Shiner Bock - Spoetzl Brewery

visualweasel

Washington

3.5/5  rDev +12.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A: A dark amber pour, with a solid two-finger head.

S: Traditional bock profile of sweet grainy malts.

T: Comparable to many mass-produced bocks. Not bad. Heavy malt, minimal hop bitterness, with an astringent finish. Certainly not up to German standards.

M: Good carbonation and medium-thin mouthfeel.

O: A better than average session beer, especially for picnics and backyard BBQs, but nothing special.

Serving type: on-tap

03-29-2013 17:08:38 | More by visualweasel

jneiswender

Massachusetts

1.18/5  rDev -62.1%
look: 1.5 | smell: 1 | taste: 1 | feel: 2 | overall: 1.25

Had on tap at bubba a grill in houston. Served in a big mug
Dark mahogany body with no head
Smells stale and skunked even though its on tap
Tastes catty like a beefed up bud
Medium carb
Just not even close style wise. Big disappointment. When I drink a bock I want sweet malt. This just tastes cheap

Serving type: on-tap

03-18-2013 18:27:59 | More by jneiswender

WilliamAlbrecht

Texas

3.19/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Let me quickly start this off by noting that Shiner Bock is NOT a true Bock bier. No way. Do I enjoy the taste of this brew? Sure thing. Do I think it's a quality brew? No. Do I think it's a top bock I can recommend to anyone? Absolutely not. Shiner "Bock" is not a true Bock in the sense of what a Bock bier truly is.

A - Tiny tiny tiny head..hardly any lacing at all. Darkish brown like Amber in color with.

S - Too heavy on that corn aroma, a bit of coffee like smell in there though.

T - Mildly caramel like taste with a lot of carbonation. Ok..too much carbonation. Very drinkable. The mild caramel taste seems to linger a bit after each sip.

M - Too watery, too much carbonation. Again, I repeat myself, this is NOT a bock.

To sum up this beer is not so simple. Whereas I truly cannot see myself spending on a 6 pack of this beer, I surely don't mind drinking it on tap when out with a group of friends(provided there are no better options and I want to go light on the night!) and I am not totally offended by the taste.

I would say that the only offensive thing about Shiner Bock is that it portrays itself as a Bock when it lacks all of the characteristics of a bock. A beer should not have coloring added to it to have to portray itself as a style that it simply just is not! Very drinkable. I have had Shiner Bock in barbecue sauce form and with all sorts of meats. Shiner is not a heavy beer and it lacks the full body characteristic and alcohol content of beers that truly belong in the bock category. Without beating a dead horse too long, I'll say that it's a GOOD example of a DARK AMERICAN LAGER. A huge step up on the mass produced trash beers out there, but I would not recommend to a serious lover of bocks..much less one who loves the heavier doppelbocks and so forth!

Serving type: I've had this on bottle, on tap, and after touring the Shiner brewery in Shiner, Texas

Serving type: on-tap

02-21-2013 03:53:19 | More by WilliamAlbrecht

KickbacksSteve

Florida

3.33/5  rDev +7.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.25

On tap at Kickbacks in Jax. Poured into a snifter. Off-white head, good retention on a clear, deep copper body. Suddsy lacing. Aroma includes a caramel sweetness and maybe a touch of raisin and molasses. Taste is dominated by caramel malt, maybe a touch of vanilla and again raisins. Very, very easy beer to drink, over and over.

Serving type: on-tap

01-14-2013 06:49:38 | More by KickbacksSteve

garuda

Pennsylvania

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

Deep copper, white head has little retention and some lacing. Tastes and smell are of sweet bread and caramel, some grains. Minimal hop bitterness, stays on the sweet side with a touch of metallic astringency. Feels light, decent carbonation, finishes with a bit of residual sweetness. Not bad, fairly straightforward and simple, drinkable.

Serving type: on-tap

12-21-2012 17:08:35 | More by garuda

Ford

Texas

3.6/5  rDev +15.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Coastal Crossing Grill in Alvin, Texas on tap.

When there is only Bud and Miller around, this is a much better option. Smooth and easy to drink. Doesn't sit to heavy. No bitterness to be found. Just a good beer. Not great and certainly doesn't carry the cool factor now that there are so many Craft breweries out there, but I'm always satisfied after drinking it.

