Shiner Bock - Spoetzl Brewery

RickS95

Indiana

2.45/5  rDev -21.2%
look: 2 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.25 | overall: 2.25

Not sure I've seen a bock so clear. It's kind of a medium brown, but it's so clear it looks more like very watered down cola. The head is ok. Slight offwhite bubbles, maybe a finger thick, with little retention.

There is a caramelly malt scent that isn't awful. Much improved over the look, but still nothing much to write home about. Has kind of a crackery smell to it as well.

Tastes like cola that's been sitting out all day and the ice has melted to give it a completely watered down taste. The caramel from the smell carries over and there's a slight savory hop flavor in the finish, but I mostly taste water.

Sweetness and water. That's it until the soury bitter finish.

Overall, this may be the most overrated beer ever. Everyone in beer circles has heard of Shiner Bock and I guess if you've only had Bud Light your whole life, this would be a welcome change, but it's not a very good beer. I needed Doritos to finish the bottle because I couldn't drink it straight.

Serving type: bottle

04-04-2013 02:34:49 | More by RickS95

mjurney

Texas

3.78/5  rDev +21.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance:
Amber-brown color, clear. Good amount of carbonation rising up. Thin head.

Aroma:
Sweet malts, a little toasted.

Taste:
Sweet malt up front, bready, a little toasted and caramel notes. Hop bitterness is minimal. Crisp and clean finish. Body is light, clean, crisp, refreshing, semi dry, sharp carbonation.

Serving type: bottle

04-01-2013 04:00:45 | More by mjurney

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

JuicesFlowing

Kansas

2.83/5  rDev -9%
look: 2.75 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.75

Poured into a shaker pint glass.

The beer is a dark ruby amber. A cream colored head recedes to nothing with no lacing. Aroma is a tease of malts and maple syrup. Taste is a malty, watery concoction. Metallic finish. Mouthfeel is light and watery.

Overall, in surprised at how poor this is. I remembered it 10 years ago as being a decent beer. It goes down fast, and there's not a whole lot to hang onto. Will never buy it again.

Serving type: bottle

03-24-2013 21:40:03 | More by JuicesFlowing

StonedTrippin

Colorado

3.51/5  rDev +12.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

as American made bocks go, which by and large isn't saying much, this one isn't really all that bad, and its a whole lot better than some of the other shiner brews. its got a sweetness to it that's only mild, and the darker malts give it some reasonable depth of both smell and taste. its got a roasted character that teams up well with the molasses like sweetness. the yeast is a little out of place her I think, not sure what they used, but its off. furthermore, you cant have a darker bock under 5% abv, it just doesn't do the style justice and it doesn't work for me. that being said though, there are no offensive flavors here, and this beer is actually pretty drinkable. in a bar where miller and coors products are my only option except this, I will go back to it again and again. plenty of room fro improvement, and its a far cry from the german traditional, but in the right context this can be very enjoyable.

Serving type: bottle

03-23-2013 16:26:12 | More by StonedTrippin

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

jhutch31

California

3.51/5  rDev +12.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

I had a couple of these beers with my dinner out last night with my wife. I had never had Shiner Bock before and I have to admit, it was pretty good for a light, easy drinking beer.
It didn't pour with a lot of head retention, but the overall color and clarity were good. It has very little aroma, mostly of crystal malt with little to no hop aroma. The flavor is the best part. Rich caramel flavor with a clean, crisp lagered finish. Very easy to drink. The mouthfeel was average for this type of beer. I would definately drink one of these again if I had my choice over having to drink Coors or Bud light. Definately a better choice.

Serving type: bottle

03-13-2013 15:50:55 | More by jhutch31

KYGunner

Kentucky

3.08/5  rDev -1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25

Very dark brown hue this bock serves up a rather weak sudsy head, nice coloring but weak structure.

The scent is just too weak but there are hints of sweet maltiness.

The taste is good; sweet malt character but nothing to set it apart. No diversity but there's a tasty, but weak, sweet dark graininess.

The feel is easy and light but not too carbonated. Very light easy drink but very little complexity in this brew.

Serving type: bottle

03-10-2013 01:49:28 | More by KYGunner

Immortale25

Florida

2.94/5  rDev -5.5%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.75

Poured into an Elysian Brewing pint glass. No freshness date.

A- Pours a clean dark amber color with a 1/2 inch light tan head that soon fizzles away to a minimal amount of surface foam. Nearly no lacing.

S- Toasty malt aroma with little to no hops present as well as barely any alcohol. Semi-stale

T- Toasted, grainy malt yields a touch of caramel sweetness. Just enough hop presence to balance. Super easy to drink with the alcohol being barely noticeable.

M- Crisp, thin and watery. Low carbonation leaves much to be desired.

O- Although there is some character to it, unlike most of Shiner's other beers, it's still a dud in the grand scheme of things.

