Shiner Smokehaus

Brewed by Spoetzl Brewery (Gambrinus Company)
Style: Smoked
Shiner, Texas USA

Serve in Dimpled mug, Lager glass, Stein

Bottle. The lightest smoked I have ever had, but balanced and poundable. I won;t ever try it again, but its a worthy attempt at catching the macro drinkers eye/tongue.

Bottle with a twist off cap. No real smoke in the aroma. No sign of smoke in appearance, just pale lager eye. Goodly amount of carbonation. Each swig is followed by a burst of something smoked in the back of the throat. Some indications of helles in the beginning part of the gulp. Weird light bacon smoke finish.

12oz bottle poured into a shaker. Shiner Smokehaus pours surprisingly light-colored, much like straw. This is definitely a lager-looking beer. The head, however, is very creamy looking, almost like a nitro beer. This beer smells like what you would expect from a Helles but it also has a mild smoked meat aroma as well. Although the smoke comes through it doesn’t improve the overall beer. A good smoke should accentuate and improve the beer. This beer just seems to be more of a novelty.

UPDATED: JUN 30, 2010 bottle from Party Source, on tap at Bookhouse Pub, and tonight, bottle from Hop City. What is wrong with you people?? Why is this beer rated so low? Just because it says Shiner on the label doesn’t mean it’s a bad beer. I’ve had little love for Shiner until this one, but the Smokehaus is amazing. Using mesquite on the malts is pure genius and it only makes it more charming that it’s from a TX brewery. The pour is a clear gold with a small head. Typical smoked lager approach so far. The aroma is deep and smoky with lots of real BBQ quality. The mesquite gives it a sweeter and meatier aroma. Flavor follows through perfectly. The smoke is strong, but not overpowering. Meat and wood is all up in my palate with a delightfully ashy, smoky finish. The mouthfeel on this one is medium-light. I could use more, but there is a respectable level of BBQ, meat and outdoor grilling spattered all over this beer. Given that it’s Shiner, it is surprisingly aggressive and clean. Big, big props. One of my favorite styles with a delightfully American twist. Now we just need a hickory smoked beer. . .

"smokehaus" is right. smoke is the first thing you get in the aroma and in the taste, and far and away the most intense. there are beers out there that are smokier than this one, but most of those beers are more balanced. apart from the smoke, you get some light malt on the nose along with a more dominant corn character. ditto that in the taste. smoke, corn, light and modest malt. very little hop presence. more hops and more malt would make this more interesting. smoke’s interesting, sure, but not enough to inspire repeated buying.

12oz bottle. Clear dark gold with a small white head. Smokey and sweet aroma with some mesquite barbecue sauce going on. Sweet corn on the cob. Sweet corny flavor with a smokey burnt edge. Modest bitterness. watery texture with moderate carbonation. The smoke is definitely the only interesting thing going on here; the beer underneath is pretty weak. Somewhat interesting but not enough to get again.

UPDATED: JUN 17, 2010 The aroma is a bit smokey with malt and a tiny amount of alcohol. The appearance is golden with a medium head. The taste is like the aroma. The palate is thin. Overall a not too bad of a beer but not something that I like either.

very weak with the smoke flavor. the actual beer itself is a bit too sweet with very little hop flavor. enjoy with BBQ on hot days but not much else.