Shiner Kosmos Reserve - Spoetzl Brewery

jordanmills

Texas

3.48/5  rDev +4.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

I had to try a family pack. Looks like a lager. Smells a little maltier than I expected, with some of the regular shiner hoppiness. Tastes... a tad sweeter with a bit of citrus and warmth. Feels a little thicker but the carbonation comes out about half way through. I could drink a few. Overall, a slight disappointment, though I guess I'd built it up in my head. It's not at all bad, just not remarkably good.

Serving type: bottle

04-26-2009 01:56:47 | More by jordanmills

Bitterbill

Wyoming

3.38/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

I'm on a Shiner kick if you can't tell. LOL

This pours a clear gold with a small and shrinking head of foam. No lacing to speak of.

The smell is decently malty and kind of hop/fruity. Again, it's tough to pick out what's going on.

The taste has a decent hop presence with some light citrus most noticeable near and through the finish. The rest of the flavour is of light malt sweetness and light grain. I taste *some* notes of corn but it's quite subdued compared to most of the others of theirs that I've tried. That's a *good* thing in my book.

Light bodied and medium carbonation are here as well. Standard for the brewery, me thinks.

Drinkability? Pretty good. Decent tasting and, I'm guessing, pretty low in the abv department, I wouldn't have a problem drinking another bottle or two.

Serving type: bottle

04-16-2009 23:39:35 | More by Bitterbill

elniko

Texas

3/5  rDev -9.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Picked up a single by breaking up Family Pack at Central Market in Dallas.

A: Poured rich amber with very nice looking one finger head. Nice lacing apparent as well as high carbonation. Nice looking brew.

S: Strong malt tones coming from the nose with a touch of grassiness. Solid.

T & M: First off, I found the mouthfeel to be a little too carbonated. Not overwhelmingly so but it did detract a little for me. Maltiness up front with a relatively crisp slightly hoppy finish. I haven't had the Shiner Blonde in a while but I would imagine this is slightly hoppier version of it.

D: Drinkable, but I was a little underwhelmed with this brew as I was really looking forward to trying it.

Serving type: bottle

04-15-2009 22:14:36 | More by elniko

armock

New York

3.13/5  rDev -6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A - Poured a clear copper color with a thin white head that fades to a ring around the edge

S - Has a sweet malt nose mix of grain and caramel some hops

T - Decent taste sweet malt upfront little grainy has a decent hop finish

M - This beer has a light body with higher carbonation to it

D - Pretty decent for the style nothing amazing but a fairly well made beer that like everything else from Shiner is aimed to the masses not the beer geeks out there a good beer to drink when you just want a beer and not anything crazy

Serving type: bottle

04-14-2009 20:44:11 | More by armock

jpaltan

Texas

3.85/5  rDev +15.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours straw colored, lots of carbonation, yet it fails to bring about any head on top. after mere seconds the head is gone. nose has some hop notes. kind of a hybrid of both citrus and piney. taste is nice and suprisingly hoppy. really a decent beer, but kind of shitty you have to buy it in that family pack. mouthfeel is pretty clean. overall refreshing,

Serving type: bottle

04-12-2009 18:43:41 | More by jpaltan

hiikeeba

Texas

3.4/5  rDev +2.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A - Pours up a light golden amber with red highlights with a thin tan head that lasts a bit longer than a typical Shiner beer.

S - Slightly caramel aroma with a hint of hops. Very subtle, though

T - Caramel flavor with very little hop flavor, with a hint of butterscotch in the background

M - A little thin

D - Not all that impressive.

Serving type: bottle

04-03-2009 20:45:14 | More by hiikeeba

Slynger

Illinois

3.65/5  rDev +9.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4.5

Clear golden a light amber hue and a quickly dropping lid of fuzzy off-white bubbles.

Lightly malty sweet and lightly toasted with a nice balance of lightly peppery/spicy hops. Smooth light-medium body lightly zesty and dry. Fine bubbled lightly sharp carbonation.

Supremely sessionable, it's kinda like a lightish vienna lager. I liked it.

