Shiner Bock

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fastricky

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You don't see it on tap very often here in the NE... well I had it (have had it before) and I really like it.

If it was labeled 'Smithwicks' instead of 'Bock' I bet it would get a lot more cred.
 
It's ok to me at best. Everyone around here thinks they like "dark beer" because of Shiner.
 
My favorite rib joint just recently started selling Shiner. I guess its just hitting us now. I liked it. Nothing spectacular, but definitely a good, solid beer. Went great with my ribs!
 
I just discovered it last year and when though a phase on it. It's a decent fall back beer, the is often showing up in even the most bmc geared liquor store. It was a good gateway for me to start dipping into the traditional bock style.
 
Its not a bad beer, but it does not conform to bjcp style guidelines for a bock. I will order it when going out if no craft beers are available. I used to really enjoy all the beers from shiner, but over the years I've found everything they brew is too light on body for my taste.
 
See, that's why I say if it wasn't labeled 'Bock' but instead 'Red' or even 'Smithwicks' it's rep would be higher...
 
It's ok to me at best. Everyone around here thinks they like "dark beer" because of Shiner.

It's no revolutionary beer but it's a good session beer.

These two about sum it up. On a hot summer day in Texas a nice cold Shiner Bock can be refreshing. Shiner was my gate-way beer into the craft beer world (and homebrewing at that). I remember having one and then wondering what else is out there.

Shiner has been around for a long while, I am sure most know that. If you have been in Texas it has been available for... well as long as I can remember. But I feel that over the last 5 to 7 years all of their beers have changed in a slightly negative way. It seems as soon as they decided to compete in the beer market out side of the state they started to focus on quantity over quality or something, has anyone else noticed this?

I would still agree though that if nothing else, it is a great fall back. And here in Texas you can find it on draft in just about every bar. Which is a blessing when the only other choices are Bud, Miller or Coors!

It is annoying though, as brian74 points out, how anyone that drinks a Shiner is an immediate expert on what good beer is!
 
My wife drank it for years from the bottle until she ordered it on tap and found out it was dark beer.:confused:

So did she stop drinking it just because it was dark? Why?

Around this area, Shiner Bock is one of those beers that the otherwise non-craft-beer bars will serve alongside Blue Moon and Killian's to make it look like they have variety. As others have said, I like it alright and appreciate it as a gateway drug to good beer, but it isn't anything mind-blowing.
 
So did she stop drinking it just because it was dark? Why?

Around this area, Shiner Bock is one of those beers that the otherwise non-craft-beer bars will serve alongside Blue Moon and Killian's to make it look like they have variety. As others have said, I like it alright and appreciate it as a gateway drug to good beer, but it isn't anything mind-blowing.
Yes she quit drinking it because it's dark and she doesn't like dark beer. It makes no sense to me but it does to her. In the summer she'll sit outside with me and enjoy an oatmeal stout from a ceramic German krug, as long as she can't see the beer she loves it.
She comes from a family that's really into cooking and food presentation. For her the first sense that encounters food is vision, if the food (or beer) doesn't look appetizing her mind is already biased before she tasters it. It doesn't mean she won't enjoy ugly food or beer, but it's strike one in her mind.
Also I quit buying Shiner when my homebrews improved and our local grocery store started getting better beer.
 
The Black Lager Shiner makes is outstanding! Shiner was a gateway beer for a lot of us here in the Dallas area. I still like to drink it from time to time, especially in cans. Also, the shiner light is a great low cal beer.
 
I dislike most beers from Spoetzl. Shiner Light, Blonde, and Hefe are very bland. The Doppelbock is ok, and the Helles was drinkable. I despise Shiner Bock. It has a metallic twang that I just can't get past. However, Shiner Black is quite tasty. I buy it often, and I'm glad it's readily available as a bottled "premium" at most places in south Texas.
 
Shiner was a gateway for me as well into what else was out there. I'm a big fan of the Shiner Blonde in a can down here over our 9 months of summer time, and the black is solid as well.

The Ruby Red was pretty damn good beer too for the summer, but I really wish they would bring back their 100 year Commemorator. That was damn good beer.
 
