Shiner Bock - Spoetzl Brewery

BuckeyeNation

Iowa

2.48/5  rDev -20.3%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

Crystalline red-orange-copper. The head is tan in color, good-sized after a vigorous pour and looks a little soft. It falls too quickly to a razor-thin film and disappoints in the lace department. The nose is of lightly toasted grain and is unimpressive, but not offensive.

Shiner Bock may be the most metallic-tasting beer, at least in the first few sips, that I've ever had. The initial few seconds of flavor are of simple toasted grain with nothing else to broaden or deepen the experience. It then fades quickly into 'sucking on pennies' time. Bah.

This beer is as two-dimensional as is possible, both in terms of flavor and body. It lacks significant malt support, it has no top notes to speak of and the mouthfeel is thin and overly fizzy. Again, though, it doesn't make me want to spit it out, it just isn't any damn good.

The neck label actually states that Shiner Bock is 'rich', 'smooth' and 'bold'. 0 for 3 I'd say. Three strikes and you're out.

Serving type: bottle

07-07-2004 22:36:24 | More by BuckeyeNation

mikesgroove

South Carolina

3.03/5  rDev -2.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Had the chance to grab this one you at whole foods the other day, served cold and poured into a pint glass, it was consumed on 08/22/2010.

Nice reddish amber pour with a two finger off white head of lacing that hung to the sides for a few brief moments. Nice enough to get a good solid look at it.

The aroma was a mixed bag of caramel, bready malts, touches of earth and herbal notes and a light, not terribly floral though, hop presence. I noticed it to be a bit thicker then I would have thought it would be and this led to the flavor hanging out a bit longer then I would have thought. Smooth, even carbonation and a mellow, interesting aftertaste sealed the deal.

Overall a nicely solid bock here and certainly better then what I was expecting going into it.

Serving type: bottle

08-25-2010 01:18:09 | More by mikesgroove

womencantsail

California

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

A: Unspectacular brown color, not much head to speak of.

S: Caramel and malt

T: Kind of sweet and some malt. Nothing worth writing home about. No real hop flavor or character.

M: Light-to-Medium body, smooth feel. Good amount of carbonation.

D: Very easy to drink, since it's kind of a watered down bock.

Serving type: bottle

06-22-2009 17:44:14 | More by womencantsail

Thorpe429

Illinois

2.35/5  rDev -24.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

Served in a pilsner glass.

Pours a light mahogany color with a good mount of reddish tint to it. Initial three-finger head looks quite nice but dies down really quickly into a slight layer of foam along with a dot of lacing here and there but really not much. The nose is some slightly-roasted malt as well as a bit of toast. Some light nutty character plus a fair amount of caramel. There are some slight earthy notes there as well.

The taste is a bit oxidized with a bit of cardboard. Some toast in there with caramel, plus a light earth feel. It tastes like I imagine wet leaves would. Wow. The nose was decent enough but this taste is really not very good at all. There's an off-bitterness in the feel as well. Thin and gross. The appearance and nose weren't too shabby, but it just goes way, way downhill after that.

Serving type: bottle

11-17-2010 02:48:33 | More by Thorpe429

UCLABrewN84

California

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

Pours a clear orange color with a small 1/2 inch off-white head that fades to an oily film on the top of the beer. No lacing whatsoever. Smell is of bready malt only. Pretty one dimensional overall. Taste is just like the smell with only a biscuit-like malt flavor coming through. This beer has a very high level of carbonation with a crisp and effervescent mouthfeel. Overall, this is a pretty average beer with a one dimensional smell and taste.

Serving type: bottle

07-16-2011 02:59:01 | More by UCLABrewN84

brentk56

North Carolina

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

Appearance: Dark but clear amber colored body with a modest head that quickly dissipates and leaves little lacing

Smell: Toffee sweetness dominates the nose

Taste: A rush of toffee sweet flavors flit across the tongue but quickly fade in a flash of flinty fizziness; after that, everything fades away due to the lack of any balancing hop flavors

Mouthfeel: Thin and watery but with a ton of carbonation

Drinkability: Certainly a step up from the macros and not unpleasant but there are much more flavorful and representative bocks out there

Serving type: bottle

03-05-2005 22:45:11 | More by brentk56

ChainGangGuy

Georgia

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

16 oz. - $4.00 at Taco Mac in Kennesaw, Georgia.

