Win flew to New York on the Friday of President's day weekend. I rode the Fung Wah bus down Friday afternoon and met up with him and David in the East Village. Our first stop was Jimmy's No. 43, which David characterized as a "gastropub", for dinner.
Jimmy's No. 43 is a basement level bar with low lighting and low, arched, brick ceilings. The walls were adorned with various antlers and barrels. The food was tasty. I had a nice duck cassoulet, David had pulled pork with Brussels sprouts, and Win had a sampler plate with Kielbasa, Bratwurst, Sauerkraut, rare beef, and cornichons. The beer selection was moderate in size, but consistently high quality. David and I had two rounds each, but switched half-way through, because of his stubborn desire to push my beer count higher. That's the general theme with drinking with David, pushing my beer count higher.
Mason's Black and Otis.
938. Mason's Black Wheat
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Sixpoint Craft Ales
Alcohol: 5.70%
Serving: Tap
Style: American Dark Wheat Ale
Appearance: 3.5 | Smell: 4.0 | Taste: 4.5 | Mouthfeel: 4.0 | Drinkability: 4.0
Overall: 4.1
You don't see Sixpoint frequently enough in Boston, but it's - not surprisingly - everywhere in New York. I started with Sixpoint's Mason's Black Wheat, which in many ways seemed similar to a Schwarzbier.
Pours a dark, clear black with garnet hints at the edges. The brown head thins to a film. The roasted malt aromas are very reminiscent of a Schwarzbier. There are also notes of chocolate, ripe fruit and raisins.
Roasted malts are dominant upfront, moving into a chocolate-tinged fruitiness in the center, before the roast backbone reemerges in the finish with an accompanying bitterness. Highly carbonated, light-bodied, crisp.
Flavorful and easy-drinking. Roasty with a sweet center.
939. Otis
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Sixpoint Craft Ales
Alcohol: 6.10%
Serving: Nitro-Tap
Style: Oatmeal Stout, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 4.0 | Smell: 4.5 | Taste: 4.0 | Mouthfeel: 3.5 | Drinkability: 4.0
Overall: 4.05
Pours a cloudy brown. Topped by a thick, brown head that fades to a persistent quarter-inch layer, and leaves sheets of lace. The aroma is strong and sharp initially, an unexpected nosefull of resiny hops. Underneath a roasty, chocolate character appears.
Roasty upfront. Fruity in the center: chocolate, dates, and other dark fruit. The coffee notes in the finish build to a strong hop bitterness. Thick with the nitro-tap smoothness, which honestly, I'm not a fan of. I think it makes beers feel thin no matter how full-bodied they may be.
A good oatmeal stout with an unexpected dose of hops.
940. The Immortal IPA
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Elysian Brewing Company
Alcohol: 6.20%
Serving: Tap
Style: American IPA, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 4.5 | Smell: 3.0 | Taste: 4.0 | Mouthfeel: 4.0 | Drinkability: 4.0
Overall: 3.9
Pours a clear copper. Topped by a fluffy, creamy, beige head that leaves clinging sheets of lace. The aroma is fairly light overall. Notes of citric hop, and some resin, but hard to place.
Bready and toasty malts set the stage for a wave of strong hop-bitterness that's dominated by resiny and citric hops. Oily and medium bodied on the palate with high carbonation.
Hop-focused with good hop flavors.
941. Chelsea Hop Angel IPA
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Chelsea Brewing Company
Alcohol: ?
Serving: Cask
Style: American IPA, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 4.0 | Smell: 3.5 | Taste: 3.5 | Mouthfeel: 4.0 | Drinkability: 3.5
Overall: 3.65
Pours a dark, clear copper. Topped by an off-white head that fades, but leaves patchy lace. The hop aroma is subdued with only a light resiny character evident. Malty aromas of caramel and apricot make up for the light hops.
Sweet upfront, with raw sugar, citrus and fruity hints. The finish is mosty hop bitterness with only a bit of resiny hop flavor. Smooth, low carbonation cask feel.
Smooth but a bit more hop flavor would have nicely complemented the hop bitterness.
