Shiner Bock

Brewed by Spoetzl Brewery (Gambrinus Company)
Style: American Dark Lager
Shiner, Texas USA

Amber, malty, caramel, grainy, smooth, with a slight hoppy finish. Simple refreshing beer.

First off, this isn’t a true bock. I don’t know if it’s a requirement to be from Texas to like this beer, but I just can’t see why everybody gets so into it. Average aroma. Decent pour, not very much head, not very much lace. Taste is malty, a little bit sweet, but is killed by being too watery. Very light bodied. Overall not a terrible beer, but in the battle of fake bocks, Michaelob’s Amber Bock is actually more enjoyable. I have no desire to ever try this again.

12oz bottle from Publix Supermarkets (Tampa). Pours a dark golden amber with a thin white head that dissipates quickly and barely laces the glass. Aroma is barley, malt, maple syrup. Flavor is malty, slight sweetness, smooth, and finishes evenly. Medium-bodied. A reasonably well-done bock-style beer.

I would like to rate this beer higher, but there really isn’t anything special to say about it. Head was gone by the time it got to my table. No trace. Color had alot going for it. Light bodied, no real aroma to speak of. Overall, I liked it, but it just isn’t anything special. It is a very likable beer, ad\nd very easy to drink. Not a very complex brew by any means, but not everything in life has to be.

pours amber with tiny off white head that disappears almost immediately. aroma is bland malt, as is the flavor. pretty dull, fizzy. bleh.

Draft at Dell Rhea’s Chicken Basket on Rt. 66. I finally, finally get to check Texas off my list of states. Eh, I just didn’t want to buy a sixer of this stuff, and St. Arnold’s hasn’t come up here yet. And it’s not as bad as I’d been led to believe; thought it might just be another pale lager that was labeled "bock" because of some arcane Texas blue law. A decent amber color in my draft shaker. Smell is passably malty. Taste shows shows at least some bock ancestry, with crystal, Vienna and caramel malt. But sweet. I think there’s plenty of corn in here. Not much hop bitterness, but may be in keeping with the style. Suspect this has been going its own way for a century, altered for reasons of cheapness or local taste, until it barely resembles an actual bock.

Dont tell this to anyone from Texas, but this beer sucks ass. And why? Who the hell knows. Watery, bland and a mess.

Bock my ass.Boring and bland with little flavor. And yet, it remains a Texas icon. Huh? Why?