue, but the hop bitterness is really a nice cut.

O - A nice snappy lager. Easy to knock back a few and a great alternative if your looking to mix it up

Serving type: bottle

08-02-2011 19:12:23 | More by DrewSnyc667

bogus564

New Jersey

3.9/5  rDev +6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12 oz poured into a Pilsner glass.

I'm taking a break from being uncle, and preparing to watch my beloved Mets break my heart again by threatening to be a playoff-caliber team, then going on a late-season losing streak. Call me a pessimist, but I've seen it all before. What on God's green earth does this have to do with beer, you say? Well, why do you think I drink so much beer? So here goes...

A: Bright yellow in color, and you can see right through it. Leaves a small wheat colored head that lasts short of two minutes. Bubbles nicely, reminding one of champagne if one didn't know better.

S: Smells mainly of wheat; it's nice, pretty much what you'd expect. Little bit of hoppiness, I'm getting a dash of lemon as well.

T: This... is... Spaten!!! Couldn't resist the reference - sorry. Flavors sensed in the smell are confirmed. It's quite grassy, which I don't mind. Not very powerful, but as it's a Pilsner, it's not meant to be.

M: A solid Good - light in body, carbonated well, a bit of a wet grassy finish. It's okay.

O: Good, not outstanding. This is one you could drink all day at a barbeque or cookout, and goes quite well with my sister's fried chicken (she cooks it like my mom, may she rest in peace). Prost!

Serving type: bottle

07-30-2011 22:25:50 | More by bogus564

DabblinWiscCraft

Wisconsin

3.95/5  rDev +7.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours a very clear, pale straw color, with an inch of egg shell head that falls to about a quarter inch that really sticks around and has good cling. Just a bit of visible carbonation. There's a lot of sweet malt bread notes in the nose. A bit of underlying grassy hop provides some grounding. There is a bit of lemon peel that comes across in the bouquet, as well. Bread malt notes are very prominent in the taste, with a bit of hop bitterness making its presence felt at the sides and back of the tongue. Finishes on the sweet side, with the malts winning out over the hops. While not especially engaging, the tastes are all very smooth throughout their life on the palate. The feel is a bit more pedestrian than the taste: It's light-bodied and quite effervescent, with some acidity and crispness.

This is a classic-tasting and very well-balanced lager. What you see is what you get with this one: The lack of surprises or significant complexity in this one is compensated by smoothness and solid flavors throughout. It may not raise many eyebrows, but it really does everything that a good lager should.

Serving type: on-tap

07-22-2011 07:03:23 | More by DabblinWiscCraft

spinrsx

Ontario (Canada)

3.38/5  rDev -8.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

500ml Can

Appearance – Clear light yellow colour with an average size fizzy white coloured head. There is a below average amount of carbonation showing and there is a fair amount of lacing. The head lasted for around 2 minutes before it was gone.

Smell - Grains, corn, malts, floral notes, hops

Taste & Mouth - The beer has a high amount of carbonation. I can taste breads/grains mixed with light hops and some cooked corn. There is also a decent amount of malts and a light floral spiciness. The beer finishes with a grainy spicy aftertaste.

Overall – It's definitely better than most of the run of the mill euro-beers out there. But there are a few other beers in this category that I'd rather be drinking.

Serving type: can

07-20-2011 17:28:41 | More by spinrsx

stjaernstoft

Sweden

3.9/5  rDev +6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Spaten München, ABV: 5.2%.
500 ml bottle, 15.90 SEK at Systembolaget.

A: Clear, golden liquid, and a nice, fluffy, white head. Equally nice lacing.

S: Light, both malty and hoppy aroma, with minor hints of citrus and toffee. It somehow reminds me of a good pilsener.

T: Bittersweet with notes of citrus, butterscotch, and vanilla. Here are hints of alcohol, but it has a nice, balanced taste, and it's quite pleasant on the tongue.

M: Somewhat soft. Quite mild carbonation. Body is medium, and the bitterness is good (medium to high). Really drinkable. A nice, long aftertaste.

O: The Germans know how to make good lagers, and this is an example as good as any. I can't complain about anything. Maybe it misses that extra thing to make it special, but I'll bet I could drink this on most occasions. As most German lagers it doesn't cost much either.

Serving type: bottle

07-15-2011 17:59:52 | More by stjaernstoft

Duhast500

Massachusetts

3.43/5  rDev -6.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 12oz. bottle into a Red Sox World Series 2007 Champions pint glass.