Serving type: on-tap

09-08-2012 03:17:10 | More by Ford

Hawk345

2.98/5  rDev -4.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3

Texans love it. So do folks from surrounding states. God knows why cos it tastes of next to nothing at all. I think they order it to look cool, as its not a Coors Lite. Tastes the same (of nothing) but looks like one of them craft beers those Europeans drink. You know them. They like weird beer and i am a crazy guy.
No, you are not.
Go but some Saint Arnold Endeavour you sad, pathetic loser.
Oh, and for the last time, slip on shoes with tassels are not good in any way.
That is all.

Serving type: on-tap

08-30-2012 23:32:17 | More by Hawk345

DrinkSlurm

Connecticut

3.05/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Poured from tap into pint glass. It ctually has some lacing.
I know this doesn't have a very good rating but I'm not sure why? Its actually one of the best macro style brews I ever had. Its has some malty flavor and maybe even a munich style lager flavor. I just wish the abv was a bit higher, but other than that its probably a nice safety brew in a pinch.

Serving type: on-tap

04-24-2012 22:23:06 | More by DrinkSlurm

Merkur

Tennessee

3.25/5  rDev +4.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Beer pours a brown color with a bit of white head.

Beer smells mainly of malt, but nothing stands out.

Beer tastes slightly roasty and then finishes with a bit of caramel taste.

Moutfeel is very light and a good bit of carbonation.

Not a bad session beer.

Serving type: on-tap

01-29-2012 15:31:57 | More by Merkur

Pintofbrown

Iowa

2.9/5  rDev -6.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

This was served in a very tall glass stein, so cold that there are ice chunks throughout the glass. Oh bother...

Appearance- The head is slightly foamy and creamy, an off-white, brown tinge to it. The body is a dark brown-auburn color and transparent.

Smell- There is a slight hint of a sweet and wheaty malt. It has a toasty character as well.

Taste- That nutty toastiness is the first thing to hit the tongue. Unfortunately, it is all down hill after that. There is a wheaty and grassy adjunct hop flavor that takes over. This lasts well into the finish. There may be some sweet malt in the finish as well, but by this point, I am already very disappointed by the flavors.

Mouth feel- This one is watery and just a little bit caustic. Not only because of the carbonation and the thin body, but the adjunct finish as well.

Overall- This is best described as a malty american adjunct that disappoints especially on the palate, with the feel not far behind. I really hope that this is not anyone's introduction to the bock style.

Serving type: on-tap

01-08-2012 17:18:07 | More by Pintofbrown

elNopalero

Texas

3.35/5  rDev +7.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Shiner Bock is the flagship brew from a Texas institution—certainly they qualify as a craft brew but for some reason, not entirely unjustifiable, they don’t get a lot of love from the craft beer drinking community.

This pours an auburn color. There’s a muted maltiness to it, turned down but present. There’s a pleasing biscuit maltiness to this. When it’s served cold I don’t get a lot of the syrupiness that comes through when it warms.

I don’t think of Shiner Bock as a bock—in the technical, beer-style sense. It’s lighter in color, lighter in flavor, and lightered bodied than a Salvator or any other beer faithful to the style. But that doesn’t mean it’s bad. Or good. Point is, Shiner Bock is one of those beers that I have a love/hate relationship with. Sometimes it hits the spot—and I’ll take a Shiner over BMC anytime—but sometimes I just plain don’t care for it. So there.

Serving type: on-tap

12-09-2011 21:20:57 | More by elNopalero

ZenAgnostic

Texas

2.2/5  rDev -29.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 2

Tapped into a pint glass.

Appearance - Thin white lace with no retention and low to no stick.

Smell - Faint caramel and coffee. Very mild.

Taste - Metallic. Some coffee bitterness. Very underwhelming. Very watery.

Mouthfeel - Lacks any effervescence or body carbonation. Must be from a flat keg. Some froth when agitated vigorously in the mouth.

Overall Drinkability - I've had this beer before and it was much more flavorful. Must be a flat keg, bad lines, or maybe a false memory. Not sure why it's so watery compared to my memory.

Serving type: on-tap

11-12-2011 23:44:57 | More by ZenAgnostic

gtermi

Texas

2.95/5  rDev -5.1%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Appearance: A decent gold color with a thicker head that fades quickly.

Smell: I am getting some malt and a little sweetness. Not really much there.

