Even though this lager comes in a darker bottle, our guess is that the bottle wasn't quite dark enough to block out harmful wavelengths: Upon first pour, the brew has a slightly skunky aroma. Fortunately, Spaten Pils starts off with plenty of European aromas as well. The hops and malt are still noticeable, and of the two, malt plays the dominant role. Like the aroma, malt is central in the taste -- here, it presents nice toasted notes -- but the hop flavor becomes more preceptible (we would prefer slightly more bittterness, but the hops are still noticeable). A very light and exceptionally clear color gives way to a clean body, yielding a thirst-quenching beer.