The color is a light yellow and has about two fingers of foamy white head that is gone pretty quickly but leaves little hints of lacing left on the glass.

The smell is a bit of toasty malt aroma that is a little like butter on dry toast. There is a peanut brittle aroma as well.

The taste is has crispy malt flavor that is a little biscuit mixed with fried dough. The same peanut brittle like flavor comes back as I inhale while tasting a sip. there is a nice sweetness toward the end that has an ever so small bitterness to let you know there is some hops in this beer but this is driven by the malts to it's destination which is my tongue.

The feel of this beer is pretty crisp and has the signature of a German pilsner. There is a bready aftertaste with some smooth feel as this goes down. A well made larger that would got well with some pulled pork.

Serving type: bottle

07-11-2011 02:23:46 | More by Duhast500

Kanyon22

Massachusetts

3.2/5  rDev -13%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3

Poured form a 12oz. green bottle into my stella artois glass. Got this form a Spatan variety pack. Every brewery needs to make a variety pack, I love them.

A: Pours a clean golden yellow color with a big soapy bubble white head which is receding as I'm typing this. So far its playing the helles part well.

S: Has that wonderful musky, grainy, skunk like quality I get from a lot of German beers. Getting a bit of an earthy notes as well. Nothing earth shattering here, wished it had a bit more malt profile kinda classic green bottle smell.

T: Starts off with a slight hoppy fizzy carbonation burn at first. The middle is a lot quicker, its a cleansing watery like taste that quickly transfers to a brief sweet then lingering German musky,grainy, skunk flavor I was getting from the aroma. Reminds me of their Oktoberfest, but not as sweet. Pretty boring here.

M: The mouthfeel is probably the best part of this beer it has a good medium thickness to it, you can tell that this beer has no adjuncts in it.

O: This beer is average at best it feels like every other green bottled euro beer to me and does nothing to set itself apart from the middle of the road.

Serving type: bottle

07-09-2011 11:45:34 | More by Kanyon22

THECPJ

Delaware

3.5/5  rDev -4.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Reviewed from notes:

appearance: golden yellow with a 1 finger white head

smell: lager yeast, malts,

taste: crisp, clean, some hop character and malts,

mouthfeel: mild carbonation, thin to medium body,

overall: a refreshing lager enjoyed this in the baking sun and it was much needed. if you need a crisp clean beer go for it.

Cheers,
The CPJ

Serving type: on-tap

07-08-2011 00:30:35 | More by THECPJ

RonaldTheriot

Louisiana

3.8/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Spaten Premium Lager has a thin-to-medium white head and a clear, yellow-golden appearance, with some bubbles and not much lacing. The aroma (not skunked, thankfully- green bottle) is strong, bready malt, with a bit of clean water and a dash of hops. Taste is likewise very bready and the bitter hops really add zing to this one. Mouthfeel is light and watery, and Spaten Premium Lager finishes crisp, clean, refreshing, and mostly dry. Overall, this is a very good beer, and I think you’ll enjoy it.

RJT

Serving type: bottle

07-01-2011 15:53:42 | More by RonaldTheriot

PeprSprYoFace

California

4.1/5  rDev +11.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into a pilsner glass. Pours a very nice golden clear. Nice bubbles with a thin white head. No lacing.

Aroma is nice. Grassy and pilsner like. Nice German hop aroma.

Taste is clean. It has a nice grassy taste with a slight maltiness and a nice hop flavor in the finish.

Mouthfeel is clean and crisp. Nice carb.

Overall I like this a bit better than the Hacker-Pschorr I just had. Much more cleaner and crisp with a nice hop flavor.

Serving type: bottle

06-29-2011 07:54:49 | More by PeprSprYoFace

SamN

Colorado

2.95/5  rDev -19.8%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Light honey tones with a nice soapy but looser head on top. Color is rather pale, not too rich with almost no visible carbonation whatsoever. Aroma is a sour/metal hoppiness. Faint adjunct-like maltiness; huskiness, vegetably. Not great. Taste is balanced, no side overpowers the other, but this makes for a sort of boring beer, lacking character. Faint finish on cracker malts, hops bitterness is quite low. Mouthfeel is right on target, not too thin in body, good pilsen structure.

Overall, a pretty boring German lager. Not much character to it, flavors are subdued to the point of being almost unnoticeable. Compared to the Paulaner pils I reviewed yesterday, this is a German Budweiser.

Serving type: bottle

06-27-2011 02:40:39 | More by SamN

fx20736

New York

4.22/5  rDev +14.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a green bottle into a straight sided pint glass.

