Spaten is a brewing brand from Munich, Germany, which is part of the so-called “Big Six in Munich”, and consists of such brands as: Löwenbräu, Hofbräuhaus, Paulaner, Augustinerbräu, Hacker-Pshorbräu and, of course, Spaten.
This brand owns the copyright for brewing for the largest folk festival Oktoberfest. Since 1997, Spaten Brau has been considered part of the Spaten-Lövenbrou-Group.
Today, the rights to the brand are owned by the international brewing corporation Ankhozer-Bush InBev, formed by the merger of the Belgian-Brazilian company InBev and the American Ankhozer-Bush.
History of beer Spaten
1397 – in Munich there was a mark on the registration of a small brewery Welser Prew with the owner Hans Welser.
In the next 125 years, the company experienced quite a few changes of ownership.
1522 – from this period, leadership for a significant period (about a hundred years) is transferred to the Shtanberger family. They increase the productivity of the company.
In 1622, the Spatt family acquires the brewery and changes the name of the company, which is derived from their family name.
1807 – Gabriel Sedlmayer Jr. acquires the small Spate brewery. During this period, he holds the position of chief brewer at the royal Bavarian court and is actively involved in the development of methodology for the production of bottom-fermented beer. In the 30s, he worked hard to make brown lagers.
Under the leadership of the Sedlmayer family, the company is transformed into the largest Munich brewery. In Paris, at the World Exhibition, he receives a gold medal for his products, and becomes the only company from Germany to receive this award.
In memory of the valuable deeds of Gabriel Sedlmeier, his name was immortalized in the company logo – the initials of the main brewer – “GS” were placed on the label on the Spaten beer bottle.
1844 – The spade emblem appears on the label on Spaten beer bottles. It was developed by the famous and popular graphic artist Otto Hupp.
1894 – Spaten becomes the first brewery in Munich to use bottom fermentation in brewing. At the present time, the lager is produced according to the unique technology of Gabriel Sedlmayer Jr.
1922 – the Spaten and Franziskainer-List-Broy factories, which are the property of the company, merge and merge with Löwenbräu.
In 2003, Belgian concern Interbrew acquires the company for almost 500 million euros.
The Spaten and Joseph Sedlmayr Spaten-Franziskaner-Leistbräu AG, controlled by the Sedlmeier family, are merged into the Gabriel and Joseph Sedlmayr Spaten-Franziskaner-Leistbräu AG.
Types of beer Spaten
Spade Munich Hell (premium stock)
Pale lager with a low malt and hop aroma.
The taste is slightly sweet, malty, with a touch of citrus, turning into hop bitterness and slightly tart bitterness of rye bread.
For a long time it has been considered synonymous with quality and German tradition.
The drink is characterized as the “golden symbol” of Munich brewing.
Snow white foam with a high head. Alcohol 5,2%, density 11,8%.
Spade Optimator
Brown lager with a red tint.
The technology uses not only Vienna and Munich malts, but also a little specific Kafara malt is added, which gives the drink a fruity-grain aroma.
The taste of the drink with the inherent hoppy bitterness, which is perfectly balanced by the sweetish notes of licorice, figs, prunes.
Beige foam, medium grain. Alcohol 7,5%, saturation 18,2%.
Spate Munich Dark
Traditional Munich Dunkel.
The color is transparent brown, the taste is clearly traced malt tone with a hint of caramel and rye bread, combined with a small amount of fruit acid.
There is a slight bitterness from hops in the aftertaste.
Creamy foam, fine-grained. Alcohol 5,1%, saturation 12,6%.
Spate Oktoberfest beer
It is the first beer deliberately brewed for Oktoberfest in 1810.
It is produced only for the opening of the festival, so it is not possible to enjoy this drink all year round.
The color is clear, amber.
On the palate there is a rich variety with a combination of bitterness from hops and the aroma of roasted malt.
Snow white foam with a high head. Alcohol 5,9%, saturation 13,7%.
Recommended storage conditions for Spaten beer drinks are from +5 to +20 degrees.
Interesting Facts
In 2011 Spaten became the official beer of the Pittsburgh (Pennsylvania, USA) annual festival of retro cars – Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix.
All proceeds from the sale during the festival go to charity to help those with autism and create a special school for such children.
In 1516, the “Law on Beer Purity” was issued by the Duke of Bavaria, William the Fourth, which states: “that from now on, beer drink is brewed exclusively from ingredients such as hops, malt and water.”
And in turn, the Spaten brewery not only preserves these traditions, but also turns out to be an innovator in this area.
All beer in Munich is produced exclusively according to this law and only from high quality materials.
Relevance: 17.12.2019
Tags: Beer, Cider, Ale, Beer brands