Shiner Holiday Cheer - Spoetzl Brewery

thomasdidymus55

Michigan

3.6/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

This beer is caramel or light coffee color..with quite a bit of carbonation. Not a whole lot of head though. Nice sticky lace..almost like a watered down syrup. I can definetely smell the peach. Very good tasting. Goes down well. You gotta have one of these.

Serving type: bottle

12-03-2010 19:36:38 | More by thomasdidymus55

johntp

South Dakota

4/5  rDev +14.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A: Very clear, and christmas red. One fingers worth of off white, creamy head.

S: Smells mostly of peaches, with a slight nutty hoppiness.

T: Taste is overwhelmingly peaches, like peach juice. The hop bite is the only thing that tastes like beer. Faint nut and spice in the background.

M: Thin, a bit sticky, and plenty of carbonation.

D: Quite drinkable due to thin body, carbonation, and flavour is not very robust.

To me, this is a once a year type beer. Its unique and a great beer to enjoy during the holidays, I would not probably drink this year round, even if it were available.

Serving type: bottle

12-31-2010 06:38:25 | More by johntp

Nichts

Illinois

3.95/5  rDev +12.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Alright, so this is my first review, and I am partial to dunkelweizen, but this beer was very interesting. The peach notes are obvious from the moment you open the bottle, and the pecan is tasted from the first sip. While this isn't my first rodeo, I did appreciate the subtleness from the first note onward. While this isn't the best dunkel I've had, I have been enjoying it thoroughly. All I can say is the description on the bottle has been accurate, and isn't going to disappoint.

Serving type: bottle

11-20-2009 05:50:45 | More by Nichts

capt_rob934

4.3/5  rDev +22.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

(11/11/2011) Poured into a Sam Adam's Perfect Pint Glass. Thin white head fading quickly from the glass.

A: Beautiful aroma of peach, pecan, and caramel

C: Light brown color, very wintery looking

Sip: Peachy combined with pecan initially, light wheat flavor comes through in the end for a clean and refreshing finish

OV: Great winter warmer with a very fun profile. Full bodied and very warm.

Serving type: bottle

03-22-2012 05:13:17 | More by capt_rob934

rexbock

Texas

4.65/5  rDev +32.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A - Poured thicker than anticipated, which was a welcome revelation compared to previous renditions of SHC.
S - The creamy brown sugar, caramel, and peachy notes can knock your socks off if you're not careful. Very forward with smell, but doesn't overwhelm.
T - Such a wonderful departure from the previous version of SHC. Mild, but thick warm-your-fireplace-and-get-those-chesnuts-roasting start. I was so much caught off guard by the new flavor that I had to have another to assure myself I wasn't dreaming. Sweet, peachy, dessert notes to start with a wooden, nutty finish thanks to the pecan.
M - Deceivingly smooth and complex. I cannot attribute the carbonation to my pour, the bottling, or coincidence, but the lightness of it was surprising.
O - I was monumentally surprised at the changes in SHC for '11. It was a delight. It was impressive and will replace all other cozy, holiday beverages in my household.

Serving type: bottle

01-22-2012 06:13:30 | More by rexbock

fctoaster

Minnesota

3.2/5  rDev -8.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Single bottle from a create-a-six-pack of holiday/x-mas seasonals.

A- deep cranberry juice color, crystal clear. Small tan head, steady carbonation throughout.
S- Huge peach jam scent- no hops, malt, or supposed pecans.
T-Huge front of peaches, then a second wave of the pecan's nuttiness and sweetness. Also after the peaches is a slight bitter note-- not very pronounced whatsoever.
M- Light and thin. The carbonation is very subtle, not biting or crisp really.
D- Very smooth texture, but the sweetness and peach flavor are quite out of balance. Probably couldn't drink more than two at a time. Would go really well with desert however.

Serving type: bottle

12-12-2008 03:46:08 | More by fctoaster

cmkendrick

Texas

3.85/5  rDev +10%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured a 12oz bottle into my favorite pint..

L - Auburn color with a small head that recedes quickly.

S - Peachy, peachy! And I mean it smells like real peaches. And a little bit of an earthy hop.

T - I think I'll describe it as a Shiner Bock that lost a little of its good taste and replaced it with peaches. The peach flavor kind of comes and goes for me though. One taste and I'm like "Wow that's peachy!" and the next tastes like a watered down Shiner.