Jimmy's No. 43 is a basement level bar with low lighting and low, arched, brick ceilings. The walls were adorned with various antlers and barrels. The food was tasty. I had a nice duck cassoulet, David had pulled pork with Brussels sprouts, and Win had a sampler plate with Kielbasa, Bratwurst, Sauerkraut, rare beef, and cornichons. The beer selection was moderate in size, but consistently high quality. David and I had two rounds each, but switched half-way through, because of his stubborn desire to push my beer count higher. That's the general theme with drinking with David, pushing my beer count higher.
Mason's Black and Otis.
938. Mason's Black Wheat
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Sixpoint Craft Ales
Alcohol: 5.70%
Serving: Tap
Style: American Dark Wheat Ale
Appearance: 3.5 | Smell: 4.0 | Taste: 4.5 | Mouthfeel: 4.0 | Drinkability: 4.0
Overall: 4.1
You don't see Sixpoint frequently enough in Boston, but it's - not surprisingly - everywhere in New York. I started with Sixpoint's Mason's Black Wheat, which in many ways seemed similar to a Schwarzbier.
Pours a dark, clear black with garnet hints at the edges. The brown head thins to a film. The roasted malt aromas are very reminiscent of a Schwarzbier. There are also notes of chocolate, ripe fruit and raisins.
Roasted malts are dominant upfront, moving into a chocolate-tinged fruitiness in the center, before the roast backbone reemerges in the finish with an accompanying bitterness. Highly carbonated, light-bodied, crisp.
Flavorful and easy-drinking. Roasty with a sweet center.
939. Otis
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Sixpoint Craft Ales
Alcohol: 6.10%
Serving: Nitro-Tap
Style: Oatmeal Stout, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 4.0 | Smell: 4.5 | Taste: 4.0 | Mouthfeel: 3.5 | Drinkability: 4.0
Overall: 4.05
Pours a cloudy brown. Topped by a thick, brown head that fades to a persistent quarter-inch layer, and leaves sheets of lace. The aroma is strong and sharp initially, an unexpected nosefull of resiny hops. Underneath a roasty, chocolate character appears.
Roasty upfront. Fruity in the center: chocolate, dates, and other dark fruit. The coffee notes in the finish build to a strong hop bitterness. Thick with the nitro-tap smoothness, which honestly, I'm not a fan of. I think it makes beers feel thin no matter how full-bodied they may be.
A good oatmeal stout with an unexpected dose of hops.
940. The Immortal IPA
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Elysian Brewing Company
Alcohol: 6.20%
Serving: Tap
Style: American IPA, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 4.5 | Smell: 3.0 | Taste: 4.0 | Mouthfeel: 4.0 | Drinkability: 4.0
Overall: 3.9
Pours a clear copper. Topped by a fluffy, creamy, beige head that leaves clinging sheets of lace. The aroma is fairly light overall. Notes of citric hop, and some resin, but hard to place.
Bready and toasty malts set the stage for a wave of strong hop-bitterness that's dominated by resiny and citric hops. Oily and medium bodied on the palate with high carbonation.
Hop-focused with good hop flavors.
941. Chelsea Hop Angel IPA
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Chelsea Brewing Company
Alcohol: ?
Serving: Cask
Style: American IPA, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 4.0 | Smell: 3.5 | Taste: 3.5 | Mouthfeel: 4.0 | Drinkability: 3.5
Overall: 3.65
Pours a dark, clear copper. Topped by an off-white head that fades, but leaves patchy lace. The hop aroma is subdued with only a light resiny character evident. Malty aromas of caramel and apricot make up for the light hops.
Sweet upfront, with raw sugar, citrus and fruity hints. The finish is mosty hop bitterness with only a bit of resiny hop flavor. Smooth, low carbonation cask feel.
Smooth but a bit more hop flavor would have nicely complemented the hop bitterness.
Labels: American Dark Wheat Ale, American IPA, Oatmeal Stout, Sixpoint Craft Ales, Travel
937. Troegenator Double Bock
I had this beer on a trip to The Muddy Charles Pub with some lab mates. I've been impressed by the latest selections on the Muddy's rotating third tap.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Tröegs Brewing Company
Alcohol: 8.20%
Serving: Tap
Style: Doppelbock, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 4.0 | Smell: 3.5 | Taste: 4.5 | Mouthfeel: 4.0 | Drinkability: 4.5
Overall: 4.15
Pours a clear, ruby brown. Topped by a dense, off-white head that fades to film. Lace clings to the side of the glass. The aroma is sweet caramel malts, sharp fruit, light chocolate, and toffee.