Serving type: bottle

02-24-2013 08:11:37 | More by Immortale25

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

FosterJM

California

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

1735th Review on BA
Bottle to Pint

@Stonebriar Hotel, Plano, TX
Free from the hotel

App- This poured out a darker brown and almost a red tinge. It was fairly dark around edges but the center was fairly clear and ruby like. The head was only a couple bubbles and no cling or lace.

Smell- A very small bock to say the least. A bit of a off malt aroma with some dark fruits and a lack of balance or fullness on the aroma.

Taste- This just didnt do it for me. A very average attempt at a classic style. A bit of a malt bomb mixed with no real backbone of a classic large ABV bock to sustain flavors of the deep breads and malts.

Mouth- A bit of a thinner medium body and a thinner carbonation. The residual flavors are of pure sugary malts and little else. Didnt finish it.

Drink- Sometimes you only drink something because it was free and you hadn't reviewed it, this was one of those.

Serving type: bottle

02-15-2013 22:28:57 | More by FosterJM

Lagerquestrian

Texas

2.74/5  rDev -11.9%
look: 3 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 2 | overall: 3

This is not the finest or best Bock beer around in my travels. I think Shiners goal here is to produce a sessionable bock beer, which in my opinion is. I have had many of these over the years and come back on occasions. I could easily drink a six pack of these, decent with BBQ meats and beef. Nothing out of the ordinary here but a very light bodied bock, watery to me. Maybe a dark lager to some. Nothing worth seeking out unless you just have to try it.

Serving type: bottle

02-02-2013 03:29:59 | More by Lagerquestrian

libbey

British Indian Ocean Territory

4/5  rDev +28.6%
look: 2.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 4.5

12oz bottle poured into a snifter

A: The beer pours a clear dark amber brown with a minimal cap of head that settles quickly into nothing leaving zero lacing.

S: There is a minimal amount of malt presence with a hint of sweetness and toasted malt and no hop presence to speak of

T: There is a slight presence of toasted/bready malt and a hint of sweetness. Zero hop bite or presence.

M: The beer is a medium bodied lager that was a touch undercarbonated and left no residual flavors on the pallet.

O: Overall this was a nice sessionable dark lager that rated exactly to style. That style is a boring one and this delivered on all fronts.

Serving type: bottle

01-24-2013 06:56:05 | More by libbey

ChapaTX

Texas

4.46/5  rDev +43.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5

Appearance: Nice amber color with not a lot of head. Carbonation is not to noticeable to me.

Smell: Caramel malts, not hoppy, a little sweet

Taste: You get the taste of caramel and some other sweetnesses, however its not too much. Not a sweet beer.

Mouthfeel: Definitely one that is not swallowed quickly, very enjoyable. Best food pairing I can tell you is Monte Cristo with the raspberry sauce from Bennigans or a Movie Tavern. Gave the sweetest aftertaste on the palate of any beer I ever tried.

Overall: This has been my go-to beer for any occasion. It is very well balanced in my opinion, and is highly recommended tho try on draft as well

Serving type: bottle

01-17-2013 12:32:35 | More by ChapaTX

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

Gmann

New York

2.63/5  rDev -15.4%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.75

Pours a crystal clear amber color with a very small khaki colored head that quickly settled into a small ring. It a pretty color but doesn't quite remind me of a bock.

The aroma is non-existent, perhaps a touch bready with toffee.

The taste has loads of vegetal sweetness. Big adjunct flavor. Tastes like a beefed up macro lager. Some caramel and toffee notes. No meaty notes, no earthiness; doesn't remind me of a bock. Perhaps a macro bock.

The feel is light with prickly carbonation. Quite sweet on the palate. Slightly dry in the finish.

A beefy american macro lager with amber color. Meh.

Serving type: bottle

01-12-2013 19:01:33 | More by Gmann

Tucquan

Pennsylvania

3.13/5  rDev +0.6%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Had this on 2013-01-06 in Nashville, TM at Legends Corner Bar

A - Served in the dark bottle. Couldn't tell the appearance.

S - Didn't smell like much other than an adjunct lager out of the bottle.

T - Tasted better than I expected with bread, fruit and a bit of herbal. Lightly hopped.

M - Light body and medium carbonation. Average for the style.

O - Decent enough but $5 / bottle was way too much for what it is!

Serving type: bottle

01-11-2013 00:48:28 | More by Tucquan

mick303

Ontario (Canada)

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

Pours a deep copper, couple fingers of white head with some retention, decent lacing, slow carbonation.

Smell is some floral honey, tangy malt notes. Some citrus hops and a fair bit of fruitiness.

Taste has got quite a bit of sweetness initially and a fruity dryness, more grapefruit candy-like notes. Lots of juicy fruitiness, but bitterness could be more assertive. Finish is a bit dry and mineraly.

Mouthfeel is a light body, plenty of carbonation, mostly refreshing and drinkable but feels a tough watery, doesn't help the fact it tastes a bit like fruit juice. Session able, but could be more pleasant.

Meh.

