Shiner Blonde - Spoetzl Brewery

BuckeyeNation

Iowa

2.17/5  rDev -26.7%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Pale amber with a cottony white, cottony soft head that doesn't fall instantly, but isn't long-lived either. Within several minutes, I'm left with a patchy film on the surface of the beer and one small splotch of lace. The aroma is one mini-step above a macro lager. In other words, sour and grain-like with very little to recommend it.

It tastes better than most macro lagers, but not by much. Again, there's a mildly sour, mildly bitter, mildly skunky flavor that's only tolerable because of all the 'mildlys'. The mouthfeel is thin and the carbonation feels harsh. Bitter, dry as dust finish.

I don't really have much that's good to say about Shiner Blonde so I think I'll stop right here. Thumbs down.

Serving type: bottle

06-30-2004 19:23:41 | More by BuckeyeNation

ChainGangGuy

Georgia

2.85/5  rDev -3.7%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Appearance: Pours a clear, pale yellow body with a fizzling inch of pure white bubbles, though it departs at a rapid pace.

Smell: This Blonde has a cereal sweet aroma, flecks of cracked grains, and water-soaked malts.

Taste: Light taste of pale and pilsner malts, modestly grainy, and a vaguely sweet notion of honey water. A few corn husks. Very faintly herbed, spiced hops with an altogether low degree of bitterness. Sweet cereal grains on the crisp-ish finish.

Mouthfeel: Light-bodied. Medium-plus carbonation.

Overall: Yeah, yeah, refreshing and all, but it's subdued and subtle to a fault, never really satisfying.

Serving type: bottle

04-05-2011 18:48:45 | More by ChainGangGuy

Phyl21ca

Quebec (Canada)

3/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Bottle: Poured a golden blond color lager with a medium pure white foamy head with average retention and some lacing. Aroma of light sweet floral malt with light crisp hops notes. Taste is more enjoyable then I had expected with floral and dry notes well balanced. Body is about average with OK carbonation. Better then I had expected - nothing bad just a bit too subdued.

Serving type: bottle

10-30-2009 00:34:55 | More by Phyl21ca

BEERchitect

Kentucky

3.1/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A nice alternative to the industrial light lagers out there. Add a touch of fruitiness and more substantial maltiness without sacrificing emptiness and blandness, here we go.

A standard yellow straw color has brilliant clarity. Medium head formation leads to a moderate retention except for the lace around the class that holds 'til the end. Lively carbonation keeps the foam comming.

A part-grain, part-malt balance gives a light bready, cracker-like malt character while the grains give a bit of sharpness and acidity- much needed with the low levels of herbal hops. Somewhat floral at times; could be hops, could be soft esters. Light sulfurs keep the beer from being as clean as it could be.

Fairly light and crisp in texture with a fleeting body that matches the flavor. Quite clean in the end with a short-lived linger of grain breads and sweetness.

Compared to Budweiser, this is a beer that is better in quality, complexity, and cleanliness.

Thanks Exiled!

Serving type: bottle

10-26-2009 18:23:28 | More by BEERchitect

oberon

North Carolina

3.1/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Bought this for a cookout I went to yesterday because it was pretty darn hot and wanted something on the lighter side,pours a light blond color with a thin wispy head that is gone fast and leaves no trace.Aromas of corn husk and a light grassiness but not much there at all,taste like aroma to me was dominated by corn with a light herbal not.Decent when cold and goes down real easy but this could pass as something from the big 3 for sure.

Serving type: bottle

04-24-2004 19:58:50 | More by oberon

NeroFiddled

Pennsylvania

3.4/5  rDev +14.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Shiner Blonde is a standard golden lager with a short-lived white head (it does leave some nice lace at the outset), and a sulphury lager aroma. It's crisp in the mouth with a medium body. The flavor delivers a subtly sweet, straightforward, and mildly grainy malt that's lightly infused with a non-descript hop flavor (mostly floral and a touch spicy, but muddled) and backed by a firm bitterness. It's well-made, readily accessible, and fairly drinkable with the exception that it lacks enough complexity to compel you to have another.

Serving type: bottle

02-03-2007 19:57:21 | More by NeroFiddled

TMoney2591

Illinois

2.7/5  rDev -8.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Served in a Lagunitas mason jar.