F/D - Carbonated with a smooth finish. Definitely worth a try and I'll have another. I'm not sure how peaches are holiday flavors but it's an interesting change.

Serving type: bottle

12-07-2010 02:18:11 | More by cmkendrick

rjr8

Pennsylvania

4.78/5  rDev +36.6%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

This beer looks absolutely delicious. A nice darker beer with red hues very appetizing to me.

It smells heavily of peaches and is just very unique to me, its a lovely fruity flavor which I feel is very well suited to a Christmas ale. It's a very nice change from the usual (though delicious) culprits (nutmeg, cherries, cinnamon, ect) that are in Christmas ales.

The taste is a tad too fruity for me, it is very delicious though (this comin from a guy who loathes peaches). I like my Christmas ales with hints of cinnamon and nutmeg and while I love the aroma I wish I could taste a little more of these spices.

Mouthfeel is excellent, very smooth.

Even though its not a traditional Christmas ale (in my eyes) it is a very unique and delicious change. Add some cinnamon/cardamom and nutmeg and this guy would be perfect.

Serving type: bottle

11-26-2011 21:58:31 | More by rjr8

AMERADJUNCTPROF

Arizona

1.6/5  rDev -54.3%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 1 | feel: 3 | overall: 1.5

I don't want to write too much, since I have wasted enough time with this beer.

It is an average beer with what tastes like a bad Jolly Rancher dropped in it. I'm not sure if you like fruity beer, but even if you do, this is just not good. I rarely leave a beer in my fridge, they eventually get drunk, but this didn't.

I only kept one because I wanted a friend of mine to taste how bad it was. He didn't mind it that much. I guess there is no accounting for taste.

Serving type: bottle

05-14-2011 23:06:52 | More by AMERADJUNCTPROF

hookem2oo7

Texas

3.8/5  rDev +8.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

I'm a big fan of any Shiner offering, and I always try the seasonal beers they release--most of the time it's just once. This is one of their better brews, and I can see myself buying many more sixers of this during the holidays. Beer looks much like their other dark offerings (Shiner Black, Dunkelweisen), smell is really peachy and fruity, nice head, good lacing. The mouthfeel is somewhat thin, but has good carbonation. Taste is really fruity, almost tangy, with a slight nuttiness at the end.

Great beer, one of Shiner's best in my opinion. The fruitiness was a nice surprise, would recommend this beer to anyone.

Serving type: bottle

11-05-2008 03:22:58 | More by hookem2oo7

ProfessorK

Louisiana

1.85/5  rDev -47.1%
look: 1.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

I would not bother to dis a beer just because I didn't like it but this beer crossed the line by labeling itself as a Dunkelweizen.

I was fortunate enough to live in Germany for three years. I don't claim to be an expert but Dunkelweizen was one of my top three favorite German styles and I tried it everywhere I saw it (including every example in the BJCP). This beer misses the Dunkelweizen mark in every category.

A - The color is a quite lovely ruby hue but the beer is much too clear. Dunkelweizen is traditionally unfiltered with a strong protein haze that is apparent even if you don't swirl the sediment.

S - The peach smell is pretty nice but the beer lacks all of the phenol and ester aromas that make Dunkelweizens mouthwatering.

T - I was looking forward to the peach in this beer and it was nice but a little strong, perhaps because most of the other expected flavors were missing. There is an obvious Munich component to this beer but there is little else that is found in an authentic Dunkelweizen. No banana or clove. Muted esters. No breadiness from the yeast.

M - The mouthfeel is decent but it missing the "heft" of an unfiltered wheat beer.

O - Compared to other American wheat beers and/or fruit beers I find this one to be average but I will be the first to admit that this is not my style. If Spoetzl had marked this beer as Dark American Wheat I still wouldn't like it but I would be forced to give it slightly higher marks. As it stands, the "Old World Dunkelweizen" on the box is an outright lie.

Serving type: bottle

12-09-2011 01:10:45 | More by ProfessorK

goldenboi187

2.25/5  rDev -35.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

This beer tastes 10x better on tap than bottle. The bottle taste reminds me of sour milk on the after taste. Have you ever tasted your own ear wax? Well after drinking this you might be able to recall that. Now, why I say ear wax??...well I tasted my ear wax numerous times out of curiosity. I wouldn't buy this beer. I'd rather bum off someone else.

Serving type: bottle

12-20-2012 07:05:29 | More by goldenboi187