Serving type: bottle

04-01-2009 23:14:02 | More by Slynger

HardTarget

Texas

3.95/5  rDev +18.6%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A) Golden hue, great clarity, nice finger of white head that dropped and disappeared without lacing.

S) Nice malty sweetness with a floral, peppery hop ribbon

T) Again, malty sweetness with a floral peppery hop ribbon! Firsh blush is a bit of seltzer water but mellows out to show a toasted malt base with a noble hop edge. Label mentions dry hopping, which I think adds to the complexity here.

M) It's a pale lager, it's light bodied but not weak, carbonated without getting too fizzy.

D) Easy drinking session beer, if you could get it as a session beer without the family pack (one of 6 different beers). I expect to see this as a stand alone sixer at some point, but this isn't going to stand out much from the Macro crowd.

Serving type: bottle

03-30-2009 01:00:43 | More by HardTarget

TexIndy

Texas

2.4/5  rDev -27.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2

Can only get as part of Shiner Family Reunion 6 pack. Poured from a 12oz bottle into a pint glass. No dating info but it's new so it's fresh. It was a clear, light copper color. Decent carbonation but no lacing. It had a small fizzy off-white head that was pretty much gone but the time I was done pouring.

The aroma was weak. Malty, grassy with some hops. Had a strong resemblance to a pilsener aroma. The taste was barely there. Very watery until right at the last second you get a bit of flavor and then it fades just as quick. Switch this with a Miller Lite while I'm drinking it and I probably wouldn't notice - it's that bland. Mouthfeel was good with good carb level.

Overall, a major disappointment. I never had this when it was around a long time ago and had been reading posts about how great it used to be so was eagerly awaiting it's release. Was hoping to find a Shiner that I like these days. Either they changed the formula or I'm missing something. Very bland and flavorless. Don't recommend. Just reviewed 5 of the 6 beers in the 6 pack (I'd reviewed the 6th a couple years ago) and all were bland and not worth having again. I used to love Shiner when I first moved here about 15 years ago but I find them now to be middling. Shame but time to move on.

Serving type: bottle

03-22-2009 01:07:59 | More by TexIndy

champ103

Texas

2.2/5  rDev -33.9%
look: 2 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

A: Pours a clear copper color. A minimal white head forms and leaves no lace.
S: Sweet malt at first. Some very faint hop bitterness. Metallic and copper. Blah.
T: I can't really pick anything out. A very faint sweetness and hop bitterness.
M/D: A light body, over carbonated, watery, and thin. Easy enough to drink for a light lager.

This beer is the only reason why I bought the Shiner Family mixed packed. After trying it, I am disappointed. I can't really make anything out in the nose or flavor. Just bland. I am sorry Kosmos Spoetzl, this is a disservice to you.

Serving type: bottle

03-17-2009 21:46:02 | More by champ103

stumac

Texas

2.78/5  rDev -16.5%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

this brew pours up a clear copper color with a decent off white head. the nose is grainy, pale malts, nothing crazy. the taste is the same as the aroma. kinda buttery mouthfeel, slight hop bittering, light bodied, low carbo. Damn I wish that the Spoetzl Brewery would just make one intense beer! But if we're just comparing beers within the brewery, I'd say this one is not one of their better offerings...

Serving type: bottle

03-17-2009 17:14:43 | More by stumac

jujubeast6000

Texas

2.88/5  rDev -13.5%
look: 2 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

Reviewed 3/15/2009 (bottle):

Pours a big fizzy white head, that extremely quickly diminishes. Orange-yellow colored body, extremely clear looking. Malty, English malty aroma. Some nuttiness, but mostly smelling of adjuncts, maybe some vegetables? Nutty fizzy taste, over-carbonated tasting. Some of that same vegetable-ness. Somewhat refreshing. Some hoppy bitterness, but none of the grapefruitiness, or other aspect of the hops is present. Some corn taste, maybe. Meh. Does not get any better as it warms, less tasty.

