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

rarbring

Sweden

2.93/5  rDev -20.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A clear light golden beer, a white head leaving some lacing.

A rather weak smell, some malty/sweet notes.

The taste has bread notes, sweet corn flakes, some lemon acidity and a metallic bitterness.

Medium high carbonation, an un-complex body.

Descent, but not very compelling to me.

Serving type: on-tap

07-21-2010 13:56:11 | More by rarbring

SometimesIfart

Michigan

2.93/5  rDev -20.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Poured from a bottle into a Lager glass. Pours a dark yellow in color with a three finger head. Quite nice I guess though nothing special. Pretty much smells of any other lager, Including Adjuncts with some strong skunkiness coming through. Taste is realistically no better than a PBR, Except with some very slight fruitiness. The mouthfeel is pretty much the same as the taste. With no additional flavors coming through, However it is not harsh at all. Overall, It's a pretty average beer. Nothing worth buying in my opinion, I got the bottle for free so I cannot complain

Serving type: bottle

06-29-2012 04:56:17 | More by SometimesIfart

Kelly88

Kentucky

2.95/5  rDev -19.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Had on tap at cock and bull served in your standard pint.

A- straw yellow that is translucent with a magnifying glass effect. White head holds up for a short while That recedes to a uniformed group of condensed white bubbles.

S- my nose is telling me straight lager yeast with a Tad of musty basement. Maybe some wheat in the mix. Pretty plain and uneventful.

T- honestly it is a bmc lager on roids. More straightforward yeast and hops that fade to a rice type flavor. Reminds me of a ' double ' Miller lite.

M- light and crisp, very easy to drink. Good carbonation That is not to prickly like most lagers.

Overall not a very flavorful beer. Tastes are lacking But the criteria for the style is good. For me its not very good, I like more complexity in my beers

Serving type: on-tap

03-25-2011 23:59:03 | More by Kelly88

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

Shrews629

Kentucky

2.98/5  rDev -19%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Appearance - Crystal clear!!! Very pale yellow with a super bright white head. The head was kind of small and didn't have a tremendous amount of lacing or retention. Several bubbles working from the bottom to the top. Reminds me of an American macro in appearance.

Smell - A very clean breadiness and cracker like aroma at first that I found enjoyable. Some fresh "grainy' or "grassy" hops pull through also. Not overly complicated.

Taste - The grainy hop bitterness comes forth more in the taste. A touch metallic. A fresh, dry, white bread type of flavor. Clean and well balanced.

Mouthfeel - Medium/thin. Smooth and crisp. A bit more dry in the finish than I was expecting. Seems refreshing. A bit left on the palate.

Drinkability - This is an ok beer. I am coming to the conclusion that German Pilsners and Lagers don't do much for me. They are not bad, but just nothing I flip out over. They are a good change for me on occasion, but I don't want to make an evening out of this. Just not my preferred style.

Serving type: bottle

12-20-2010 00:10:38 | More by Shrews629

AllenJasper

Minnesota

2.98/5  rDev -19%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

I can't seem to figure out when it was bottled... but it can't be that fresh, since it was made in Germany, imported to New York, then to Minnesota.
Bottle to glass. Not Coors Light cold, like I presume the Germans would drink it.

A: Light Golden, clear very carbonated, head dissipated rapidly.

S: It smells skunky and floral, but not strong.

T: Well, IMO it's better than all the 'domestic' lagers, but not by a whole lot. It has a little more bite to it, hoppier. A slight skunk aftertaste.

O: I've had the Optimator and the Marzen Oktoberfest, and I was a little disappointed at first, but then remembered it's a light lager, and should be judged as so... that being said, it's pretty good, and it's probably not nearly as fresh as the domestics, being in the middle of America.

Serving type: bottle

01-26-2012 04:39:02 | More by AllenJasper

GeoffRizzo

Texas

3/5  rDev -18.5%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Pours a clear golden color with a thin, yet lasting head. A smell that is somewhat skunky with some malts to be noted. The initial onslaught of rich and grainy hops are noted, followed with a creamy and grassy tasted. The clear green bottle leaves a bad impression on an average beer; not much to write home about.

Serving type: bottle

05-09-2003 19:25:36 | More by GeoffRizzo

chOAKbarrell

Maryland

3/5  rDev -18.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A boring German pilsner, but then, I find the style boring in general, so I guess I should try to compare this to other pilsners I've had. A pretty average and follow-the-guidelines style beer right down to the smallest detail. Obviously its better than most American pilsners, and mostly the same as other European pilsners. Whew, there is just not much to say one way or the other about this one.

