Shiner Oktoberfest - Spoetzl Brewery

UnderPressure

South Carolina

3.2/5  rDev -3.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

A nice looking copper colored clear beer with a momentary one finger head.

Sweet malty aroma fades with the head. Some graininess and a little hops.

Grainy, sweet, slightly hoppy flavor

A relatively thin mouthfeel gives way a dry, somewhat bitter finish.

Honestly, this Oktoberfest was better than I thought it would be. If you are like me, and not at all impressed by Shiner, this still may be worth a try.

Serving type: bottle

02-26-2013 14:04:37 | More by UnderPressure

NilocRellim

Minnesota

3.58/5  rDev +7.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5

Poured from the bottle.

Clear-amber and slightly orange in colour. The nose didn't have much to it with only a slight malt-sweetness. The taste was more complex than the smell with a nice sweet-malt upfront taste. It was pretty typical for an Oktoberfest-style beer.

Would I buy it again? Yes.

Serving type: bottle

01-08-2013 20:24:01 | More by NilocRellim

Ford

Texas

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

Bottle poured into a regular pint glass.

This is a really good oktoberfest in my opinion. Just the right amount of caramel and bitterness. SHiner is always dependably good to me.

If you are in Houston I like the Karbach Karbachtoberfest better and Saint Arnold about the same.

Serving type: bottle

12-30-2012 20:35:05 | More by Ford

tectactoe

Michigan

3/5  rDev -9.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Pours a copper-amber color with excellent clarity; small, off-white head fades fast. Heavy, malty aroma; caramel and toffee with a slight tartness to it, and some grains in the background. The taste has a slightly metallic flavor that is a little off-putting. It comes hand in hand with an apple skin and grape-like sweetness that hits immediately but fades quickly. Caramel malt undertones play throughout the whole sip. Grains are heavy in the aftertaste, toasted and bready. Very low hop profile in this one, maybe some dry florals in the background but at this point, it's a stretch to even say that they're really there. A mild cheesiness comes out as it warms up, again, a little off-putting but not so much as to make it undrinkable. Some leafiness in the very back end of the brew, but it doesn't feel very "hoppy". An astringent bitterness lingers afterwards, with some fading malts and yeast. Thin body, a touch of creaminess, but overall pretty thin with medium carbonation.

Eh, not awful, but not something I'll be likely to revisit. A couple weird off-flavors keep this one from being a solid Oktoberfest. Definitely many better options out there.

Serving type: bottle

12-24-2012 06:09:10 | More by tectactoe

superspak

Michigan

3.58/5  rDev +7.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

12 ounce bottle into pint glass, best before 10/23/2012. Pours slightly hazy golden copper color with a nice 2 finger fairly dense off white head with good retention, that reduces to a nice cap that lingers. Nice spotty foamy lacing clings to the glass. Aromas of big pear, apple, caramel, apricot, toast, bread, light pepper, and light herbal. Nice and pleasant aromas with solid strength and balance. Taste of caramel, pear, apple, toast, biscuit, toffee, light nuttiness, and light earthy herbal spiciness. Minimal bitterness on the finish; with lingering notes of light fruits, caramel, toast, toffee, biscuit, and earthy herbal on the finish for a bit. Some pretty nice flavor balance and robustness; with zero cloying flavors present after the finish. Medium carbonation and body; with a creamy and lightly slick mouthfeel that is good. Alcohol is very well hidden with zero warming noticed after the finish. Overall this is a good Oktoberfest style. Very solid flavor balance and robustness; and very smooth to drink. I enjoyed this quite a bit.

Serving type: bottle

12-09-2012 06:17:48 | More by superspak

shand

Florida

4/5  rDev +20.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Shiner's Oktoberfest pours out orange, with a head that leaves thick lacing. The aroma is richly malty. The taste follows the nose, with a nice, approachable, yet full malty flavor. It's pretty mellow compared to most American interpretations of the style, but it's really nice. The mouthfeel is light and velvety, and the drinkability is good. Overall, a solid Oktoberfest that seems a bit underrated here.

Serving type: bottle

12-08-2012 05:40:57 | More by shand

barczar

Kentucky

3.5/5  rDev +5.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a brilliant golden orange color with a fleeting half inch ivory head that dissipated into a ring of foam.

