Beer of the Weekend #5: Spaten Premium
It’s “hot” in Southern California. A giant high-pressure system is sitting on top of the state, and although the conditions are not quiet Santa Ana-like it’s still warm. To me it’s not too bad, but native Californians — especially those from the coast — think it’s hell. Uh…no. Hell is Iowa in August. I remember waking up early for work in the summer and it would already be 85 degrees. The worst days were when it rained in the morning and the sun came out before noon. Making it worse was living in a third story apartment with no air conditioning. I hate air conditioning anyway, but it’s sometimes nice to cool off after a long day of painting.
Speaking of hell, this weekend’s beer is a German “helles” beer: Spaten Premium, brewed and bottled by Spaten-Bräu of Munich, Germany.
In German, “helles” means “light colored,” “bright,” or “pale” and Spaten fits the title.
Once or twice I’ve mentioned my heritage. From what I know my ancestors were Irish, Welsh, Scottish, possibly French, and Amerindian — Ojibwa to be exact. At most they make up 15 percent of my blood. The rest is German.
Of course I don’t know that for sure. One of my “German” ancestors could have been Swiss or Austrian or Hungarian. I’d like to think there’s a little more variety coursing through my veins, but let’s just say I’m 85 percent German for this blog.
Regardless of my ancestry, the Germans make damn good beer. The first line of the German Beers section of Beers of the World says it all: “No country takes more pride in the quality of its beers than Germany.” Unlike the Brits and Irish, the Germans like lighter colored beer like Spaten. They still tip back bock, doppelbock, and dunkel but they love pale lager and pilsner. German “helles” include Löwenbräu Original, Weihenstephaner Original Bayrisch Mild, Hofbräu München Original, Augustiner Bräu Lagerbier Hell, and Hacker-Pschorr Münchner Helles. “Helles” are also popular across the pond. According to Wikipedia:
Amazingly, I haven’t sampled too many German beers so I’ve been eyeing Spaten for a while. I bought the sixer at the Trader Joe’s on Main Street in Huntington Beach. Sure, I didn’t get to use my handy-dandy BevMo! card, but TJ’s cuts out the middleman so I get the beer cheaper. And it’s within walking distance to my house. I was able to walk there from the bus stop and not use a single drop of gas today. Bomb! — as my German friend likes to say.
On to the tasting.
Serving Type: Six 12-ounce bottles.
Appearance: Clear, golden yellow with a thin effervescent head that dissipated quickly, leaving only small remnants and a thin ring around the rim.
Smell: This was hard to pin down so I took a peek at the reviews on Beer Advocate. There’s a hint of hops and yeast and a tinge of citrus and grain. Yup.
Taste: Yeasty. That means it’s not as bitter or metallic as more hoppy beers. It’s flowery and grainy at the same time, and a tinge of bitterness lingers on the palette.
Mouth feel: Light and watery (though not “lite” watery). Very smooth.
Drinkability: It’s a warm day beer. Not too heavy, but it has a lot of flavor and character for a pale beer. Very drinkable.
Fun facts about Spaten:
Alcohol content: 5.2 percent.
Serving temperature: 42°-46°F.
Food pairing: Smoked salmon quiche.
The Quiet Man’s grade: B.
Speaking of hell, this weekend’s beer is a German “helles” beer: Spaten Premium, brewed and bottled by Spaten-Bräu of Munich, Germany.
In German, “helles” means “light colored,” “bright,” or “pale” and Spaten fits the title.
Once or twice I’ve mentioned my heritage. From what I know my ancestors were Irish, Welsh, Scottish, possibly French, and Amerindian — Ojibwa to be exact. At most they make up 15 percent of my blood. The rest is German.
Of course I don’t know that for sure. One of my “German” ancestors could have been Swiss or Austrian or Hungarian. I’d like to think there’s a little more variety coursing through my veins, but let’s just say I’m 85 percent German for this blog.
Regardless of my ancestry, the Germans make damn good beer. The first line of the German Beers section of Beers of the World says it all: “No country takes more pride in the quality of its beers than Germany.” Unlike the Brits and Irish, the Germans like lighter colored beer like Spaten. They still tip back bock, doppelbock, and dunkel but they love pale lager and pilsner. German “helles” include Löwenbräu Original, Weihenstephaner Original Bayrisch Mild, Hofbräu München Original, Augustiner Bräu Lagerbier Hell, and Hacker-Pschorr Münchner Helles. “Helles” are also popular across the pond. According to Wikipedia:
The earliest known brewing of pale lager in America was in the Old City section of Philadelphia by John Wagner in 1840 using yeast from his native Bavaria. Modern American-style lagers are usually made by large breweries such as Anheuser-Busch. Lightness of body is a cardinal virtue, both by design, and since it allows the use of a high percentage of rice or corn. Indeed, light versions of American lagers are very popular in the United States, lower in food energy and even lighter in body and taste. Prominent examples include Budweiser, Miller High Life, Coors, and Molson Golden, which is Canadian.
Amazingly, I haven’t sampled too many German beers so I’ve been eyeing Spaten for a while. I bought the sixer at the Trader Joe’s on Main Street in Huntington Beach. Sure, I didn’t get to use my handy-dandy BevMo! card, but TJ’s cuts out the middleman so I get the beer cheaper. And it’s within walking distance to my house. I was able to walk there from the bus stop and not use a single drop of gas today. Bomb! — as my German friend likes to say.
On to the tasting.
Serving Type: Six 12-ounce bottles.
Appearance: Clear, golden yellow with a thin effervescent head that dissipated quickly, leaving only small remnants and a thin ring around the rim.
Smell: This was hard to pin down so I took a peek at the reviews on Beer Advocate. There’s a hint of hops and yeast and a tinge of citrus and grain. Yup.
Taste: Yeasty. That means it’s not as bitter or metallic as more hoppy beers. It’s flowery and grainy at the same time, and a tinge of bitterness lingers on the palette.
Mouth feel: Light and watery (though not “lite” watery). Very smooth.
Drinkability: It’s a warm day beer. Not too heavy, but it has a lot of flavor and character for a pale beer. Very drinkable.
Fun facts about Spaten:
Alcohol content: 5.2 percent.
Serving temperature: 42°-46°F.
Food pairing: Smoked salmon quiche.
The Quiet Man’s grade: B.
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