Appearance: Pours a clear, mahogany-hued body with a thin, whitish head.

Smell: Watered-down, run-of-the-mill nutty caramel nose.

Taste: Faintly toasty maltiness with a light taste of caramel and an ambiguous nuttiness. Lightly spicy hops and even less apparent bitterness. A revolting metallic component leeches into the flavor -- always a turn off. Finishes dry with a crisp carbonic bite.

Mouthfeel: Light-bodied. Medium carbonation, a tad bit fizzy.

Drinkability: A plain, dull lager, but when you throw in that metallic mouthful of nickels and pennies, you've totally lost me.

Serving type: on-tap

01-04-2009 20:25:53 | More by ChainGangGuy

BEERchitect

Kentucky

3.1/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A weaker attempt of a traditional beer. Still plesant tasting though. It looks brown and moderately carbonated. Slightly tan head pours a 1/2" head that wants to stay. No lacing detected. Smells mildly malty, nutty, bready, and yeasty. Tastes smoothly malty, caramelly, roasted, toasty, and a bit chocolatey. Flavors similar to a porter, but not nearly as bold. Body is medium and a bit carbonated. Like many American Bock beers, it is grainy and sweetly sticky to the toung without the supporting malt character or the warming finish. Likewise the finish is sticky and a bit grainy. Yeast character remains. Aftertaste is slightly nutty and clean. A safe, easily drinkable beer, but not one to brag about either.

Serving type: on-tap

07-26-2005 14:34:54 | More by BEERchitect

oberon

North Carolina

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

Well this is a standard I drank alot while living in North Carolina because the people I hung out with thought this was a "special beer".Pours a amber/brown with a light off white colored head.The aroma is grainy and lightly sweet and a little earthy.Taste is watery in my opinion with some resdual caramel sweetness but not much,not much of a bock for sure.

Serving type: bottle

11-05-2003 22:53:58 | More by oberon

NeroFiddled

Pennsylvania

3.48/5  rDev +11.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Shiner's best known "bock" pours a crystal clear chestnut brown body beneath a creamy head of ivory foam that holds well and leaves some nice lace about the glass. Standard sized bubbles can be seen rising quickly beneath. The nose delivers a distinctive note of sulphur from the lager yeast over a dull, lightly sweet and caramelish malt. It's crisp in the mouth with a dextrinous, medium-light body. The flavor is bright and clean with it's yeast character showing just as strong as it's subtly toffee-ish and lightly bready-sweet malt. There are no noticeable hop flavors, but the bitterness is firm and there's an average amount of alcohol there, leaving it to finish dry and refreshing.

Now, onto the "bock" categorization that everyone mentions. It was common during the late 50's, 60's and 70's for breweries to simply add coloring to their regular beers (or slightly higher gravity brews) and release them in the spring as bocks. That seems like what this is. I'd guess they're using a product called "porterine", but there are others available. Or it could have had something to do with the way that beers of a certain strength are categorized in Texas. Either way, it's nothing new and there's nothing to be ashamed of. It's a decent, enjoyable beer.... forget that it's not really a bock and have another one!

Serving type: bottle

07-12-2005 21:20:49 | More by NeroFiddled

TMoney2591

Illinois

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

Served in an Ayinger Celebrator doppelbock glass.

Pours a very clear brown with a miniscule white bubbly head that leaves no real amount of lacing behind. The nose is caramel with a hint of molasses. The taste generally follows, though the caramel is weaker and the molasses has a good amount of water thrown in, making for a pretty bland bock-like taste. The body is quite light, with a low bit of carbonation (though a slight fizzy feel on the tongue) and a watery feel, making a decently drinkable brew, but the desire to do so really doesn't come through very much. Average at best.

Serving type: bottle

03-06-2010 00:11:23 | More by TMoney2591

metter98

New York

2.98/5  rDev -4.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

A: It poured clear amber in color with a one finger head that quickly died down. Only a hint of carbonation is visible.
S: There are light aromas of malts in the nose.
T: The overall flavor is dominated by malts and not many hop flavors are evident.
M: It feels light- to medium-bodied on the palate and both thin and watery. There is a good amount of carbonation.
D: It isn't difficult to drink this beer but the flavors taste a lot better while it is still cold.

