Spaten Octoberfest - Malt Liquor???

(this isn't my hand and I didn't take this picture, unlike the picture in my last review)

No! Please tell me the great German beer holiday isn't over yet! Oktoberfest apparently is for some, but not for this guy. In fact, I went into my trusted local beer store before Oktoberfest began this year and they still had a case of the world's most drank beer - Beck's Oktoberfest. A case from last year! Although my brother caved and bought it for some unknown reason, I recommend not buying Oktoberfest beer no more than 6 months past the holiday. Yes, it may seem cool to keep drinking like you were a big part of Oktoberfest, but please move on. There's plenty other fresh beers to be had. Your palette will thank you.

Oktoberfest begins in September believe it or not. I'm not going to go into the details because frankly, Google will give you a lending hand if you truly need one... on to the beer. I had visited Germany years ago and it would be a fib to say their beer isn't light years ahead of ours due partly to the purity laws or the "Rheinheitsgebot" they have set in place. Beer tastes different over in Germany than it does in the U.S. and mainly because any beer, including the one I am reviewing, is regulated. We do not drink the true German beer than they are so lucky to quench their thirst with.

Spaten Oktoberfest was one of my favorites when I visited German (I kept a running journal), along side some other beers I will get into eventually. Spaten is a trusted name in German beer and has been for centuries dating back to the 1300s. Its amazing how well it actually translates into the American world given our regulations. For instance, try even drinking Molson XXX from a local store and you won't get whacked with the same alcohol content as you would commiserating on a bar stool in Montreal (or in Niagara Falls if that helps you relate). XXX is better in Canada, which is why this is either the first you've heard of it or you don't drink it.

The color of Spaten is like that of a lager, the blue label, signifying that of a first place winner and the aroma of hops brewed in the old country are inviting from the get-go. Believe it or not, but the label actually lists this beer as "malt liquor" and if I may say so myself, I would choose this malt liquor over Colt 45, Old E and any other old partners I've had a few run-ins in years past. Served frosty, Spaten doesn't have a bite. Yet filling to drink, it goes down easy like an American light beer. This is where Germans have many popular beers by the chokehold. They can offer refreshment without tinkering with taste.

Spaten will offer no tartness or hoppy flavor - nothing but full-bodied taste from a true German beer. Even your burps will taste good.... no kidding here. It goes without saying, I'm a bit biased having tasted the true honey right from the bee's nest, but even America's regulated German beer is up to par. Refreshing, tasteful and never dulling to the taste buds. I would recommend this beer anytime although you will most likely only be drinking it in the late Fall (you forgot already? Oktoberfest!). Even so, Spaten is a well-trusted beer in Deutschland, and I would give this a strong 8.7 out of 10. An 8.7 because I liked a few beers better when I was spoiled as sin in Germany.

Oh, and when you go to Germany, just say "Ein Bier bitte" and they'll know what to do. No need to be picky, they'll just serve you the local brew which is most likely as amazing as this beer. Two thumbs up here.