Shiner Bock - Spoetzl Brewery

GossageBrewery

Missouri

2.93/5  rDev -5.8%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Poured this Bock from a 12 oz bottle into a pint glass. This Bock poured a reddish brown color, produced a very thin off white head and it disappeared instantly. Poor Head retention. The aroma consists of some malted grain and not much else- No hops any other scent to speak of. Medium in body, this bock features some toasted grain flavor, just a slight hint of sweet caramel- Not much to get excited about here- i guess i would prefer this to say AB's Amber Bock. Not a bad brew to try once. Prost!

Serving type: bottle

01-28-2012 16:58:23 | More by GossageBrewery

wvsabbath

West Virginia

2.15/5  rDev -30.9%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

Serving Type - Bottle

Appearance - Tan/brown, 2 inch fizzy carbinated head that died really quickly, Some decent lacing.

Smell - Hmm, skunky sorta yesty armoa. Some caramel and malts. Not much going on.

Taste - Umm, what is this? Watered down, skunky, this is a american amber with some roasted malt and a few spices added. Has a yeasty flavor moreso then malty. Not impressed.

Mouthfeel - Well, its light, watery and easy to just suck down. Tounge and palette wont be challenged or happy that you just wasted time coating mouth with the skunky flavors. Aftertaste is weak, bittery yeast, and soured.

Overall - A joke, not worth a drink, i seen this beer all the time, just grabbed one bottle to try, thought it was a classic, just a poorly made cheap bock. Not worth the time to drink.

Serving type: bottle

01-25-2012 01:58:59 | More by wvsabbath

PittsburghAJ

Pennsylvania

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

Just an average bock. Amberish color with absolutely no head retention or lacing. Smells.... malty and grainy. Thin bodied and heavily carbonated, very watery. And a generic taste. Not bad, just not great.

Overall, it's good to wash food down. Doesn't leave any terrible tastes in your mouth. Probably would be worth the money if it were a bit cheaper.

Serving type: bottle

01-23-2012 19:48:52 | More by PittsburghAJ

phenomenologian

Nebraska

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

Upon opening, you can see no smoke at all. Upon pouring, it pours a very very thin white head tat dissipates quickly and poorly retains. It laces a little bit. The color of the body is a dark brown but you can still see through it. Theres a small stream of bubbles that rise to the top constantly.

I pick up pretty much nothing. Maybe there is very very faint hints of malty sweetness. You have to try hard at smelling it to pick that up though.... Not really impressed so far....

You can taste a grainy malty intertwining of sweetness that is pretty pleasing with a little hops. Having never tried this before, I saw it and saw that it was a "Bock". this leads to certain expectations. Everyone can debate on what those expectations are, but being honest, its not impressive given its called a bock. Other than that its tasty but I was expecting more...

Mouthfeel is nice as its smooth and not too carbonated at all.

Overall, Im a bit let down. I have only been drinking good beer for about 6 months so I am not familiar with everything and I saw this while buying a mix and match 6 pack and saw it was a bock. Other bocks have really been awesome experiences. This one is just not. But other than that its not a bad beer at all and is pretty pleasing to the palate. Give it a try and compare it to other bocks.

Serving type: bottle

01-21-2012 06:18:10 | More by phenomenologian

angusdegraosta

New York

3.55/5  rDev +14.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Listen, I think Shiner Bock is an American classic. It tastes just like itself and is very easy on the palate. But it's distinctive despite the easiness. Now it may not look or smell like anything special. It's certainly not a textbook "bock." What it is is a hell of a good session beer. Hop flavor isn't what distinguishes this. It's the grainy malted carbonation. It's got its own zing that isn't bitter or citrusy, just a good medium-bodied lager with modest alcohol content. I'm more than likely going to have this again.

Serving type: bottle

01-16-2012 07:19:45 | More by angusdegraosta

ABVerageJoe

North Carolina

2.78/5  rDev -10.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A - Dark caramel translucent color with a 1 finger head which hangs out for a little while.

S - Smells like malt, a bit sweet + lager yeast

T - Tastes like an amber lager. Not very bocky at all unless you strain to pick up slightly sweet caramel. Tastes like an amber lager and not a bock.

M - light, smooth, nice carbonation. Not a good bock, but a very drinkable beer.

Overall - I'd rather buy Yuengling or Red Oak Amber Lager to achieve this taste. I would not purchase it again.

Serving type: bottle

01-14-2012 02:44:49 | More by ABVerageJoe

WithinTheGlass

Kansas

2.15/5  rDev -30.9%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

Want to try a beer that makes Budweiser taste like a craft beer? Look no further. Shiner Bock, despite it's loyal fanbase, has to be one of the blandest and most watered down beers I've ever tried.