A blonde with a shiner is never a good combination in real life... Anyway, this stuff pours a clear straw topped by a relatively short-lived finger of lightly off-white foam. The nose comprises mildly funky wheat, light grass, and a touch of whole-kernel corn. The taste brings in more of the same, but with more corn, which is now even sweeter than before. The body is fairly light, with a light moderate carbonation and a sorta watery feel. Overall, a pretty limp blonde, barely a step-up from your average adjunct lager.

Serving type: bottle

11-12-2012 05:16:52 | More by TMoney2591

feloniousmonk

Minnesota

2.9/5  rDev -2%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Appearance: utterly transparent, pale yellow head, nice head of foam.
Aroma is bare, shy, emitting no flavors to speak of, bone-dry.
Taste:not bad, but not much. Very minimal. Extra-light body, tiniest texture, slick and nearly buttery, finishes on the dry side.
Nothing wrong with this lager, great "lawnmowin'" brew, just doesn't offer anything I can use...though if there was nothing else available in some certain situation, I'd endure it.

Serving type: bottle

09-19-2004 09:27:56 | More by feloniousmonk

Mora2000

Texas

2.68/5  rDev -9.5%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

The beer pours a light yellow color with a white head. The aroma is very subtle. I may get a little grain, but the beer hardly has any aroma at all. The flavor is grain, wheat, grass and corn. Nothing too special and really not too appetizing. Medium carbonation and a light mouthfeel. Not one of the better beers from Shiner.

Serving type: bottle

09-17-2010 05:17:29 | More by Mora2000

zeff80

Missouri

2.98/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A - Poured out a pale, gold color with a small, short-lived head. It was highly carbonated and left no lace.

S - It smelled of malt and corn.

T - The taste is very malty. There is also a spicy element.

M - It was fairly sharp, but a little thin. A light to medium-bodied beer.

D - It is an okay beer. It just lacks in flavor compared to other All-Malt lagers.

Serving type: bottle

05-15-2007 23:16:17 | More by zeff80

TheManiacalOne

Rhode Island

2.15/5  rDev -27.4%
look: 2 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Acquired via trade from gramatton, so a big "Thank you" goes out to him. Poured from a 12oz bottle into a US tumbler pint glass.

A: The beer is a light pale yellow color with a thin white head that very quickly and leaves almost no lace on the glass.

S: The aroma is of light malts, grain and a faint amount of hops.

T: The taste starts out with a light malt sweetness that is followed by some grain breadiness and both flavors are I got out of it. Overall, there really isn't much to it to describe. The after-taste is slightly sweet.

M: A little smooth and a little crisp but kind of watery, light body, medium carbonation, finish is slightly sticky.

D: Not too flavorful, goes down very easily and is not filling at all since there isn't much substance to it, very mild kick, not the best representation of style, it seems like one of those beers that is designed to be poundable but while it's light enough for that role, I didn't find it to have the kind of flavor I'd care for even in a lighter beer.

Serving type: bottle

11-30-2009 01:57:27 | More by TheManiacalOne

russpowell

Oklahoma

3.15/5  rDev +6.4%
look: 2 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Pours an effervescent light gold with 3 fingers of white head. Faint hints of lacing & zero head retention

S: Slight sweetness & perfumy notes as this warms

T: Light breadyness & grainyness up front. Slight metallic taste follows& lemony hops. Finishes juicy & slighlty grainy

MF: Light with moderate carbonation & okay balance. Why so stingy with the malt bill?

Drinks really easy, but kind of tasteless. A step up from BMC though

Serving type: bottle

04-08-2007 02:27:54 | More by russpowell

Gavage

New Jersey

2.58/5  rDev -12.8%
look: 2 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

Appearance: pours a pale light yellow color with a wispy head that disappears quickly.

Smell: grass and corn is the only tones in the aroma.

Taste: grass, corn, and a bit of bitterness is all you can detect.

Mouthfeel: light in body. Crisp throughout. Clean aftertaste.

Overall: this beer has little flavor and was hard to finish since it was so bland.

Serving type: bottle

07-15-2012 19:51:35 | More by Gavage

jwc215

New Jersey

2.88/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Thanks to armock for this.

Pours light straw yellow - very light - white a thin white head that has brief retention before becoming a patch, then disappears. It has some trailing lace at first, but leaves a clean glass.

The smell is of light cereal, lighter than some macros. Very faint hops, if at all.

There is a touch of grainy sweetness with a slight touch of non-descript washed-out hop presence, enough to give it a dry finish. There is a touch of salt. It's pretty much bland and fairly tasteless, though nothing particularly "off".

