barleynhops (82), Alpharetta, Georgia, USA Aug 24, 2008 I seen this beer on tap in Florida, but had this beer out of bottle. Not bad, cloudy as one would expect, but a citrisy taste leaves the palate feeling that it needs more. alobar (1006), Harleysville, Pennsylvania, USA Aug 24, 2008 At Tour de Brew. Cloudy yellow color with no head. Minimal aroma of wheat. Taste was of wheat with some spice. Dry finish. Adequate. iride15 (169), Orlando, Florida, USA Aug 19, 2008 Decent wheat brew for being a macro, but can’t compare to micro wheats. More bite to it than most wheats. ethomson (56), Huntington Beach, California, USA Aug 18, 2008 Delicious wheat brew, pours a nice creamy orange-yellow with a strong head. Smell is terrific. like citrus. Liked this beer particularly because it does not have a strong wheaty, yeasty, after-taste that traditional wheat-ale styles have, but more of a mellow finish, in which you can really taste some citrus and spices. What threw me off the most however, to me, has more of an apricot taste than an orangey citrus taste, but you really can taste the spices, which is cool. Overall, good beer, I suggest trying it. Meatmallet (120), Salem, Illinois, USA Aug 15, 2008 Pours a hazy yellow with a lot of sediment in the glass. Smell is orange, malt, and banana is hidden in there as well. A lot better on the nose than I was expecting.Taste is mostly lemon and orange peel and some spice. A bit of a bitter aftertaste and a heavy bitter orange taste at the end.Carbonation is high.I didnt know it was an AB product till I looked at the lable (which is why I picked it up anyway). I could drink quite a few of these on a hot day and being over %5 ABV I would enjoy it.
NomDeBeer (397), Maryland, USA Aug 14, 2008 The best Anheuser-Bush product I’ve had so far (although that’s not saying much). Citrus aroma and flavor but not as good as Blue Moon as far as macro witbiers are concerned. Drinkable though.
UnsofistaCat (222), Garden City, Michigan, USA Aug 12, 2008 I’ve had worse beer. A fake belgian white that is mixed with bud. The spice seems right, the yeast seems wrong. I bet they add fake stuff to make it look hazey. Well, it actually is kind of thirst quenching and tasted pretty good with a Walleye sandwhich. Not that bad. DarkElf (2681), La Jolla, California, USA Aug 12, 2008 03-Jun-08 (12-oz bottle, Born on 29-Feb-08: Purchased 12-May-08 for $1.79 at Hi-Time Wine Cellars in Costa Mesa, CA) Brewing a high caliber Belgian-style white ale requires a delicate touch to successfully marry subtlety and balance, and that’s just not the American style of brewing these days. As a result, masking the underlying beer with copious amounts of coriander seems to plague many of the examples made in the United States. And so it is with Shock Top, either because the heavy handedness of the brewer shows, or because the underlying wheat base is of lesser quality. The strong scents of coriander and citrus peel are unmistakable. Coriander dominates the flavor as well, but modest notes of orange and lime peel in the background add some complexity. Unfortunately, the wheat aspect of the beer seems somewhat lost behind all the coriander. A doughy character finally emerges in the finish, but so does a mild and unpleasant bitterness. Body is medium, but seems to get heavy in the finish because of the doughiness. A medium level of carbonation is expected from the style, and this beer delivers there. Unfortunately, because of the heavy finish, the beer fails to provide a refreshing feeling in the mouth. But credit must be given for a bottle-conditioned beer from Anheuser-Busch. After pouring the cloudy, golden-yellow beer into the glass, a dense ring of sediment is stuck to the bottle like clay. The white head is small on the pour, providing a quarter-inch layer before quickly settling to a thin ring. Overall, this could be the best of the seasonals produced by Anheuser-Busch. With the overabundance of coriander, it’s not going to be confused with the better examples of the style, but it’s not bad. I’ve most certainly had worse from smaller brewers, and I think this is better than Blue Moon too. Maybe there’s hope for A-B yet!
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