Serving type: bottle

03-15-2009 17:40:42 | More by jujubeast6000

BrewsCrewSA

Texas

3.18/5  rDev -4.5%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

A "hop-jacked lager" by Shiner in the Family Reunion sixer. This is Shiner's 100th Anniversary, so right off, congratulations Shiner, and Prosit!

That being said...

A - Pours a deep golden, with a very little head that dissolved after a minute.

S - Very faint, smelled hoppy in the bottle, but barely had an aroma in the pilsner.

T - It's okay, I mean, the ingredients are there and it's a functional beer, but it's not amazing.

M - yup, it's a liquid.

D - It's your run-of-the-mill lager with just a bit more bite from the hops. It's nothing more than the Spezial a year ago.

I'm kinda glad this is a "reunion" beer. I don't mean to knock it, but I expect much more from Shiner, maybe I'm putting too much pressure on them!

Serving type: bottle

03-11-2009 01:44:45 | More by BrewsCrewSA

whoneeds8

Texas

3.03/5  rDev -9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Pours out golden yellow with a small white head that disappears quickly, no lacing. Smell is very faint, mostly floral. Apon first taste, the carbonation is the first shock to the system. Other than that, this is just plain. Nothing special about it. Too me, it's just a few ingredents different from their Blonde, Light, and spezial liecht. Very disappointed yet again by Shiner.

Serving type: bottle

03-09-2009 22:24:17 | More by whoneeds8

Squelch

United Kingdom (England)

3.73/5  rDev +12%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Appearance: Crystal clear golden lager. Off white quickly dissipating head.

Smell: Nice balance of complex malts and noble hop aromas here. Smells like a nice pilsner.

Taste: Complex malt flavors mixed with a nice balance of earthy hops. Pretty sweet beer but not too sweet.

Mouthfeel: Heavy. Very heavy. interesting mouthfeel for this style but somehow it works.

Drinkability: I could sip a few of these. Very nice for Shiner

Serving type: bottle

03-05-2009 00:38:02 | More by Squelch

Atlas1

Texas

4.08/5  rDev +22.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Like the first reviewer, I haven't had Kosmos Reserve in over 10 years. Last time Shiner released this beer, I was in college and had not yet refined my beer palate as much. I'm extremely happy they re-released this beer again.

Pours bright and shiny, clear and straw-colored, with a one-finger head of white fluff on top. Nice enough to look at. The nose is light and fruity, but substantial. Apples, pears, berries, with a nice subtle hop character built in. Sweet aroma overall, but not syrupy. Taste is more earthen and yeasty. Dull at first, but upon further inspection the flavors are more complex and layered. Just subdued at the same time. Almost medicinal, but with a lingering malty sensation. Quite nice, if not spectacular. Mouthfeel is clean, refreshing, and dry.

A totally drinkable beer. I wouldn't mind at all if the brewery brought this back on a year round or seasonal basis. It's a solid lager and makes a fine session beer. Along with the 100th anniversary beer they did (dopplebock), Kosmos helps make 2009 a very good year for the folks at Shiner.

Serving type: bottle

03-01-2009 00:01:39 | More by Atlas1

BgThang

Texas

3.93/5  rDev +18%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Let me just say its been 10 years since Ive had this beer. I remember it tasting like f'ed up shit. Of course this is before I learned about better beer and appreciated many different styles.

Appearance - very clean, ligth copper yellowish look. very well carbonated , but not alot of head.

nose - grassy, earthy malts. A little bit of a twang cannot pin it down.

Taste - Very descent for a larger if it is that. Sorry left my reading glasses at work and cannot read the bottle. There is something there that I got in the nose its a nice change from the norm. I am thinking its a unique hop that I have not experienced alot of. Still cannot place it.

Thoughts - This beer is one of my favs from shiner. I hope they re-release this as a seasonal in sixer. I like it. Alot. its not an A beer but a solid B beer. I do not care what you think, this is certainly a nice brew. ` If the rep for shiner reads this, RELEASE IT IN SIXERS!

Serving type: bottle

02-28-2009 02:06:02 | More by BgThang