The feel is seltzery and prickly, though not more than most macros, maybe a hair less. It is thin. Crisp, if nothing else.

This could be mixed in with a typical American macro lager, as it's on that level.

Serving type: bottle

03-06-2009 02:05:32 | More by jwc215

WVbeergeek

Ohio

2.83/5  rDev -4.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Appearance has a clear golden yellow hue with a bright white two finger sized head leaves behind streaks of lace. Aroma contains corn and rice tones with light two row malted grains leaves behind a weak hop aroma very grassy in origin. Flavor has a creamy sweet corn and rice texture with light pockets of hops that have grassy components to it, very nice light beer. Mouthfeel is light bodied with overly carbonated profile. Drinkability is less than complex when it comes to overall drinkability very simplisitc in nature I will pass next time.

Serving type: bottle

05-05-2006 02:10:23 | More by WVbeergeek

Jason

Massachusetts

3.1/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Presentation: 12 oz brown long neck twist, red white and blue colours for the label. No freshness date.

Appearance: Yellowish straw colour, decent head that looks like frothed milk which leaves some stickiness behind.

Smell: Mostly clean aroma with hints of cooked corn, faint hop twang within the fermented vagueness.

Taste: Crispness and smoothness go hand and hand to make for a real nice flowing mouth feel, carbonation is at a perfect and balanced medium level to hold the light body together. Almost immaculate palate with faint at best for malt character, lots of cracker like grain on the tongue that seems to head more towards a fresh cut hay flavour (DMS). Hops are scarce though are at the appropriate level they should be at with a beer this light. Obviously on the dry side. Bitterness brings a sharp twang to the mouth and nearly cleans house to leave not much at all in the after taste. The finish is just the after shock of the hop twang and some powdery grain.

Notes: On par with the big three (Bud, Miller, Coors) if not a tad better, that is a hard thing to do being that beers this small have to be flawless regardless if they have little flavour or not. On a hot sweaty day this would be a perfect ice cold beer to grab.

Serving type: bottle

11-19-2001 22:58:18 | More by Jason

Billolick

New York

2.45/5  rDev -17.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

12 ounce bottle, no freshness info offered. Pours lightest of golden amber, clear, almost white head, leaving a thick ring of foam, just a slight wiff of a stale nose. This is a thin and fairly tasteless ofering. Lawn mower beer...stay away if you like flavor and have any interest in quality/tasteful beer

Serving type: bottle

08-08-2007 16:10:52 | More by Billolick

weeare138

Pennsylvania

2.95/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Appears a light straw yellow with a small head that rapidly fades. Tiny carbonation bubbles draw up to the top, screaming to be released. Very little to no lacing visible.
Smell is of slight malt and a light grassy odor.
Tastes average at best. There is a clay like taste that lingers after the swallow that isn't very appealing.
Mouthfeel seems ok at first but it is thin with a slight graininess that doesn't seem to mesh well.
Drinkability isn't too bad but I'll leave these alone after 1.

Not so good, Al.

Serving type: bottle

05-21-2005 20:28:38 | More by weeare138

Bighuge

Minnesota

2.8/5  rDev -5.4%
look: 2.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

More pale than golden. Too light. Almost the color of apple juice. Slightly lighter than piss yellow. A small white head is erected as quickly as it is deflated. A collar remains and laces sporadically. Soft bohemian maltiness. Herbal hop accents. Some underlying caramel character. Nice smelling lager. The body is light and lifeless. The flavor lacks depth. Malt character is ghostly. Hops barely make an appearance. And the only other characteristic I take from this one is a formidable dry aspect. Other than the aroma, this one is not that pleasurable.

Serving type: bottle

09-21-2003 02:48:14 | More by Bighuge

Beerandraiderfan

Nevada

2.73/5  rDev -7.8%
look: 2.25 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 2.75

Well that's a pretty tame and weak colored yellow right there. White head, 1", dissipates at a steady clip.

Nondescript aroma, lightly vegetal and grainy. Not much there. Corn and grass.

Taste, unoffensive lager. Not really the hallmarks of flavor, mild corny grain, little to no hops, high carbonation, barely any malt heft or presence. It does have a dry and crisp mouthfeel, no doubt helpful on a hot Texas day.

At best, you only have to drink one of these since it came from a variety pack of Shiner stuff.

Where it really falters is charging more than other BMC quality stuff. Decent enough to give someone without feeling really embarassed, but don't bother buying these in quantity, pick up some PBR, Olympia, Rolling Rock etc. . . they all do the same thing, but this is a little more expensive for some reason.