Serving type: bottle

06-11-2010 00:55:29 | More by metter98

feloniousmonk

Minnesota

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

Appearance: clear bronze, with an admirable, bone-white, 1/2" froth.
Aroma: mild, even nearly negligible, with tiny hints of nuts and caramel.
Taste: rather flat and blase, flinty, even, at first, a nothing of a mouthfeel with very minor character. Mighty quick finish. Leaves the palate rather dryly. Flavor possesses traces of those nutty, sweet, malty characteristics, but they're just a faint whisper in the wind. Malt is dominant, as much as such a mild-mannered component can be, and hops don't seem to be around at all.
Not a beer I'd ever feel like drinking again, but I'd slug it in a pinch. Considering it's popularity in it's home state, I'm rather relieved that certain Texans are choosing this instead of Lone Star.

Serving type: on-tap

12-07-2003 10:11:49 | More by feloniousmonk

WesWes

New York

3.75/5  rDev +20.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

The beer pours a translucent brown color with a 1/4" brown head that quickly fades to lacing. The aroma is good. It has a dry yet fruity scent that boasts of pale and crystal malts along with lager yeast. The taste is decent. It has a smooth, roasted flavor that boasts of pale, crystal, and roasted malts along with a dry lager yeast finish. The mouthfeel is fine. It is a medium bodied beer with adequate/good carbonation. This is a pretty good brew. I see the overall average is low, but I think it's tastey and quite enjoyable.

Serving type: bottle

06-29-2005 22:09:08 | More by WesWes

drabmuh

Maryland

3.4/5  rDev +9.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Bottle given to me by the other Matt so I could tick it off. I was going to wait for bad beer thursdays but what the hell.

Beer is dark brown and clear with a one finger head of medium bubbles that leaves no lacing on the glass. Carbonation is moderate.

Aroma is weak, mildly malty.

Beer is medium bodied and kind of malty. There is some minimal sweetness and there is a clean finish to the beer. Its not a great masterpiece but there is absolutely nothing wrong with it. Its drinkable, it has a flavor and there is no nasty aftertaste. There are far worse beers that deserve to be on the bottom of the barrel list.

Serving type: bottle

09-01-2010 02:21:36 | More by drabmuh

Mora2000

Texas

3.13/5  rDev +0.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

I have drank this beer for years, but just now got around to reviewing it.

The beer pours a clear medium brown color with a white head. The aroma is grain with some toffee malt and grassy hops. The flavor is toffee and crass. I also get a little bit of something that resembles dark fruit, but it is subtle. Medium mouthfeel and medium carbonation. A Texas classic, but nothing too impressive. It certainly doesn't stack up to the some of the other craft beers from Texas.

Serving type: bottle

09-17-2010 05:12:11 | More by Mora2000

zeff80

Missouri

3.18/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A - pours out a brownish/copper color. A small, short-lived head. No lacing.

S - Basically all I could smell was malt, not much else.

T - It tastes of roasted malts and hints of caramel.

M - It is crisp and smooth. It is light to medium-bodied.

D - As far as bocks go, it's not my favorite but it goes down well.

Serving type: bottle

08-23-2006 23:08:43 | More by zeff80

TheManiacalOne

Rhode Island

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

Acquired via trade from breity, 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 brown color, with a thin off-white head that fades very quickly and leaves almost no lace on the glass.

S: The aroma is of roasted malts, caramel, lager yeast and a faint touch of hops.

T: The taste is malty and nutty with flavors of caramel, lager yeast and smoky malts. There's a very mild hops presence that provides some balance. It kind of tastes like a watered-down brown ale, to be honest. The after-taste is slightly bready and slightly sweet.

M: Crisp and kind of smooth, medium body, medium carbonation, finish is slightly sticky.

D: A little tasty, goes down ok, not too filling, very mild kick, decent representation of style, this isn't a bad beer and is a decent alternative to your fizzy yellow beers. However, this beer doesn't have enough to it that will make me choose it over too many other craft beers.

Serving type: bottle

08-10-2008 04:56:25 | More by TheManiacalOne

russpowell

Oklahoma

2.3/5  rDev -26%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

I loved the color of this beer, brown to molasses, but wanted more body more taste more nose. Having said that, still better than most of your choices in the lone star state. The brewrey should try to gradually bump up the body & nose, subvert from within!

Serving type: on-tap

08-10-2005 04:50:34 | More by russpowell

Halcyondays

California

2.85/5  rDev -8.4%
look: 2 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2 | overall: 3

12 oz. bottle,

A: Pours a dark amber with a fizzy short-lived white head, no lace.

