Spaten Dunkel is a good dark brew, but not without its flaws.
Germany is synonymous with beer and while it certainly has some incredible local brews, it also produces a good number of beer products for export purposes. One brewery that can trace its roots all the way back to the fourteenth century is Spaten and one of its popular exports to the United States is Spaten Dunkel, a dark brew.
Beer Bio:
Style: Munich Dunkel Lager
Alcohol Level: 5.5 percent by volume
Calories: Unknown
Carbs: Unknown
Spaten Dunkel is a brown- colored brew with a clear body. The foam on this beer is very short- lived and once it falls flat, it leaves behind a headless glass of beer that looks like a soft drink. Spaten Dunkel has an aroma that is a little bit skunky, pruney, and sweet, making for a semi- interesting first impression.
As for the taste, Spaten Dunkel offers a flavor one would expect based on the initial impression. There is some skunk character, but also some pleasant flavors such as bread, caramel, toffee, chocolate, nuts, and even some raisin and cranberry in the background. The flavor profile is sweet overall with some flavors of grassy hops hiding behind the sweet malt.
Spaten Dunkel is an interesting beer in terms of flavor and it is certainly drinkable and likeable. But it isn’t the great glass of German brew that it promises to be. The greatest flaw with this beer is the skunked aroma and taste, due mainly to the packaging in green bottles. The sknuky character isn’t as bad as it is with other green- bottled brews, but it is noticeable nonetheless. Then, there is the unattractive appearance. Spaten Dunkel loses some points before you take the first sip, thanks to the headless body that makes this beer look more like a soft drink. In less than one minute, the head of foam is completely gone and the bubblng brown body it leaves behind looks more like a fountain Coca- Cola than a glass of beer.
Spaten Dunkel is a good session beer and does offer a complex and interesting all- around taste that makes it a fair representation of its style. The beer is a little on the light side, but not so light that it loses respectability or tastes watery. I find it good enough to recommend, but it would easily score more points with me if it was package in brown bottles and I wish it offered a more pleasing appearance. Still, Spaten Dunkel is a good dark lager and one of several good, solid beer products brewed by Germany’s Spaten Brewery.
Rating: 6 Cheers out of 10
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