A- Nothing too wrong with the look of the beer. The bottle is appealing and the brew pours a golden straw with a fluffy white head.

S- Not much to be said for this category... Malt, cereal grains and straw. No hops whatsoever

T- This beer tastes like Pabst Blue Ribbon mixed with sparkling water and just a hint of rust. Not altogether awful, but not what I'd classify as good beer in any way shape or form.

O- No hate to the brewers or to the fans, but I advise fans of quality brews to stay far away from this... beer?

Serving type: bottle

01-11-2012 17:20:49 | More by WithinTheGlass

WastingFreetime

Wisconsin

2.03/5  rDev -34.7%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

Continuing with the variety six pack. This one is probably Spoetzl's best-known offering around my neck of the woods.

Very light...almost not even amber anymore in color with a tiny head and low carbonation. Tiny head that fizzles out in about one minute, smells of cooked vegetables and faint wheat-like malts...remind me why is this called a Bock again? Tastes similar to a poorly-done BMC lager, whisper-thin hopping and strange metallic off-tastes, thin watery body and all. If you are going to have this one, have it on tap where it will be at least tolerable. I would even hazard a guess that this is one of "those" beers that degrade rapidly in the bottle at the store.

(Seriously, I've had this one on tap before and it tasted and smelled much better than the bottled version.)

Serving type: bottle

01-10-2012 22:07:21 | More by WastingFreetime

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

OremLK

Texas

2.63/5  rDev -15.4%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Poured from a bottle into pint glass.

A: Nice amber color, fizzy head which fades very quickly with no lace and leaves absolutely no retention after the first minute or two.

S: Not much here, very mild grainy beer smell.

T: Metallic. Tastes like sparkling mineral water. Faintest hint of malt and hop backing but not enough to pick out any particular flavor, other than a very mild bitterness. Although metallic, I find nothing offensive about the taste, but also nothing I couldn't find in a bottle of Canada Dry.

M: Very light, watered down almost, mild carbonation. Again, it's like seltzer water which has sat out for awhile.

Look, I'll drink a Shiner Bock if I'm at a restaurant and it's that or a BMC, but there's just not a lot going on here. Too bad Texas restaurants often carry this in lieu of a Sam Adams Boston Lager.

Serving type: bottle

01-05-2012 11:53:05 | More by OremLK

negroobserver

New York

2.65/5  rDev -14.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Spoetzl Brewery, Shiner, TX
Shiner Bock Beer
12oz Twist Off Bottle
best before date: 07/08/11

C: 4.0 - Filtered clear. Beautiful Medium amber color. Pours with about 1/2 inch of light beige colored head, which dissipates quickly leaving behind light lacing on the glass. Very little visible carbonation rising in the glass.

S: 4.0 - Sweet malts. Not overpowering or too malty. Pleasant scent. Faint hint of hops. Smells very much like a lager, but looks like a brown ale.

T: 2.0 - Watery texture. Crisp and refreshing. There is a bite on the tongue, probably from the alcohol and the carbonation, but the beer has no distinctive qualities. The hoppy bitterness is present at the back end and lingers for a few seconds. Overall, not an impressive beer. Beats bud in color and appearance, but tastes flat.

M: 2.5 - Beer is watery with a moderate amount of carbonation. It lacks body and smoothness. The carbonation and alcohol offer a tingling sensation on the tongue, which is interesting, but doesn't come close to impressing me.

OVERALL DRINKABILITY: 2.5 - Overall the beer looks good in a glass, but fails to deliver what it promises in appearance. The beer was, at best, underwhelming and disappointing. It's a decent beer to present at a barbeque where folks will drink it because its cold and refreshing, but not one to present to a coneisseur.

OVERALL GRADE: C-/D+

Serving type: bottle

01-04-2012 05:12:41 | More by negroobserver

Jra1985

Oklahoma

3.08/5  rDev -1%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Poured from a bottle into a glass.

A-Light amber color with almost a one finger head. No lacing to speak of.

S-Not really to much to report. light malts and caramel if you try hard enough.

T-Not a bad tasting beer for its style. Light malts and caramel again.

M-Good carbonation and pretty smooth.

O-Not too bad of a beer. I don't think it deserves its poor rating. Certainly much better than any BMC and easily findable. Are there better beers out there? Hell yes but it is a decent beer and priced reasonably.