I agree with Yuri, Black Lager is my favorite and I'm not too fond of anything else from them.

I took the Spoetzl Brewery tour a week ago and it was very interesting. Tried some of the beers that I haven't had before, and still wasn't impressed.
 
It's tough to beat a cold Shiner Bock on a hot Texas day. Since it's in cans as well, it's also a good option for tailgating or something else where bottles are prohibited.

Like a few others have mentioned, the Black Lager is my favorite as well, and I liked the Shiner 101 as well.
 
I agree, I like the black lager way more than the bock. And the Shiner Hefe is just... Not good at all.

The funniest part is, most, if not all of the restaurants I've been to around here (Dallas area.) sell Shiner as an "Import." Therefore, it's more expensive than BMC. I routinely ask waiters/bartenders "Uuumm. You do know this is made right here in Texas right? Why are you selling it as an import?"
 
I agree, I like the black lager way more than the bock. And the Shiner Hefe is just... Not good at all.

The funniest part is, most, if not all of the restaurants I've been to around here (Dallas area.) sell Shiner as an "Import." Therefore, it's more expensive than BMC. I routinely ask waiters/bartenders "Uuumm. You do know this is made right here in Texas right? Why are you selling it as an import?"

Because it divides the beers between cheap domestics and more expensive craft and imports. It used to be all you had was domestic lager and imports. I think it just stuck around as customary use even though it's not accurate.
 
Shiner Bock was ok. Czech style bock. Sold it in bottles at our Bock Beer Festival a couple years ago ... sold ok although it was up against a lot of stiff competition we had both in bottles and on tap ... actually, sales surprised me a bit as we had at least 12 other bocks including 3 on draft from Atwater Block Brewery in Detroit, their Maibock, and two very high gravity: Voodoo Vadar Dopplebock (9%)and Teufel Bock (10%).
Everything sold well yet Shiner still did decently.
Shiner was one of our lower gravity beers so that attracted a particular patron as well.
Buyers liked the shiner label with the ram on it ... bought it on appearance, in part.
 
timdsmith72 said:
I agree, I like the black lager way more than the bock. And the Shiner Hefe is just... Not good at all.

The funniest part is, most, if not all of the restaurants I've been to around here (Dallas area.) sell Shiner as an "Import." Therefore, it's more expensive than BMC. I routinely ask waiters/bartenders "Uuumm. You do know this is made right here in Texas right? Why are you selling it as an import?"

Once I was at an Applebees with no good beers on tap (big surprise), and they had a special on domestics. Looking over the range of BMC offerings I deduced that Michelob Amber Bock was probably my best option, so I ordered it. The waitress left.

She came back: "Amber Bock isn't on special, it's an import"
"what?"
"It's an import, imports aren't on sale"
"No it's not, it's an Anheiser Busch product, it's made the same place as the Budweiser that's on sale"

She went to consult the bartender, she came back: "it's made with imported hops"

This was when I gave up.
 
Not to be too shakespearean here but ... another case of suffering the slings and arrows of peoples' outrageous mediocrity ... ya can't get away from it.
Poor girl dropped out of beauty school when she was told that cosmology was in fact the study of the universe. Said she didn't have an interest in astrology ... got a job at Applebees ...
 
Black Lager.
Definitely is going to be my first serious beer to brew. (Though I've a lot of experience as a vintner, I've been only putzing around at brewing to this point).
Sprecher Black Bavarian clone.
 
Yeah that's pretty common around here, anything not bmc is usually on the import list, and I realise michalob is made by AB but it doesn't have Bud Miller or Coors in the name. Shiner, Real Ale, St Arnold, Rarhs, all usually end up in the import list. A few establishments are calling them "premium" which I guess is more PC.

Sent from my Samsung Epic 4G using Home Brew Talk
 
The Black Lager Shiner makes is outstanding! Shiner was a gateway beer for a lot of us here in the Dallas area. I still like to drink it from time to time, especially in cans. Also, the shiner light is a great low cal beer.

The Black Lager is my favorite as well!

The standard Shiner is ok, and like everyone else already said "a good standby beer." My FIL usually has it in the fridge, most restaurants at least have it too.
 
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