If you read my post earlier in the month about Pabst Blue Ribbon, you know that my father is a man's man. It's true, my dad at times can make Chuck Norris himself look like a sniveling little school girl. You probably wouldn't be surprised to learn that my Dad is the epitome of old school. The man still shave with an ancient looking shaving brush and shaving soap. He cooks almost every meal from scratch, I'm surprised that he doesn't butcher his own meat. Because my father seems so out of place in an ever evolving society, I've always had a profound respect for the ways of the old school. In terms of brewing tradition, Spaten Optimator is about as old school as it gets.
Spaten Optimator is a dark German style beer, not to be confused with it's sister beer Spaten Premium Lager. Spaten Optimator is a bottom fermented dopplebock, which literally means "double bock" in German. What's a bock, you ask? I'd be more than happy to tell you!
A bock is a type of bottom fermented lager brewed at a very cold temperature and stored for a long period of time with as little air contact as possible to allow the fermentation process to take place. The alochol content of your typical dopplebock is anywhere from 6 to 10%. Bocks have a rich German heritage, being brewed by monks for relgious ceremonies and holidays 14th century. Basically the Germans have been doing this for a long time, and Spaten Optimator is evidence of the superior brewing tradition of Germany. Almost everything about this beer was perfect. It feels so smooth in your mouth, sometimes you forget you're really drinking a lager. The dark, rich color and aroma of Spaten Optimator is truly the happy medium, enough to satisfy lovers of both dark and light tasting beers. Be forewarned though, the German monks who used to brew bocks back in the day refered to the brew as "liquid bread". It can feel a bit heavy for those who are faint of heart, so don't plan on knocking back like eight of these in one night or you'll be puking up your schitzel and bratwurst all over the floor. Spaten Optimator is a bit of a throw back to the old school brewing traditions of Germany. There are so many beers today, and many sacrifice quality in favor of quick, mass production. This is definitely not the case with Spaten Optimator, which is pure quality through and through. Drink up and enjoy with your friends.
Prost!
Ian
p.s. despite the popular demand for such pics, I am not naked in these photos. I had just taken a shower and my girlfriend had just gone to sleep, so I didn't want to pop into the bedroom and wake her up. But for those of you who want to use your imagination, I'm totally naked underneath that towel ;)
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