Shiner Bock

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

Serve in Dimpled mug, Lager glass, Shaker

Pours a very clear dark amber color with a filmy white head. Aroma has a mild nutty malt note, some metallic hints and a grassy/herb hops nose. Flavor starts off with a watered down nutty toasted malt note, a mild lager yeast presence in the middle with the ending containing a sweet, caramel malt and grassy hops finish. Body is very light with a very watery texture and a high amount of carbonation. Overall an okay brew for drinking in a session but a too watery for my tastes.

UPDATED: SEP 23, 2010 Original rating was an embarrasing rookie rating. Rerate: Clear light brown, fair head, taste is passable and bready, quite nutty, light a light bock. Not shabby, but not that great. Heavily carbinated and slick, typical of American macros

Bottled. Darker amber with off-white head. Aroma is sweet malty with notes of caramel, lighter roast, and bread but let get warm and this beers aroma turns to a pretty remarkable dark and rich tobacco aroma (beers only true redeeming quality). Flavor is also roasty and caramel. No back bite for balance this beers palate and flavor are lacking but I dig the aroma.

12 oz. bottle. Pours a thin off white head of poor duration, minimal lacing, over a clear, light amber (SRM 9) body.....nose is light malts, with minimal hop finish....taste is very light malts, with minimal flavor of anything, no real hop finish....mouth feel is light and watery, carbonation fizzy.This is a dark colored, minimally flavored beer. It comes close to being a perfect dark version of a pale lager. I have tasted too many better beers to be able to appreciate the very subtle subtleties of this very mildly flavored beer.

UPDATED: JAN 2, 2010 (Bottle into a dimpled mug) Poured a dark amber with one finger white head that dissipated very quickly. The nose was of a nutty caramel/molasses sweetness with a tiny hint of the yeast. Nothing too obtrusive, however. Lively carbonation in the mouth, and the drink itself was very smooth. The slight sweetness of the malts came forward as expected, but surprisingly there was very little bite at the end, which I have encountered in other examples of this style. A nice average offering and very drinkable -- I would think a nice hoagie would work nice here.

12 oz. bottle to pint glass. Light amber with short lived head, almost non-existent. Yeast dominates, but with a slight skunk. Has weak roasted malt taste, which is only redeeming quality, no real finish. Thin and carbonated. May play well in Texas, but I’d say it pales to most bocks I’ve had.

Pours clear copper with weak off white head. The mild aroma has notes of caramel, malts and slight nuttiness. The taste is similar with modest notes of nuttiness, caramel, sugar sweetness and some floral hops. It builds up to be very sweet with additional sips.

Bottle. Amber pour, small head. Malty and caramel nose and taste, but a little funky. Decent in a pinch, but wouldn’t choose it if given options.