Serving type: bottle

04-03-2013 16:21:59 | More by Beerandraiderfan

DoubleJ

California

2.75/5  rDev -7.1%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

It's been a hot day, and I'm thirsty. Time for a cold one. On to the beer:

That head on top is extremely soapy looking. It gracefully falls to just some tiny spots on top this ginger ale colored beer. It looks like macro lager. Out come sweet cereals from the nose....I kind of like it, kind of don't like it. I'm leaning towards the "kind of don't like it" category.

As I taste it, I'm transplanted back to Brazil, where I drank more Skol's than I'd like. To be fair, Shiner Blonde is less crazy about the sweetness, and is a little cleaner. Sweet cereal and a dash of chemicals I would expect from a mass produced beer. The mouthfeel is light, but thankfully the bubbles don't interfere much. In fact, the crisp bite it gives is the best part. It isn't difficult to drink, but just drink it without thinking about it.

I sure hope the locals in Shiner, TX chill this beer really cold, because I can't imagine the horrors of a merely cool one on a hot day in south-central Texas.

Serving type: bottle

07-15-2010 04:27:25 | More by DoubleJ

Gusler

Arizona

3/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

The beer is a translucent straw or gold color if you prefer with a modest head and a frothy texture, the color a bright white and the remaining lace a thin curtain to cover the glass. Nose is clean and fresh malt dominated and slightly sweet with the front sweet, the top cadaverous. The finish is benign in its acidic bite; the hops are purposeful and a touch spicy, dry as a bleached desert bone aftertaste. Shiner beers are drinkable, great “No”, but they do make fine lawn mower beer, so what’s wrong with that? Nothing in my books, and better than many beers I’ve drank.

Serving type: bottle

12-01-2002 08:09:03 | More by Gusler

woodychandler

Pennsylvania

1.9/5  rDev -35.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 1 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

I purchased a Shiner Family Reunion 6-pack while visiting my aunt down in DC and it was a really good deal. I usually enjoy the Shiner beers.

From the bottle: "Local Love - In Shiner you'll find Blonde on tap at gas stations, antique stores, and of course the Spoetzl Brewery."; "Classic Blonde - This Bohemian-style Golden Lager is a classic Blonde Beer. Distinctive, flavorful, and refreshing."; "The Local Favorite - For over a century, we've been brewing this Bohemian-style golden lager at our small brewery right here in Shiner, Texas (pop. 2,070). And for just as long, it's been a local favorite. Folks around here have always loved the blend of European and American hops that make this Blonde slightly sweet and full of flavor. We hope you enjoy it as much as our locals do."; "There's nothing finer!"

My pour created a big fluffy finger of bone-white head with moderate retention. Color was a pale lemon-yellow with NE-quality clarity. This was a Greg Koch Special, to be sure! Nose had a light lager-like honey sweetness underlain by a very light sulfurous odor, but nothing terribly untoward. Mouthfeel was thin and watery and the immediate taste in the mouth was of metal, followed by a lager sweetness. Did I get this out of a CAN? No! But I definitely tasted metal and that was not pleasant. Finish was less obtrusive, but I still had that metallic tang in mouth well after the swallow. I CANnot remember whether I liked it in the CAN, but if my scores were better than from a bottle, stick to a CAN.

Serving type: bottle

08-18-2011 21:42:57 | More by woodychandler

mothman

Saskatchewan (Canada)

1.95/5  rDev -34.1%
look: 2 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 2

Shiner Blond

Pours a light fizzy head. Color is a clear light straw yellow.

Aroma: Grains and corn (creamed corn). Much like the Light. Some grassy hops.

Taste: Bland. Creamy corn, grassy hops, grains. Not very much here.

Mouthfeel: Crisp and bubbly. Light bodied with a high amount of carbonation. Ends dry and bland.

Overall, much like the Light, but lighter. Not much here to talk about.

Serving type: bottle

11-30-2010 02:30:05 | More by mothman

Dogbrick

Ohio

2.68/5  rDev -9.5%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Pale yellow-gold color with a fizzy thin white head that disspates quickly. Lacing is pretty much nonexistent. Light aroma of straw and corn. Light-bodied with vaugue grassy hops, malt and corn flavors. The finish is effervescent and lightly bitter. Although it is not a bad beer, it is kind of a wet blanket all around.

Serving type: bottle

08-11-2006 14:26:32 | More by Dogbrick