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Spaten is a German beer brand whose history can be traced back to the 1997th century. The Spaten beer company is one of the “big Munich six”, which has the exclusive right to brew beer for the Oktoberfest festival. Since XNUMX Spatenbräu has been part of the Spaten-Löwenbräu-Gruppe. Today, the rights to the brand belong to the brewing giant Anheuser-Busch InBev.
The starting point in the history of the company is considered to be 1397, when an entry appeared in the Munich tax book about the registration of the Welser Prew brewery, owned by Hans Welser. In the next 125 years, the company experienced frequent changes of ownership. Since 1522, management for a century passed to the Shtanberger family, who expanded production. In 1622, the Spatt family bought the brewery and gave it a new name, derived from the family name. There is also a version that Spaten beer is named after one of the main tools of the brewer – spades for turning malt (in German “spade”). However, the spade logo that adorns every Spaten label was not designed by the famous graphic artist Otto Hupp until 1884.
At the beginning of the 1922th century, the brewery was acquired by the chief brewer of the royal court, Gabriel Sedlmayr. During its tenure at the helm of the Sedlmayr family, Spaten has grown into Munich’s largest brewery and is the only German brewer to win a gold medal for its beer at the World’s Fair in Paris. The merits of Gabriel Sedlmayr are reflected in the emblem – each Spaten beer label is decorated with the initials “GS”. In 2003, the Spaten and Franziskaner-Leist-Bräu factories owned by the family are merged, at the same time the Löwenbräu brewery is merged. In 477, the company was acquired by the Belgian concern Interbrew for €XNUMX million.
Awards
San Diego International Beer competition:
- 2009 – 2 gold (Spaten Lager, Spaten Oktoberfest) and silver (Spaten Dunkel) medals;
- 2010 – silver (Spaten Oktoberfest) medal;
- 2017 – Gold (Spaten Oktoberfest) medal.
World Beer Championship’s, Chicago:
- 2009 – Silver (Spaten Oktoberfest) medal;
- 2010 – Silver (Spaten Premium) medal;
- 2011 – Silver (Spaten Optimator) medal;
- 2012 – Gold (Franziskaner-Hefe-Weisse Hell), silver (Franziskaner Hefe Weissbier Dunkel) medals.
World Beer Cup, Philadelphia:
- 2014 – Silver (Franziskaner-Hefe-Weisse Hell) medal;
- 2016 – Gold (Franziskaner Hefe Weissbier Dunkel) medal.
Australian International Beer Awards, Балларэт:
- 2008 – 3 серебряные (Spaten Munich Lager, Franziskaner Weissbier Kristall Klar, Franziskaner Hefe Weissbier Hell) and бронзовая (Franziskaner Hefe Weissbier Dunkel) медали;
- 2009 – 3 seasons (Spaten Munich Lager, Franziskaner Hefe Weissbier Hell, Franziskaner Hefe Weissbier Dunkel);
- 2010 – 2 серебряные (Franziskaner Hefe Weissbier Hell, Franziskaner Hefe Weissbier Dunkel) medals;
- 2011 – серебряная (Franziskaner Weissbier Kristall Klar и 2 бронзовые (Franziskaner Hefe Weissbier Hell, Franziskaner Hefe Weissbier Dunkel) медали;
- 2014 – Bronze (Franziskaner-Hefe-Weisse Hell) medal.
Epica Awards Leipzig:
- 2000 – Gold Image Advertising Award.
Shop! OMA Winners:
- 2017 – Silver Design Award for Spaten Wagon at Oktoberfest.
Interesting Facts
Since 2011, Spaten has been the official beer of one of the world’s largest vintage car festivals, the Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix, held annually in Pennsylvania. All funds raised during the event go to the Pittsburgh Autism Support Society Foundation and the development of a specialized school in the Allegheny Valley.
In the centenary year of the first German Antarctic expedition, the Spaten brewery sponsored a new research mission, Medantarktika, which is tasked with medical tests and telemedicine testing under extreme conditions.
Types of beer Spaten
In 1894, Spaten became the first brewery in Munich to brew a bottom-fermented pale beer. To this day, the lager is made according to the original recipe of Gabriel Sedlmayr Jr. Light golden drink gives a high cap of snow-white foam, leaving noticeable lacy traces on the walls of the glass. A faint citrus sourness is barely audible in the honey aroma, complemented by tones of grassy hops and hay. The body of the beer is round and dense, pronounced malty taste turns into a tart bitterness of black bread with unobtrusive hops. Munich lager beer goes well with white Weisswurst sausages and salted Pretzel pretzels.
Spade Optimator, 7,5%
Classic double bock (Dopplebock), which can be identified already by the name: traditionally, most brands of this beer end with the suffix -ator. The recipe contains Munich and Vienna malts with a slight addition of the Carafa variety, and it is to these components that the product owes its fruity-grainy bouquet. Deep brown with a ruby sheen, medium-grained beige foam leaves lacy streaks on the walls of the glass. The fragrance demonstrates a rich palette of shades: nuts, roasted cocoa beans, freshly baked pumpernickel, vanilla and anise. On the palate, the noble bitterness of hops is balanced by sweet notes of licorice, figs, and prunes.
Spaten Munich Dark, 5,1%
The beer is a classic example of the Munich Dunkel and is brewed according to the requirements of the Purity Law of 1516. The color of the drink resembles dried fruit compote, fine-grained foam has a creamy tint. In the bouquet, caramel and grain tones, a shade of rye bread crust come to the fore. In a finely tuned palate, subtle fruity sourness is followed by light toasty and grassy hops, turning into a moderately bitter aftertaste. Dark Munich beer is usually served in “masses” – liter mugs made of glass or ceramics.
Spaten Franziskaner dark wheat beer, 5%
A premium beer with a Highly Recommended rating from the Beverage Testing Institute of Chicago. In the glass it looks dark brown, with a hint of mahogany, the foam cap is dense, pearly, cream-colored. Aroma with pronounced tones of dark German bread, banana and cloves. The taste is complex: at first it seems rather sweet, then hops come into play, giving a distinct and pleasant bitterness. All this is set off by nutty and caramel-fruity notes, a subtle sourness appears in the aftertaste. Experts recommend drinking dunkel at dinner – it goes well with Bavarian and Thuringian sausages, red cabbage.
Spaten Franziskaner yeast wheat beer light, 5%
In Germany, the Franziskaner Hefe-Weissbier is recognized as the benchmark for Bavarian unfiltered wheat beer. The drink was equally highly appreciated by the experts of the Beverage Testing Institute in Chicago, who awarded it the title of “Exceptional” and a rating of 93 points. It has a golden-straw hue with a slight haze characteristic of Weissbier due to suspended yeast sediment. The foam head is high and stable. The aroma is discreet, fruity, with tones of fresh grass, banana pudding. In the taste, a bright sourness is noticeable, which does not dominate, but harmoniously coexists with the wheat base.