Taste: I really dont get a whole lot from this beer. It has some grain and malty tastes, with maybe a little honey.

Mouthfeel: There is a decent amount of carbonation, but very easy to drink

Overall: I use to drink this all the time when I started to get into craft beers. I usually get this beer for a party because it doesnt offend anybody and is very cheap (12 pack for 11 dollars). I dont really care much for it now, but it is what it is.

Serving type: on-tap

11-08-2011 16:18:28 | More by gtermi

Hopfenpeter

Maryland

2.9/5  rDev -6.8%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Had this beer on tab, while waiting for the train in Washington,DC. It was served in a pint glass and produced a clear brown amber color. There was almost no head and no lacing.
The smell was boring molasses, little else.
The taste was very similar, almost as boring as a cheap mass production lager. But it was ice cold and I was thirsty.
Would not buy it again.

Serving type: on-tap

10-03-2011 00:17:49 | More by Hopfenpeter

jealousmonk

California

2.98/5  rDev -4.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A - Nice dark amber brown color. Decent head, but on the thin side.

S - Pretty boring lager smell, only a bit more appealing than your average mass market lager.

T - Better flavor than smell. A bit metallic, but not too sweet and still fun to drink. Tastes especially good in a lot of lousy and small town Texas bars where the other options are Bud, Bud Light, Miller, Miller Light, . . . Not nearly as flavorful as a good true bock.

M - Good carbonation, not too fizzy like a lot of American lagers. Decent body considering the lack of aroma. Low alcohol, mild carbonation, easy to drink all evening.

O - Not a beer I would consider among the best, but I like it and definitely appreciate its ubiquity in Texas.

Serving type: on-tap

10-02-2011 01:16:11 | More by jealousmonk

jtierney89

New Jersey

1.3/5  rDev -58.2%
look: 1 | smell: 1 | taste: 1 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

I was very disappointed with this beer. It almost had no flavor. I thought it looked great when the bartender brought me over a tasting glass but was very surprised to taste almost nothing. A lot of carbonation and very light and almost no taste notes that my taste buds could pick up.

Serving type: on-tap

09-07-2011 23:25:52 | More by jtierney89

fabiansoliz

New York

4.53/5  rDev +45.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

I had this beer on tap at the Tower of Americas Bar in San Antonio. It was a dark beer with a light taste and mild flavor. It didn't have a lot of bite. I live in New York and our community beer store has a lot of imported beers from around the world, but this one I can't find in the city.

Serving type: on-tap

08-21-2011 16:10:21 | More by fabiansoliz

AdamBear

Pennsylvania

3.53/5  rDev +13.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A-nice amber, slightly transparent. thin cream colored head

S-a real clean and simple scent of sweet grains and caramel. very faint.

T-comes in just as the nose suggests. mostly sweet grains and some caramel malts. it actually reminds me of a really weak belgian dark ale. very clean taste. matching after-taste. very refreshing

M-medium to heavy carbonation with a semi dry finish

O-obviously not a world class beer, but when stuck in a beer wasteland of BMC products, this is a treat. its very crisp and something that can be easily consumed in large amounts.

Serving type: on-tap

08-20-2011 18:51:37 | More by AdamBear

SummitVA

Maryland

2.53/5  rDev -18.6%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

A - amber pour into a dingy pint glass. Light carbonation, very little head

S - sweet malt, some caramel, maybe a bit of brown sugar

T - sweetness and a bit of bitterness, but fairly lifeless overall

M - thin and watery

O - hadn't had a Shiner in years, and I'm thinking I'll take another break. Still this has so often been an oasis of a tap handle at a dive bar, just as it wad tonight. Goes down well while kicking back and viewing hipster antics and listening to bad local music

Serving type: on-tap

08-09-2011 02:12:47 | More by SummitVA

jayhawk73

Maryland

1.98/5  rDev -36.3%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 2

Pours a medium brown color, with very little head. Almost no carbonation and just about zero lacing. The smell is very one dimensional to me. Wheat, a tiny bit of malt, and an odd copper smell. Very thin nose on this beer. The taste is about the same. Very thin, uninteresting, and not worth finishing. This one's a drainpour for me. Mouthfeel is somewhat dry and definitely on the thin side, with a copper aftertaste. Overall, I would not recommend this beer.. You can do a lot better for the style.