Cardboard, corn, and sweet caramel malt comprise the initial aroma with toasted bread and floral hops rounding out the profile.

Flavor reveals caramelization, with melanoidins taking center stage. Deep malty flavor, accompanied by toasted bread crust, a tinge if citrus, and slightly peppery hops add intrigue.

Body is pretty moderate, with carbonation tending toward the higher side.

Overall, more complex malt character than anticipated from shiner. Not on par with the top examples, but a decent brew.

Serving type: bottle

12-07-2012 07:26:51 | More by barczar

woosterbill

Connecticut

3.2/5  rDev -3.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

12oz bottle into a Duvel tulip.

A: Clear copper body with an inch of ultra-fine white head. Ok retention, very nice lace. Good.

S: Simple, pleasant maltiness. Plenty of caramel, some toastiness, and a bit of walnut. Solid.

T: Follows the nose. Sweet, malty, and simple. Tasty enough, but pretty boring and forgettable.

M: Slick light-to-medium body with some fine carbonation. Ok.

O: Pretty middle-of-the-road. Nothing offensive, nothing impressive.

Cheers!

Serving type: bottle

11-18-2012 21:33:18 | More by woosterbill

mooseisloose

Florida

3.43/5  rDev +3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5

Picked up a sixer of this seasonal from Spoetzel, says it is a Marzen style Oktoberfest. Let's give it a whirl. Popping the top, I get a dry hoppy smell with a hint of metallic clove. Pours to a light bronze color with a pillowy, clingy and robust tan colored head. The taste is consistent with the smell, sweet up front with a slightly bitter metallic bitterness that lingers to a fading bitter finish. Mouthfeel has a moment where it is watery in the middle but overall it is a non-factor. Head has excellent staying power. I usually steer away from Oktoberfests due to being overly sweet, but Spoetzel has put enough bitter hopping in this beer to make it tasty. I would drink again.

Serving type: bottle

11-17-2012 03:01:01 | More by mooseisloose

LittleRedJenn

3.7/5  rDev +11.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

A: new pennies with a dark khaki lather that settles down fairly quickly
S: bakery-esque, like rising rye bread preced by a faintly sweet aroma--also, funnily enough, smells very similar to the way skin smells after a spray tan session--but in a good way??
T: acidic top note (slightly metallic), followed by caramel and fresh baked bread, toasty finish
M: thicker but not overly chewy or rich

One of my favorite seasonal beers, overall. Love love love the unique color. I like that it has a similar flavor profile to darker beer, but I can drink several without feeling like I ate a full turkey dinner with all the trimmings.

Serving type: bottle

11-11-2012 00:38:21 | More by LittleRedJenn

MaximalC

Illinois

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

Pours amber in color with a respectable khaki head. Aroma smells of clean, floral hops and mild caramel sweetness. A trace amount of skunkiness may be present as well, but not obnoxiously so. Flavor is noticeably milder than the aroma, and the aroma wasn't especially bold to begin with. I would assume I'm tasting some caramel malt and mild hops, but it's so vague that it would be hard to surmise without having seen and smelled it before drinking. A decent amount of lacing clings to the glass as the beer recedes, which is respectable. Carbonation lends a creamy mouthfeel and would be just right if only there were a bit more substance to offset it. As is, it feels slightly too thin and watery. This beer might really have something going for it if only it had more flavor and body. Without, it remains a safe, sessionable beer with naught to write home about.

Serving type: bottle

11-07-2012 01:37:55 | More by MaximalC

tjsdomer2

Illinois

3.6/5  rDev +8.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Appearance: Slight foam with ok lacing and decent carbonation. Dark orange.

Smell: Cherries and caramels. I would would like a bit more of the cherry smell. It is an excellent change of pace and something pleasantly unexpected.

Taste/Mouthfeel: VERY dry. Flavor consists of dark fruit (i.e., cherries) and faint, indistinct hops. Definitely some nice combinations overall.

Overall Drinkability: I can't say that Shiner has ever disappointed me. I will look for some more beers from them.

Serving type: bottle

10-30-2012 01:17:29 | More by tjsdomer2

Bitterbill

Wyoming

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

This pours a clear gold with a 2 finger head of foam.

It smells of bread, has some some sweet notes and quite a bit of grain.

Bready sweet up front with some bitterish notes on the back end though the bread returns in the finish.