There's a good amount of sweetness upfront: primarily dark chocolate and bready malts. There a light fruitiness in the center that's almost banana-like. A sharp acidic hint appears towards the finish. There's also a roasty and hoppy bitterness throughout. Full-bodied and highly carbonated.
Surprisingly balanced for such a malty style.
I had this beer on a trip to The Muddy Charles Pub with some lab mates. I've been impressed by the latest selections on the Muddy's rotating third tap.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Tröegs Brewing Company
Alcohol: 8.20%
Serving: Tap
Style: Doppelbock, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 4.0 | Smell: 3.5 | Taste: 4.5 | Mouthfeel: 4.0 | Drinkability: 4.5
Overall: 4.15
Pours a clear, ruby brown. Topped by a dense, off-white head that fades to film. Lace clings to the side of the glass. The aroma is sweet caramel malts, sharp fruit, light chocolate, and toffee.
There's a good amount of sweetness upfront: primarily dark chocolate and bready malts. There a light fruitiness in the center that's almost banana-like. A sharp acidic hint appears towards the finish. There's also a roasty and hoppy bitterness throughout. Full-bodied and highly carbonated.
Surprisingly balanced for such a malty style.
Labels: Doppelbock, Tröegs Brewing Company
936. Fisherman's IPA
Jadyn and I had dinner at The Miracle of Science in late January. I've been meaning to give some of Cape Ann's other beers a try since the beer fest last fall. They had Fisherman's IPA on tap so I gave it a try.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Cape Ann Brewing Company
Alcohol: 5.50%
Serving: Tap
Style: American IPA, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 3.5 | Smell: 4.0 | Taste: 3.5 | Mouthfeel: 4.0 | Drinkability: 4.0
Overall: 3.7
Pours a hazed copper. Topped by a shiny off-white film. There are hints of sweet, caramel malts in the aroma with an herbal, resiny hop character. The combination of the two evokes a fruity aroma.
There's a toasty malt backbone throughout the beer with a light sweetness. The finish is herbal and citrusy with a nice bitterness. Medium-bodied, lightly oily and highly carbonated.
I though this was a nice balance, the hops were definitely the dominant character.
Jadyn and I had dinner at The Miracle of Science in late January. I've been meaning to give some of Cape Ann's other beers a try since the beer fest last fall. They had Fisherman's IPA on tap so I gave it a try.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Cape Ann Brewing Company
Alcohol: 5.50%
Serving: Tap
Style: American IPA, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 3.5 | Smell: 4.0 | Taste: 3.5 | Mouthfeel: 4.0 | Drinkability: 4.0
Overall: 3.7
Pours a hazed copper. Topped by a shiny off-white film. There are hints of sweet, caramel malts in the aroma with an herbal, resiny hop character. The combination of the two evokes a fruity aroma.
There's a toasty malt backbone throughout the beer with a light sweetness. The finish is herbal and citrusy with a nice bitterness. Medium-bodied, lightly oily and highly carbonated.
I though this was a nice balance, the hops were definitely the dominant character.
Labels: American IPA, Cape Ann Brewing Company
935. Never Mind the Bollekes!
From the CBC website:
Brewery: Cambridge Brewing Company
Alcohol: 5.50%
Serving: Tap
Style: Belgian Pale Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 4.5 | Smell: 4.0 | Taste: 4.0 | Mouthfeel: 3.5 | Drinkability: 5.0
Overall: 4.2
Pours a clear copper with a slight haze. Topped by a dense, fluffy, off-white head that leaves sheets of lace. The aroma is toasty, fruity in the Belgian yeast sort of way, peppery and a tad yeasty.
There's a sweet, bready, malt backbone. Banana fruitiness appears in the center and lingers into finish, which has a mild peppery spice and light bitterness. Light-bodied and a bit thin, perhaps a bit more carbonation would carry it through better.
Like its inspiration, the very model of a session beer.