I normally avoid beer in green bottles but as this is brewed by the same group that makes Franziskaner I decided to take a chance. I did let it sit for 3 minutes with the cap off before pouring even though I didn't detect any skunkiness.

Poured a 1 inch snow white head, pretty to look at. Beer is golden colored with subdued carbonation.

Aroma is bready malt and grassiness with a slightly sour smell.

Mouthfeel is very full without being thick or slippery.

Taste, mild Noble hop bitterness quickly fades and the finish is dry and pleasing. After I took a few sips I thought, where's the aftertaste? But there really isn't any, just a slightly sour dryness that is very pleasant.

This beer is a marvel, it doesn't try to surprise or overwhelm you, it just presents itself quietly as a wonderful, enjoyable drink. Until knocked down this will be a Summer Regular in my fridge.

This is yet another Euro Beer that proves that most American Beers are generations away from the fine quality enjoyable beers made in Germany, Belgium and England.

Serving type: bottle

06-24-2011 21:44:10 | More by fx20736

robnewhart

California

4.4/5  rDev +19.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

This one surprised me. Friend drank the Optimator, but I am not a big fan of heavy beers so I thought I would try their Lager with a friend. Used standard beer mugs chilled and after first taste, we both looked at each other with surprise at how good it went down.

It had a good head, with a nice and not overpowering hoppy smell and just the right amount of carbonation for my liking. The taste is surprising, as it is a very smooth beer going down, as opposed to a sharp taste of my regular beer, Pacifico, with no bitter aftertaste.

I use this often as a celebration beer as an alternative to Pacifico, my regular daily beer. This beer was a pleasant surprise and is definitely a beer I would drink again.

Serving type: bottle

06-18-2011 00:39:09 | More by robnewhart

txbrew81

Texas

3.7/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A: Clear golden straw. Decent head that doesn't last very long.

S: Bready sweet smell with some grassy hops.

T: Sweet and malty but fairly dry finish. Very clean.

M: Good carbonation. Very refreshing.

O: Pretty solid beer. Not the best in the world but you could derfinately do worse for a helles.

Serving type: bottle

05-28-2011 21:18:17 | More by txbrew81

nickthetick

Maryland

3.43/5  rDev -6.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

A: pours a clear straw into an American shaker with a thin skim of white head that doesn't hang around at all.

S: pale light malts and grassy hops.

T: sweet malt, biscuit like. There is a nice hop presence, pine like and grassy with some light lemon notes that linger on the tongue.

MF: crisp and very refreshing, surprisingly effervescent.

O: good lager, I would buy it again for lawn mowing purposes.

Serving type: bottle

05-26-2011 00:31:29 | More by nickthetick

jlb502

California

3.9/5  rDev +6%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A: It's yellow. Maybe a yellow shade of gold? Straw yellow? Yellowy yellow?

S: Lager, biscuits and a little bit of honey graham cracker.

T: I like it. Sweeter than it is dry but the dryness is there. Doughy, some butter and a little bit more of that honey graham.

M: NIce carbonation, good body. It works in a way that doesn't draw attention.

O: I think this beer is done very well though I'll probably re-consider the overall rating once I've tried more from this style.

Serving type: bottle

05-19-2011 04:18:25 | More by jlb502

JednoPivoProsim

Maryland

4.33/5  rDev +17.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a 12 fl oz into a pint glass.

Appearance: Pours a clear golden with a bright white head. Little carbonation, calm and thick looking.

Smell: Grassy metallic notes. Standard European lager nose.

Taste: Outstanding biscuity flavor. Not too sweet and not too hoppy. Just a perfect helles.

Mouthfeel: Thick, full beer. A slight bite of carbonation on the tongue.

Overall: I thought I wouldn't feel so strongly about a relatively standard (plain?) style of beer, but this is perfect right now. I have been craving something to balance out the range of over-malty to uber-hoppy beers I have been drinking for the last six months. It also satisfies a nice balance between hoppy Czech (my usual favorite) and dry German pilsners. Spaten hits the spot!

Serving type: bottle

05-06-2011 22:31:42 | More by JednoPivoProsim

xylophonica

Australia

3.95/5  rDev +7.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

So I drink this beer semi-regularly and just realised I'd never reviewed it!
For this review I'm drinking from bottled stock, poured into a 500ml Paulaner signature glass.

A - Cloudy golden amber colour. Few carbonation bubbles and a only a slight head.

S - Plenty of wheat and sweet fruits. Slight hint of citrus as well, maybe some zesty orange.