Serving type: bottle

01-04-2013 21:18:14 | More by mick303

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

patric

Illinois

3.43/5  rDev +10.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Well, I have to say "this little Shiner bock, was...different."

I really didn't expect the brandy, watered down grape juice color. I thought for a moment i was pouring a kind of wine... The smallish head of foam that initially got me wondering, faded quick, and it almost looked as if my beer had gone flat.

I swirled it around after a few drinks and it seemed to be laying small oil runs on my glass.

I was drinking from a Stella Artois chalice, so that may have played into the drama... but after thinking about it, i think it was the beer itself that had me freaking out.

So...the beer--
Taste-the beer has a decent taste, and would probably would be paired well with fish, or chicken. It's very light and has a juice kind of feel to it.

Looks---cool color. a brunt amber, chestnut, morning glow kind of thing.

The Buzz-A light feel, more in my head than my body. no heaviness at all. good for a Sunday when you have to get up at 4:45.

this is a work in progress.

Serving type: bottle

12-10-2012 01:11:33 | More by patric

acelin

Kansas

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

Poured from a bottle into a snifter. I know I know... but it's what I had at my desk and didn't care to get anything else.

Poured a dark brown, with a slightly reddish tint. Has a small white head with minimal or no lacing.

In the nose is a sweet malt smell, nothing much else.

The taste is very simple. It's very clear, very much a lager. It's simple, in that the malts are very one dimensional. Very little hop taste.

This beer is clearly just a dark lager, almost BMC but without the off tastes. It's well made, consistent, and good quality. A great beer to get people into craft beer, and a great session beer.

Serving type: bottle

12-08-2012 05:26:23 | More by acelin

Murrhey

Montana

2.55/5  rDev -18%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Poured from a 12oz bottle into a pint glass at Beach Pit BBQ in Orange, Calif. Reviewed from notes.

A- Half a finger white head. Very little retention. Heavy carbonation. Light brown color with nice clarity.

S- Caramel malts, some darker hops. Sweet smells.

T- Light hops and darker malts. Not much else here.

M- Smooth, lighter bodied and wet.

O- Decent beer, high drinkability. Not anything to write home about.

Serving type: bottle

12-02-2012 01:51:46 | More by Murrhey

PorterLambic

Florida

1.65/5  rDev -46.9%
look: 2.5 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 1.5

Pours the color of cola with a very short-lived tan head, just like a Pepsi. Won't be any lace here either.
Smell is odd with notes of malt, some caramel, metal and a serious and overriding mustiness. Not quite skunky but skunk adjacent.
Taste is malt, artificial caramel and metal. Pathetic.
Medium bodied at best, somewhat drying, sharp effervescence up front fades fast. This one is for the drain. Not alcohol abuse, it's palate protection.

Serving type: bottle

10-23-2012 02:38:08 | More by PorterLambic

Darkmagus82

Montana

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

Poured from bottle into pint glass

Appearance – Pours an amber-brown color with a tiny white head. The head fades within seconds to leave no lacing.

Smell –The aroma is a mix of caramel and some lighter fruit smells. The fruit has a good presence of an apple aroma as well as a lighter showing of some grape. With these sweeter aromas are some lighter bready smells as well, which while they round out the smell some, can’t quite balance the sweeter smells.

Taste – The taste begins with some bready flavors as well as some of the fruit that was detected in the nose. Fruit flavors of grape along with a lighter caramel sweetness complement the bready flavors. The fruit fades as more caramel and some light roasted flavors come to the tongue. In the end a light herbal flavor and a drying out of the sweetness creates a crisper flavor on the tongue.

Mouthfeel – The body of the beer is on the thinner side with the carbonation level being about average. While the carbonation is good for the drinkability of the beer the thin body does not do a nice job of highlighting the flavors and is too thin for the style.

Overall – While the flavors are decent, the look, feel and aroma are not the greatest. Just alright.

Serving type: bottle

10-19-2012 00:25:30 | More by Darkmagus82

GMB

Japan

1.6/5  rDev -48.6%
look: 2 | smell: 1 | taste: 2 | feel: 1 | overall: 1.5

Shiner Bock pours a nice reddish brown body, but yields no head to speak of. Large, unappealing bubbles cling to the sides of the glass before floating up to the surface, where they rest a while before bursting.

The beer smells mostly of tin, though if one focuses intensely one can pick up notes of roasted malt.

The taste follows suit, offering little else to recommend itself. Aluminum foil conceals faint flavors of toasted malt. The more the palate grows accustomed to the tinny taste, the more perceptible becomes the toasted malt. Bock beer should be rich and full-bodied. Shiner Bock feels watery on the tongue and fails to froth.

Shiner Bock often appears on menus in small restaurants as the only alternative to standard American macro lagers (e.g., Budweiser, Miller, and Coors). If you find yourself seated in such a restaurant and must have a beer, do yourself a favor and order a Miller Lite.

Serving type: bottle

10-05-2012 17:47:43 | More by GMB