Under Gabriel Sedlmayr the Younger, Spaten was on the forefront of brewery innovation. In 1844, Spaten became the first brewery outside of England to use steam power. In 1873, Spaten also became the first brewery to install a then-cutting edge refrigeration system. 

A form of beer maturation on the yeast that usually lasts for several weeks, or sometimes months, at or near freezing temperatures. Lagering occurs after fermentation and before filtration and/or packaging of the beer.