T - Nice mild lager flavour with good helpings of malt. The same orange zest comes through on the palate and is quite refreshing - very tangy. Dash of herbs in there somewhere as well.

M - Solid coating of malt initially offset by some wild tangy sensations and a more bitter aftertaste.

O - Solid example of this style. Can be consumed in copious amounts without any problems. Have experienced this on tap on many occasions but the bottled product is just as good.

Serving type: bottle

04-30-2011 12:26:41 | More by xylophonica

Beerandraiderfan

Nevada

3.8/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours with great yellow clarity and a frothy white head. Aroma is definitely skunky, in a light, green bottle, not weed kind of way.

Nice spritzy effervescent feel to the beer, maybe noble or golding hops, very light malt bill to the beer. Skunky lemon, green apple to a much lesser degree. Skunky, yet crisp.

Very light aftertaste, good bitterness, this is a great beer to have with food when you don't want a big beer to drown out the food flavor you are pairing it with. A decent palate cleanser as well, without being water or watered down.

Serving type: bottle

04-25-2011 17:51:12 | More by Beerandraiderfan

Cmack15

Massachusetts

4.05/5  rDev +10.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

I am on a really big lager kick lately and picked up a bottle of Spaten last time I was at the store. The beer has a nice light golden color and good carbonation. The aroma is a nice sweet malty lager smell that makes you thirsty. The taste is nice sweet malt with just a hint of noble hops. The beer is very refreshing and easily a session beer. I would say this a great beer to pair with a meal too since it won't leave you full or thrash your palette. Nice smooth refreshing, enjoy
cheers

Serving type: bottle

04-25-2011 17:25:05 | More by Cmack15

Cozzatoad

Italy

3.83/5  rDev +4.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

500ml bottle

A- Golden, a bit less pale than usual, perfect see-through. Quite small but enough persistent white and very small bubbled head. Little and not persistent lacing

S- Pilsnerish. Fresh herbal notes are what first comes to mind, malts are quite on the low side if compared to most Hells but they bring a light but very clean biscuit aroma. Some lemon undernotes might be noticed

T- Very rich and complex for the style. Malts are very delicate, giving a smooth biscuity flavour. Hops are quite strong with lemon and some fresh herbal notes: i think i can clearly recognize saaz, but there may be some more. The best thing about hops is that they can be felt not only on the tongue, they also bring freshness on the back of the palate. Super clean finish

M- Carbonation is vivid and has the beer feeling quite rich on the palate. It does not get aggressive cause the persistent and fluffy head gives the mouthfeel a very soft feel. This is still not enough to competely hide a quite too light body

O- Very refreshing and an easy drinker; very rich taste for the style though

I was a huge fan of Spaten Hell when i started drinking good beer some 3/4 years ago. In tasting it again after quite a long time i was expecting a bit of a letdown. I'm instead very glad, this is one the best Hells out there

Serving type: bottle

04-17-2011 14:30:00 | More by Cozzatoad

idurra

Maine

3.48/5  rDev -5.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A- Clear straw color, with a white and frothy head.

S- Grass and citrus smell.

T- More malty than hoppy, the citrus smell becomes a crisp and lemony taste. Taste is steady from one sip to the other.

M- Medium body and a rather clean finish. Carbonation is a little on the vivid side, tingly on the tongue.

O- Pleasant beer that goes well alone or as an accompaniment to medium to high boldness foods. The lack of complexity does not make the beer any less pleasant.

Serving type: bottle

04-17-2011 00:55:03 | More by idurra

mdunman

Texas

3.75/5  rDev +1.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A: Slightly hazy gold pouts a big white head and has plenty of linger.

S: Hint of malt and a sharp tinge of bitter, lemony hops

T: Smooth biscuit up front with a transition to the lemony hops and a calm finish.

M: Light body, good carbonation and a smooth feel

Very enjoyable. Crisp, smooth and a good amount of flavor for such a simple beer. I'll make sure to get some more of these on some hot summer days.

Serving type: bottle

04-08-2011 03:53:57 | More by mdunman

Knapp85

Pennsylvania

2.75/5  rDev -25.3%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Another German pilsner... So much of these out there. The beer is a hellish gold color with fluffy white head on it. The brew is light bodied and has flavors of some hops, malts and fresh cut grass. The grassy flavors aren't too strong in the this which is nice. I can drink this beer if I have too, I wouldn't go out of my way to get it.

Serving type: bottle

03-28-2011 23:49:41 | More by Knapp85