Serving type: bottle

11-26-2005 16:12:11 | More by chOAKbarrell

armock

New York

3/5  rDev -18.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A - Poured a golden yellow color with a white head the fades to a thin covering

S - Is mostly of malt with a hint of hops

T - Follows the smell malt with a touch of hops

M - Fairly thin with light carbonation

D - I expected more from Spaten I remember the other beers to be better than this. Over all this is pretty much just an average beer not bad just ok

Serving type: bottle

02-08-2008 20:18:25 | More by armock

tconboy

Minnesota

3/5  rDev -18.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Pours a golden straw with mild head and decent lacing. Smells of grains, bitterness, and lemony freshness. Tastes crisp and grainy and bitter with some decent complexity, but the flavors just don't blend well in my opinion. If offered to me, I'll drink this, but I'm not going out of my way to get it.

Serving type: bottle

01-20-2009 19:32:36 | More by tconboy

Nerudamann

Arizona

3/5  rDev -18.5%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Look - Very light and clear. Decent carbonation, with half a finger of foam.

Smell - Hopy, wheaty type of smell.

Taste - Very earthy in taste, but light in general.

Mouthfeel - very light and a little watery.

Drinkability - not a great beer in general, in my opinion, not a whole lot of taste to it, but it would be easy to drink, so it gets higher repeat drinkability.

Serving type: bottle

07-01-2010 04:56:27 | More by Nerudamann

TheHoppiest

Ohio

3/5  rDev -18.5%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Poured from a 12 oz bottle into a pilsner glass. Pours a clear pale yellow with a healthy 1.5" head and plenty of carbonation.

Has a strong malty, barley smell, plenty of grain, wet straw, and some of the "skunk" smell one associates with some German and Dutch beers.

Malty, with mild hops; some "soapiness" and faint bitter. Wet grass and water, this is not a bold tasting beer.

Mouthfeel is thin and crisp.

I really wanted to like this beer, just like I've really wanted to like it in the past. I just don't find it to very interesting or tasty. I would drink it again, probably with the hope I'd finally stumble across that really good tasting Spaten lager.

Serving type: bottle

11-26-2010 23:36:49 | More by TheHoppiest

ronniebruner

Arizona

3/5  rDev -18.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Normally, I never go right down the middle on my reviews, but this is an exception. Its not that this beer is not good, it is that it is not really remarkable either. It pours a very average light see-through typical color of what you would expect from a lager. It has the carbonation, lace and head of a lager, and the aroma of barley and hops you'd expect from a better lager. The beer to me resembles a malt liquor in terms of the bitterness and dryness and it is evident on the tongue for a strong mouthfeel. Not a bad brew, not a great brew. I would drink Spaten if it was the only other option other than a cheap American adjunct lager.

Serving type: bottle

02-20-2012 03:02:13 | More by ronniebruner

JuicesFlowing

Kansas

3/5  rDev -18.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Poured into a standard pint glass from mini keg. The beer is a muted golden color? The head dissipates before you breathe. Lacing is spotted dots, not much else. The beer smells skunky and sweet. The taste is that of most euro pale lagers, but it's got a sweetness about it that dominates, with bready, nutty afterthoughts. The mouthfeel is medium to light bodied.

Overall, not a great beer, but for a mini-keg on a huge occasion, it works, especially at a nice price. But really, disappointing.

Serving type: can

05-05-2012 20:24:13 | More by JuicesFlowing

Holyterror

Alabama

3.03/5  rDev -17.7%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

This is simply a middle-of-the-road German pils. Not real strong or real weak, just kind of there. Poured a pale yellow that was more remininscent of urine than I'm used to. Thin white head subsided, decent lacing down the glass. Lots of grain on the nose, and surprisingly little sulphur for a green bottled beer. Taste was, well, just average stereotypical German pils. Easy on the palate, but I quickly became bored with this beer.

I found it amusing that the label indicates this is "malt liquor." It also tries to make up for its mediocrity by playing the reinheitsgebot card.

Serving type: bottle

10-25-2005 06:56:01 | More by Holyterror

a10t2

Colorado

3.03/5  rDev -17.7%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 4

A: Very clear golden-yellow. Pours with a thin white head which dissipates quickly but leaves light lacing.

S: A little malt odor, but overall not much nose on this one.

T: Generic lager, very crisp but with no malts or hops to speak of. A faint sweet/syrupy flavor, and a moderately bitter aftertaste that fades quickly.

M: Light and carbonated, but again, no real complexity to be found.

D: Certainly refreshing and clean; drinkability is way up there.

On the whole I was disappointed by this beer. It's a cut above American macro lagers but has none of the complexity and depth that characterize Spaten's other offerings.

Serving type: bottle

09-21-2006 00:27:47 | More by a10t2

theopholis

California

3.03/5  rDev -17.7%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 2.5

Appearance- Body is a light, golden straw with a very small white head. The head has no retention, and leaves behind no lace.

Aroma- Smelsl a tad light-struck. Behind that, you get a decent blend of malt sweetness, graininess and Saaz hops. To bad the fools had to out this in a green bottle.

Taste- Some Saaz hops up front, followed by a mellow malt sweetness. Rather pleasant. Kinda of has a tartness to it to.