From the CBC website:
Named after the infamous 1977 album by the Sex Pistols, but inspired by the world-class beer produced in Antwerp, Belgium, by the DeKoninck brewery. Their iconic beer, served in a spherical stemmed glass called a bolleke, is so closely identified in its native Antwerp with its glass that the term bolleke is most colloquially used to refer to a glass filled with the beer itself! In other words, one never orders ‘a glass of DeKoninck,’ one just orders ‘a bolleke.’ Wishing to avoid inciting a copyright infringement lawsuit, we’ve decided against serving our Belgian pale ale in a similar goblet, and instead you’ll find it gracing the flared bowl of our traditional tulip glass. Bright, unfiltered, pale-to-amber in color, it boasts plenty of fruity Begian yeast character. Medium-bodied, the flavors of pilsner and Munich-style malt balance deftly with spicy and floral hops. Hoppier than the Antwerpen amber ale we so admire, it is also of a sessionable nature and can be enjoyed throughout an evening’s conversation. Or in the midst of your favorite mosh pit. We hope our Antwerpen brewing brethren have a sense of humor about this!Beer Stats:
Brewery: Cambridge Brewing Company
Alcohol: 5.50%
Serving: Tap
Style: Belgian Pale Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 4.5 | Smell: 4.0 | Taste: 4.0 | Mouthfeel: 3.5 | Drinkability: 5.0
Overall: 4.2
Pours a clear copper with a slight haze. Topped by a dense, fluffy, off-white head that leaves sheets of lace. The aroma is toasty, fruity in the Belgian yeast sort of way, peppery and a tad yeasty.
There's a sweet, bready, malt backbone. Banana fruitiness appears in the center and lingers into finish, which has a mild peppery spice and light bitterness. Light-bodied and a bit thin, perhaps a bit more carbonation would carry it through better.
Like its inspiration, the very model of a session beer.
934. Ellie's Brown Ale
I bought a six-pack of this in early January and had it with dinner on the 11th. This is one of the beers that I'd always seen at the store, but never actually tried it.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Avery Brewing Company
Alcohol: 5.80%
Serving: Bottl, 12 oz.
Style: English Brown Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 4.5 | Smell: 4.0 | Taste: 3.5 | Mouthfeel: 4.0| Drinkability: 4.0
Overall: 3.9
Pours a clear brown. Topped by a thick, beige head that's light, fluffy and seems almost whipped. There's good retention and nice lacing. The aroma is nicely malty with notes of caramel, dark fruit, roast and leafy hops.
Sweet malts over a toasty backbone are evident upfront. Chocolate and dark fruit come to the fore before the toasty backbone reemerges in the finish with a more roasty character and a light hop bitterness. Medium-bodied, and moderately carbonated.
Tasty, but a bit sweet overall.
I bought a six-pack of this in early January and had it with dinner on the 11th. This is one of the beers that I'd always seen at the store, but never actually tried it.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Avery Brewing Company
Alcohol: 5.80%
Serving: Bottl, 12 oz.
Style: English Brown Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 4.5 | Smell: 4.0 | Taste: 3.5 | Mouthfeel: 4.0| Drinkability: 4.0
Overall: 3.9
Pours a clear brown. Topped by a thick, beige head that's light, fluffy and seems almost whipped. There's good retention and nice lacing. The aroma is nicely malty with notes of caramel, dark fruit, roast and leafy hops.
Sweet malts over a toasty backbone are evident upfront. Chocolate and dark fruit come to the fore before the toasty backbone reemerges in the finish with a more roasty character and a light hop bitterness. Medium-bodied, and moderately carbonated.
Tasty, but a bit sweet overall.
Labels: Avery Brewing Company, English Brown Ale
Because my dad had a specific itinerary in mind, I got an early start (made earlier by my flight's three hour delay) to catch my flight from Austin to San Francisco the day after Christmas. My dad has a knack for finding good, hole-in-the-wall, Mexican restaurants, and he wanted to share his newest discovery, Taqueria Tres Magueyes in Temple. After lunch we drove to Green's Sausage house in Zabcikville for Kolaches for dessert, and for beer for me. There were two new Shiner beers that I hadn't had before so I tried them. The second was purchased for me by a couple who were impressed that I'd had so many different beers.
932. Shiner 99 Munich Style Helles Lager
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Spoetzl Brewery
Alcohol: 5.00%
Serving: Bottle, 12 oz.