Serving type: bottle

01-04-2012 02:08:23 | More by Jra1985

rangerred

Tennessee

2.75/5  rDev -11.6%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

12oz bottle poured into a pint glass.

Pours a clear copper with a half finger light tan head that is quick to fade. No lacing.

Smells very much like BMC oddly enough. Some corn and cooked vegetables with maybe a touch of caramel.

The taste is sweet with the smallest hint of caramel and bread. A light bitterness is noticeable at the finish. Really not a whole lot of flavor at all.

I haven't had one of these in a long time and I always remembered it being better than this. Not sure if this is one I will seek out again as there are better beers available for a similar price.

Serving type: bottle

12-31-2011 23:09:53 | More by rangerred

DrDemento456

Pennsylvania

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

Surprised I haven't reviewed this yet. Picked this up in the "Family reunion" variety pack.

A - Little to no head and a slightly dark colored clear amber.

S - Smells of lager yeast, sweet malts, and slight caramel.

T - Not terrible but not great either. Tastes more of a bock lager than a typical bock, since it's not very creamy and it tastes pretty light. Lager like yeasts clash with some sweet malts and little to no hops in the finish. Kind of eh.

M - Light bodied for sure and it's pretty easy to drink.

Overall I can detect no off flavors or smells so this is crafted rather well but not as tasty as class offerings of the style. Not as bad to drain pour though so I can finish the other 3 rather easy.

Serving type: bottle

12-31-2011 03:48:48 | More by DrDemento456

y2jrock60

Pennsylvania

3.25/5  rDev +4.5%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

A- Dark amber almost brown. The head fades quickly and fails to leave behind any lace.

S- Hints of sweetness along with a crisp finish. There's still something in the aroma that reminds me of a BMC.

T- Sweet up front with a slight tartness that gives way to a hint of roasted malt. There is a faint earthy hop bitterness that lingers at the end.

M- Light-medium bodied with moderate carbonation.

D- Drinkable, nothing offensive, but not much going on.

This beer isn't bad, but it's not great either. I like the color of the beer, but it's virtually headless.

Serving type: bottle

12-25-2011 05:27:06 | More by y2jrock60

ramseye4

Virginia

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

A=pours a dark copper color with a one finger head that dissipated before I was able to take a sip or smell.
S=Big on the caramel malt with a very faint hop aroma in the background
T=caramel malt, not too much else going on a faint hop bitterness in the finish
M=light body with very high carbonation levels make the beef pleasant on the tongue
O= Average in every sense of the word, a forgettable beer but it's widely available in areas In my state that traditionally only sell BMC

Serving type: bottle

12-25-2011 02:14:59 | More by ramseye4

blakelive784

Colorado

2.3/5  rDev -26%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 2.5

12 fl oz bottle served in a pint glass, reviewed live:

A - Pours a transparent amber/copper color. The head of 1.5 fingers seems creamy enough, but dissipates very quickly. Disappointing.

S - Caramel, clean barley, and not a whole lot else going on. Incredibly mild.

T - Follows the nose closely. Unimpressive caramel malt, a strange mineral taste, and a little bitterness near the finish. I miss the assertive malt character of a normal bock. Boring, even.

M - Way too crisp, and way too light for a bock. Doesn't work at all.

D - It's certainly drinkable, but I'd pass on this boring beer.

Serving type: bottle

12-24-2011 03:44:06 | More by blakelive784

match1112

Illinois

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

a thin tan head settles quickly on top of a reddish brown body leaving no lacing. smell and taste are both very caramel forward, not much else. once again shiner produces a thin watery over carbonated beer. overall not excited as some with this beer. goes down quick and smooth, just doesnt offer much for flavor other than being a malt bomb. once again i would like to see some hops to cut thru the sweetness of this beer.

Serving type: bottle

12-20-2011 14:17:00 | More by match1112

timtwoface

British Columbia (Canada)

1.93/5  rDev -37.9%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

I am absolutely NOT a fan of this beer. The price point at $1.99 was fine, so I could swallow that, but I couldn't really swallow the rest.

Was it BAD? No. Was it GOOD? God, no. I can only regard this beer as...well...bland. To be fair, it pours a very nice clear darker colour so I was excited by that, but the taste had...well..nothing really, beyond carbonation and a very weak light lager sort of taste. I was honestly unsure as to whether there was actually any alcohol in it - and for a beer, that is somewhat important to me.

Sadly there was no wow factor that made me want this beer, it was just far too week for my tastes. If you want something rather cheap, go for it. Otherwise, I wouldn't really recommend this to suit your needs.