Serving type: on-tap

08-06-2011 18:21:44 | More by jayhawk73

StacyD

Texas

3.58/5  rDev +15.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

First Off, it seems that there is a huge difference in the Beer that is available in Texas and what is available elsewhere.

I had first tried this beer in Chicago on Tap in a local bar. I was not impressed to say the least. The again had it in a bottle at a social gathering and it tasted like the same bland easy-drinking ale.

Then I was offered it again in Dallas and it looks, smells, and drinks like a completely different beer.

The Beer that I had in Chicago (where I am from) had a frothier head and tasted like a Pilsner. It was rather bland with a fairly blonde color and not much better than your average Big 3 beer.

The Beer in Texas is another matter and completely different. The Head is relatively flat with only mild carbonation. The color is dark like a porter, only still clear to the bottom of the glass. The taste is much hoppier and darker as well. Mouthfeel is also much more syrupy, but not as syrupy as a porter and still relatively clean on the palate. The flavor does not linger long on the tongue.

Whomever is making the beer for export is doing something VERY WRONG. It is a completely different beer outside of the state.

In Texas, it is a "Good" Beer and can be had inexpensively almost anywhere. Outside of Texas, I would say to avoid it. Many of the people here know this, it is a shame that they give that other beer the same name.

Serving type: on-tap

07-28-2011 17:19:31 | More by StacyD

PhillyStyle

Georgia

2.38/5  rDev -23.5%
look: 2 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

On-tab at a bar in Detroit:

The beer appeared to be clear, slightly darker amber than expected with a finger of white, foamy head that faded in a matter of seconds. No lacing to mention, but some noticeable carbonation floating to the top of the glass. The aroma was overall pretty weak. It gave off a very light bread aroma that was slightly sweet. Not much more than that. The taste was pretty well as expected, very light in flavor, but followed the nose with no hops to mention. The beer was light in the mouth, carbonation seemed to be right and drinkability was on par with other beers of a similar nature that is to say below average. Overall, while better than the likes of some light beers, this is not a beer that I will have often and more than likely will pick something else if I see it on tap.

Serving type: on-tap

07-26-2011 16:41:28 | More by PhillyStyle

DavidST

Texas

2.9/5  rDev -6.8%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

This is on tap just about everywhere in the Texas panhandle, since this is the easiest slightly darker / non American Adjunct beer to find here, I drink it quite a bit. Its a brownish / amber / copper color, very clear with a whitish head which goes away quickly. The smell is faint, a slight sweetness / maltiness very little to no hops. The mouthfeel is pretty light with some decent carbonation. The taste is okay, you get mostly some maltiness, no bitterness to speak of. Overall this beer is better than the 3 big alternatives, but I've long since grown tired of it but its all I can find with my meals so I still order it (while hoping to find someplace which at least has Guinness or Sam Adams on tap). It does have a pretty big following here in Texas, its the super popular "craft" beer, I've read somewhere its the best selling beer in Texas....I almost have to be careful not to let people I know see this review, they might feel betrayed.

Serving type: on-tap

07-06-2011 03:28:49 | More by DavidST

DuncanIdaho86

New Jersey

3.18/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Who wants a Shiner? I do! The word shiner always sounded dirty to me. as in "I just got a shiner from a guy at the Vince Lombari rest stop on the turnpike." or "My girl was on the rag, so I had to settle for a shiner."

Right then.

A lot of people write off Shiner Bock, but Its nothing to sneer at. It has a minimal head and carbonation level but that only serves to let you pound 3 or 4 of these tasty billy-goats. It lives up to the bock taste in its malty sweetness. and just look at that rich auburn brown color. Not everything has to be a work of art.

Feels good on the tongue, with an almost clean finish. A lot of drink ability for a bock I'd say, and I didn't mind its muted features.

Serving type: on-tap

06-19-2011 04:01:13 | More by DuncanIdaho86

sweett3k

Michigan

3.85/5  rDev +23.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

I had this beer at Cousin's BBQ at the Dallas Airport. It was served in a plastic pint cup. The beer was Medium brown in color with a sweet aroma. The beer was smooth, dry, a little bitter and metallic taste. No after taste at all. Best Texas beer I have had.

Serving type: on-tap

06-13-2011 18:16:23 | More by sweett3k