S: Caramel malt, carbonic acid, not bad.

T: Has the caramel flavour with as with nose, some nice noble hopping, but gets fizzy in the end. Nowhere near the depth of flavour I associate with bockbier.

M: Light-bodied. Quite fizzy and watery, club soda like. Tad over-carbonated. For a bock, very thin.

D: Quaffable, but nothing really interesting. Better than the BMCs of the world, but not by much.

Serving type: bottle

07-03-2010 02:25:49 | More by Halcyondays

biboergosum

Alberta (Canada)

3.05/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

During a trip to the heart of Texas, I got to know Shiner Bock. It is everywhere there, alongside Lone Star and all the other usual BMC suspects, on every bar's display counter. So, more often than not, jumping from place to place in Austin, following the live performance winds, this beer was the de facto beer choice for me. Now, in one of those unpredictable nostalgic turns, I see it on the shelf of my favorite local bottle shop. After a mild double take, I had to get a bottle, to complete this walk down memory lane.

This beer pours a perfectly clear medium golden brown, with a few fingers of off white head, that falls away very quickly, leaving no lacing. The smell is malt - grainy, spicy, a bit of rye. The taste is very light - a bready, biscuity malt, and a slight floral essence. The carbonation is prickly at first, but mellows out, making this fairly smooth. The body is quite thin, the taste inoffensive, kind of bland, but I could see having a few rounds of this, given no better options.

Serving type: bottle

02-22-2009 22:16:26 | More by biboergosum

jwc215

New Jersey

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

Thanks to Mora2000!

Pours copper amber with a thin off-white head that soon becomes a disappearing, thin wispy patch. Little to no lacing sticks.

The smell is grainy with a hint of caramel.

The taste is grainy with mild caramel. Sweet, but aggressive, selzter-like carbonation wipes away most of the sweetness in the finish.

Light-bodied and rather fizzy for the style.

Low abv for style, and inoffensive, but a rather thin, fizzy brew.

Serving type: bottle

02-26-2010 15:07:35 | More by jwc215

tempest

Pennsylvania

2.8/5  rDev -10%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

On-tap at Penguin Ed's in Fayetteville, AR. Man, I was expecting something resembling a bock, but the closest this gets is maybe Michelob Amber Bock. There's a distinct, corny adjunct tang in the background with only light caramel roll malts. It wasn't bad for washing down my pulled pork and potato salad, but I won't waste my time or liver on this brew again. Not terribly offensive, I guess, but not worth trying either.

Serving type: on-tap

09-03-2009 03:26:25 | More by tempest

WVbeergeek

Ohio

2.73/5  rDev -12.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 3 | feel: 2 | overall: 3

Well, the first time I tangled with Shiner was back in Costa Mesa last summer and we had a pretty hot waitress from Texas. I asked what I should order a yard of because I wanted to experience drinking out a vessel that stood three feet tall. Boy I am glad I ordered then what a great beer to drink from a yard not to full bodied or flavored just enough of everything to be enjoyed in that style of drinking beer. Now here I am back home and sitting here noting the visual aspects of this beer it pours amber ruby with an off white cream colored head about two fingers worth and quickly dwindles down to a thin collar of lace only to leave scattered lacing with each sip. Aromatics on this beer are well a little faint with a slight caramel malt tone but no real hop aroma to be found. Taste is creamy buttered caramel malts with faint hop bitterness in the background to balance out the sweetness and touches of dark roasts add to the experience. Mediocre at best with a thin body artificial carbonation, not much of anything special going on. Drinkability is good due to the fact that I can consume alot of this even a yard glass of this, however it's not a quality brew that I would buy religiously.

Serving type: bottle

07-30-2003 06:41:33 | More by WVbeergeek

RblWthACoz

Pennsylvania

2.88/5  rDev -7.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Pours a very dark ruby with good head with lots of lacing on the way down. Nose is yeasty with a slight sweet tone. Flavor is bordering on wooden with a metallic aftertaste and a slight bitter tone. Feel is pretty good, just slightly above average - no doubt due to the fact it is off the tap. This is worse than I remember it being on bottles (though the bottle did get a lower score) and wouldn't have gone for it if there were better choices in the crappy airport bar I was in.

Serving type: on-tap

12-30-2007 07:37:03 | More by RblWthACoz