Mouthfeel- Light, crisp, and good carbonation.

Drinkability- This would probably be a good beer if they packaged it right. They lose major points for poor packaging and getting it light-struck.

Serving type: bottle

06-05-2007 18:07:09 | More by theopholis

Wildman

Ohio

3.05/5  rDev -17.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

This beer poured a light gold color and formed a nice white head that left some lace. Some light carbonation present. The aroma was of hops and touch of lemon. The flavor was of hops and a little lemon. The finish was a bit astrigent and had a bit of citrus to it. Not bad for a session beer, but there are better ones out there.

Serving type: bottle

08-10-2002 13:20:50 | More by Wildman

ChainGangGuy

Georgia

3.05/5  rDev -17.1%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

12 oz. bottle - $1.49 at Total Wine & More in Kennesaw, Georgia.

Appearance: Pours a clear, yellow body with a foamy, white head.

Smell: Lightly skunky nose with notes of spicy, floral hops, pale malts, and the tiniest bit of apple fruitiness.

Taste: Light pale malts with a pinch of sugary sweetness followed by flowery, spicy hops with a mild, restrained bitterness. Very minor hint of Golden Delicious apples. Finishes dry and crisp.

Mouthfeel: Light-bodied. Medium-high carbonation.

Drinkability: Aside from the souring skunkiness, it's a fine, enjoyable lager.

Serving type: bottle

02-03-2009 02:58:52 | More by ChainGangGuy

flyers1980

Pennsylvania

3.05/5  rDev -17.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Got a case on clearance for $20 and was psyched to try this highly esteemed lager. Maybe it's the fact that I've been accustomed to Americanized lagers but I was astounded by the syrupy quality this beer has in aftertaste. It poured a golden color with a generous foamy head into my pilsner glass. In look and in taste it reminded me if yuengling premium, which im not above drinking but it is what it is. Decent beer but it didn't give me an exceptional vibe.

Serving type: bottle

05-19-2012 02:19:26 | More by flyers1980

kylehay2004

Florida

3.05/5  rDev -17.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Thin head on a clear straw body. A little lemon custard with pale malts but overall very light. Flavor is a touch bitter with more pale malts and grains but very simple. No off putting aftertaste. Light body and moderate to high carbonation. Overall drinkable but simple. Not bad not great.

Serving type: on-tap

05-22-2012 23:28:12 | More by kylehay2004

beeragent

Texas

3.08/5  rDev -16.3%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 12oz. bottle, into a pilsner glass. The beer poured a deep yellow, with no head or lacing. The aroma is light, consisting of a light skunkiness, a little hop sweetness, and a hint of malt. The taste is also very light. Mostly a sweet taste from the hops, and a little thickness created from the malt. Not really a whole lot in the taste that stands out. Light mouthfeel. Overall, I could see having this beer on a summer afternoon, to relax, but if flavor was the issue, I would be going elsewhere. Its not to say that this is a bad beer, but its always hard to enjoy a lager, such as this one, for its flavor. Its stubborn, but I am still trying to get more into lagers. I will try this one again in a few months, and see how my taste has changed.

Serving type: bottle

03-08-2007 03:59:39 | More by beeragent

seanyfo

United Kingdom (Scotland)

3.08/5  rDev -16.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

50cl bottle poured into Seidel

A: Pale golden in colour, with creamy 3 finger head after aggressive pour, retention is good, minimal lacing, lively beading.

S: Malt dominant as expected, sweet bready quality.

T: Malty sweet breads in the start, balanced with some hop bitterness in the finish, finish is too quick though, almost vanishes even

M: medium carbonation and a medium mouthfeel

D: Its a drinkable helles, but there are far better ones out there. Tasted fresh enough but was a bit tasteless in the finish. Nevertheless, easily drinkable but i favour a few helles above this one.

Serving type: bottle

01-26-2008 13:00:00 | More by seanyfo

bnes09

Illinois

3.08/5  rDev -16.3%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Light, transparent straw color. Similar in appearance to apple juice, maybe even a little lighter in color.

Smell is mostly skunky, a little lemon and some mild graininess are detectable.

Not a lot of flavor to behold. Some grains are present and a bit of skunky texture with a mild tartness but not much else is there.

Light-bodied and a low level of carbonation, finishes crisp and clean. Does not provide a distinctive mouthfeel.

Overall, I'm disappointed with this brew and in myself for buying a six-pack of it. It just does not have much to offer. Its light and refreshing but still very average.

Serving type: bottle

01-01-2010 00:09:52 | More by bnes09

tone77

Pennsylvania

3.08/5  rDev -16.3%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a green 12 oz. bottle. Has a very pale yellow color with a 1/2 inch head. Smell is skunky, not much else. Taste is crisp, slightly sweet, rather bland. Not a lot going on here. Feels light in the mouth and has good drinkability. Overall this is a fairly mediocre beer.

Serving type: bottle

02-27-2010 14:39:55 | More by tone77