Style: Munich Helles Lager, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 3.5 | Smell: 4.0 | Taste: 3.5 | Mouthfeel: 4.0 | Drinkability: 4.5
Overall: 3.75
Pours a clear, bright golden. A one finger, white head quickly fades to a patchy film. Light bready malts, and a spicy, leafy hop character in the aroma.
Clean and crisp. Light, slightly grainy malts are followed by an herbal, peppery hop character that imparts a subtle hop bitterness to the finish. Its light body and vigorous carbonation give the beer a refreshing quality, while a bit of dryness from the hops keeps you drinking.
Overall a pretty good lager, light and refreshing, but far from bland.
933. Shiner Spezial Leicht
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Spoetzl Brewery
Alcohol: ?
Serving: Bottle, 12 oz.
Style: American Adjunct Lager, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 3.0 | Smell: 2.0 | Taste: 1.5 | Mouthfeel: 3.0| Drinkability: 3.0
Overall: 2.2
This is Shiner's dumbed-down light beer for people who don't like pesky things like flavors to get in the way of their drinking.
Pours a clear, pale, straw color. A thin, fizzy, white head fades to a wispy film. The aroma is very light: slight malts and a faint bit of hops.
Light sweetness throughout, but not much else. There's a mild grassiness in the finish, shich is the only hint of flavor in this beer. A good dose of carbonation prevents this from being too watery.
Easy to drink, but why would you want too?
932. Shiner 99 Munich Style Helles Lager
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Spoetzl Brewery
Alcohol: 5.00%
Serving: Bottle, 12 oz.
Style: Munich Helles Lager, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 3.5 | Smell: 4.0 | Taste: 3.5 | Mouthfeel: 4.0 | Drinkability: 4.5
Overall: 3.75
Pours a clear, bright golden. A one finger, white head quickly fades to a patchy film. Light bready malts, and a spicy, leafy hop character in the aroma.
Clean and crisp. Light, slightly grainy malts are followed by an herbal, peppery hop character that imparts a subtle hop bitterness to the finish. Its light body and vigorous carbonation give the beer a refreshing quality, while a bit of dryness from the hops keeps you drinking.
Overall a pretty good lager, light and refreshing, but far from bland.
933. Shiner Spezial Leicht
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Spoetzl Brewery
Alcohol: ?
Serving: Bottle, 12 oz.
Style: American Adjunct Lager, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 3.0 | Smell: 2.0 | Taste: 1.5 | Mouthfeel: 3.0| Drinkability: 3.0
Overall: 2.2
This is Shiner's dumbed-down light beer for people who don't like pesky things like flavors to get in the way of their drinking.
Pours a clear, pale, straw color. A thin, fizzy, white head fades to a wispy film. The aroma is very light: slight malts and a faint bit of hops.
Light sweetness throughout, but not much else. There's a mild grassiness in the finish, shich is the only hint of flavor in this beer. A good dose of carbonation prevents this from being too watery.
Easy to drink, but why would you want too?
Labels: American Adjunct Lager, Munich Helles Lager, Spoetzl Brewery
Back in college Shiner Bock was my go to beer. When I wasn't trying something or drinking something terrible and cheap I was likely drinking Shiner. Now I've tried more, and better beers and Shiner seems pretty middle of the road, but I always have a few when I go back to Texas. It's "comfort beer".
Spoetzl Brewery may not produce exciting or innovative beers, but they consistently brew above average lagers with crossover appeal. I knew quite a few people in college who wouldn't drink "dark beer," but would gladly drink a Shiner. Shiner probably won't be a beer epiphany for most people. At worst it's a step above Bud Light. At best it can be a gateway beer, and it's brewed locally (if you're in Texas).
Beginning about 4 years ago Spoetzl started releasing limited edition anniversary beers starting at 96 and counting up to their centennial, which was released last month. In general their anniversary beers have been better than their flagship, and one, the Black Lager, has made its way into Spoetzl's permanent line-up.
I missed Shiner 97 when it was first released so I brought a six-pack over to Win's house sometime the week before Christmas. Ward also brought over a pack of Shiner Holiday Cheer.
930. Shiner Bohemian Black Lager
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Spoetzl Brewery
Alcohol: 4.90%
Serving: Bottle, 12 oz.
Style: Schwarzbier, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 3.5 | Smell: 4.0 | Taste: 3.5 | Mouthfeel: 4.0 | Drinkability: 4.5
Overall: 3.75
Pours a clear brown, and is topped is by a creamy, beige head that fades quickly, leaving a persistent film on the surface f the beer. The aroma is roasty with undercurrents of chocolate and dark fruit.