Serving type: bottle

12-15-2011 03:22:17 | More by timtwoface

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

laituegonflable

Australia

2.42/5  rDev -22.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Pours an unusual burnt orange colour, quite metallic with palour at the edge. HEad is off-white and largely whispy, with a thin ring of lace left. I enjoy the colour but otherwise a bit meh.

Smell is English hoppy. Bit of chewy grain aroma but largely grassy and herbal. Touch of cherry medicine and some cooked grain. Bit lacklustre and not hugely appealing, sadly.

Taste is a big pile of nothing. Slight ale ester upfront that descends down into grainy mid-palate with bitty sense of grain bread, then finishes with a mild, almost negligible hop finish which is just a tepid spice note, again quite English with a touch of black tea and some copper. Very bland, and has a kind of boiled sense to it, like all the flavours have been completely soaked out of it. Meh.

Fairly watery, yeah goes down like a 70-year-old virgin.

Could quaff this, but would rather, you know, drink something good?

Serving type: bottle

12-08-2011 09:46:44 | More by laituegonflable

Siriusfisherman

Montana

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

Appearance: Dark brown, no haze at all. Very thin head that leaves very little in the way of lacing. Very interesting looking, and comes in a pretty badass bottle.

Smell: Very light aroma, a little malty and no real detectable traces of hops. Very light smell for such a dark beer.

Taste: Also very light, slight maltiness is detectable and maybe some hops, very hard to tell what is in this beer. It is a very blended flavor, but flavor none the less. Nothing obtuse about this beer, it is very friendly, and the flavor is nice.

Mouthfeel: Good carbonation, does not bring anything out in the flavor though, if anything it just masques the flavor even more, which is why I like to take it of the cooler, open it, and let it sit out for a while when I am at parties.

Overall: There is nothing great about this beer, but there is nothing bad either, its pretty good. It is the beer that Texas kids drink when they want to act like they are having a less mainstream style beer without actually having to put up with anything to strong. Hey, thats their choice, and I would be lying if I wasn't thankful that people bring beers like this instead of just bud light to parties.

Serving type: bottle

11-30-2011 15:09:57 | More by Siriusfisherman

lacqueredmouse

Australia

1.9/5  rDev -38.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 1.5

Purchased at the orders of @LaitueGonflable, who'd never tried a beer from Texas, and knew that this beer existed. So be it.

Pours a pleasant deep amber colour, quite clear, with a small, but fine-bubbled head of white. Very light body, especially for a bock (although, probably not for a bock weighing it below 5% ABV), although it hold carbonation quite firmly, making it seem bigger than it is. Some patchy lacing when it's tilted. Not bad, but not great.

Nose is grainy with adjuncts, giving a cornmeal and unprocessed wholegrain character, with a sweetness that speaks of faux vanilla essence. Slight sharpness on it as well, partially from the carbonation, partially from maybe something else—it lingers, suggesting some kind of volatile from hops or grain.

Taste is exceptionally weak and bland, almost excruciatingly so. Slight corn characters on the back, and another tingle of that vague volatile character, but nothing else whatsoever. It's tasteless—offensively so.

Extremely bland, and extremely pointless. It's barely above the watery nothingness of an American adjunct lager. Bock?? Yeah, just fuck the hell off.

Serving type: bottle

11-26-2011 03:33:52 | More by lacqueredmouse

Boozeisfood

Michigan

2.65/5  rDev -14.8%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 2.5

Shiner Bock. Well.. I've never had a Bock style beer before so i had in mind that is was going to be quite a dark beer but it was in fact not. I'm not gonna bash this beer just because it wasn't what i expected or what i would normally drink. I can say it was hevily carbonated which i'm not sure i enjoyed, the taste was a slight hoppy flavor with quit a bit of malt to it, a little hint of a roasted almosnd flavor aswell. I had it out of a bottle at a resurant so i couldn't really get any scent from it but with experience from beer that have had that similar taste i would imagine the smell is basicly the same as the taste.

In the end this beer wasn't a shitty beer at all and i'm not saying it was, i'm just not into this style. Give it a try for yourself i know that Shiner is a respectable lable and they put out more then a few great beers.

Serving type: bottle

11-24-2011 06:21:26 | More by Boozeisfood

fri3dric3boi

Texas

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

The color is a light brown color, kinda like iced tea. The foamy head dissipates quickly although refreshing though. Nose is very mild, mostly malt. Has a slight grain smell and little else. Its a nice beer for taking to the lake or camping. Will drink again though.

Serving type: bottle

11-24-2011 03:26:52 | More by fri3dric3boi