Toasty malts quickly move into their darker, roastier counterparts. There's a light, sweet undertone throughout the beer that grows into a raisiny, chocolate character before moving into a roasty bitterness in the finish. Medium-bodied and smooth with moderate carbonation.
Tasty, probably Shiner's best year-round beer.
931. Shiner Holiday Cheer
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Spoetzl Brewery
Alcohol: 5.40%
Serving: Bottle, 12 oz.
Style: Dunkelweizen, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 4.0 | Smell: 3.5 | Taste: 4.0 | Mouthfeel:4.0 | Drinkability: 3.5
Overall: 3.85
This holiday beer is brewed with peaches and pecans, an interesting combination. Pours a clear, dark, copper color. A thick, light brown head fades to a sudsy film leaving sheets of lace. Peaches dominate aroma masking most others. The combine with the light maltiness to give a candied impression. There might be slight notes of pecan, but it's hard to tell if that's the label planting things in my head.
Carmel malts, and a definite pecan nuttiness upfront. The sweet fruitiness of the peaches appears in the center along with a bit of spiciness. The finish is mildly bitter, especially in the aftertaste, which is reminiscent of the dryness of pecan husks. Highly carbonated, medium-bodied with a pleasing husky dryness in the finish.
A little sweet overall, but definitely a flavorful and interesting beer. The odd combination of pecans and peaches in a beer really works here.
Spoetzl Brewery may not produce exciting or innovative beers, but they consistently brew above average lagers with crossover appeal. I knew quite a few people in college who wouldn't drink "dark beer," but would gladly drink a Shiner. Shiner probably won't be a beer epiphany for most people. At worst it's a step above Bud Light. At best it can be a gateway beer, and it's brewed locally (if you're in Texas).
Beginning about 4 years ago Spoetzl started releasing limited edition anniversary beers starting at 96 and counting up to their centennial, which was released last month. In general their anniversary beers have been better than their flagship, and one, the Black Lager, has made its way into Spoetzl's permanent line-up.
I missed Shiner 97 when it was first released so I brought a six-pack over to Win's house sometime the week before Christmas. Ward also brought over a pack of Shiner Holiday Cheer.
930. Shiner Bohemian Black Lager
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Spoetzl Brewery
Alcohol: 4.90%
Serving: Bottle, 12 oz.
Style: Schwarzbier, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 3.5 | Smell: 4.0 | Taste: 3.5 | Mouthfeel: 4.0 | Drinkability: 4.5
Overall: 3.75
Pours a clear brown, and is topped is by a creamy, beige head that fades quickly, leaving a persistent film on the surface f the beer. The aroma is roasty with undercurrents of chocolate and dark fruit.
Toasty malts quickly move into their darker, roastier counterparts. There's a light, sweet undertone throughout the beer that grows into a raisiny, chocolate character before moving into a roasty bitterness in the finish. Medium-bodied and smooth with moderate carbonation.
Tasty, probably Shiner's best year-round beer.
931. Shiner Holiday Cheer
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Spoetzl Brewery
Alcohol: 5.40%
Serving: Bottle, 12 oz.
Style: Dunkelweizen, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 4.0 | Smell: 3.5 | Taste: 4.0 | Mouthfeel:4.0 | Drinkability: 3.5
Overall: 3.85
This holiday beer is brewed with peaches and pecans, an interesting combination. Pours a clear, dark, copper color. A thick, light brown head fades to a sudsy film leaving sheets of lace. Peaches dominate aroma masking most others. The combine with the light maltiness to give a candied impression. There might be slight notes of pecan, but it's hard to tell if that's the label planting things in my head.
Carmel malts, and a definite pecan nuttiness upfront. The sweet fruitiness of the peaches appears in the center along with a bit of spiciness. The finish is mildly bitter, especially in the aftertaste, which is reminiscent of the dryness of pecan husks. Highly carbonated, medium-bodied with a pleasing husky dryness in the finish.
A little sweet overall, but definitely a flavorful and interesting beer. The odd combination of pecans and peaches in a beer really works here.
Labels: Schwarzbier, Spoetzl Brewery