Not a bad stab at the style from Shiner.

Serving type: bottle

10-28-2012 15:11:38 | More by Bitterbill

RonaldTheriot

Louisiana

4/5  rDev +20.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Shiner Oktoberfest has a medium, cream-colored head, a bubbly, clear, copper appearance, and a some thick lacing left behind. The aroma is of medium-roasted, sweet and sour barley malt and brown bread. Taste is of the same character, with some hop bitterness present at the end of the sip. Mouthfeel is light to medium, and Shiner Oktoberfest finishes mostly dry, crisp, refreshing, and easy drinking. Overall, this is a good beer.

RJT

Serving type: bottle

10-14-2012 14:13:58 | More by RonaldTheriot

Alextricity

Michigan

3.25/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Appearance: Poured aggressively and got a ridiculous amount of foam. Wound up getting to a finger. Bunch of lacing. Typical clear Oktoberfest color.

Smell: Average. All I'll say. Malt. Oktoberfest. Mild. Yep.

Taste/feel: The taste... well, I enjoyed it a little bit more as it warmed up a tad, but. Meh. I've had better. I kept getting a metallic taste on and off, and it got pretty irritating. When I didn't get it, I got a respectable Oktoberfest flavor. The feel is one of the better parts of this -- creamy with a middle-of-the-road amount of carbonation.

A pretty good Oktoberfest. Not something worth raving about, but respectable.

Serving type: bottle

10-14-2012 03:42:27 | More by Alextricity

raznug

Ohio

3.5/5  rDev +5.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Appearance: This Oktoberfest pours a clear deep orange color and is topped with 1” of off white head that lingers very tastefully quite a few drinks into the pint.
Smell: This beer smells very German to me it smells like a marzen should with a good base of malt aroma and a bread or yeast aroma that just screams German.
Taste: The taste is the classic marzen style as well it has a malt base with the bready flavor that I associate with a lot of German style beers. This is a very well done marzen style beer.
Mouthfeel: This is a medium bodied beer that is very easy drinking and flows around the palate nicely. Spoetzl Brewing did a good job on this beer.

Serving type: bottle

10-13-2012 18:27:10 | More by raznug

tzieser

Arizona

3.3/5  rDev -0.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A: clear copper in colder with a fluffy white head that settles into a thin lacing.

S: sweet malts with a grassy hop aroma.

T: caramel malt notes with a subtle bitter hop flavor. fairly well balanced.

M: alright mouthfeel.

A good take on a classic German style but I've had better. Glad it wasn't the hot mess that shiner bock was.

Serving type: bottle

10-12-2012 04:08:06 | More by tzieser

cyclonece09

Virginia

3.45/5  rDev +3.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 12 oz bottle into a 14 oz "pint" glass. Pours a semi-transparent light red with a small white head that dissipates quickly but leaves some lacing. Smells of some light aroma of dark roasted malt, but nothing too strong. Tastes of very slight fruity taste with the dark roasted malt, quite inviting. Light bodied beer with perfect carbonation, definitely a nice session beer. Overall, a slightly above average beer.

Serving type: bottle

10-10-2012 03:30:00 | More by cyclonece09

TwelveOunces

Kentucky

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

12 Oz bottle poured into a pint glass

A- Clear orange with a one finger of an off white head.

S- Grassy, herbal, very grainy, a slight sugary fruit. Light and crisp smelling.

T- A simple maltyness and a slight grainy flavor at first. Some caramel and crisp germam style grains. Slight fruit flavor, some toffee.

M- Fairly light bodied and high in carbonation. easy drinking.

O- This is a pretty plain and overall average beer. Its good for the money but Id rather spend an extra buck and get SA Oktoberfest.

Serving type: bottle

10-09-2012 22:02:32 | More by TwelveOunces

brewerburgundy

California

3.55/5  rDev +6.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

12oz bottle, Pilsner glass, no freshness date.

Filtered clear, this beer needs a hard, straight pour to achieve a lasting, thick light chestnut head. Oktoberfest's visage is light yellow biased orange, copper.

There is a trademark Shiner matte, slightly metallic toasted malt aroma. There isn't much going on other than whole grain crackers; it's overall a very clean experience.

More range shows in the flavor; golden toast, salty crackers, light caramel, herbal German hops adding some lingering spice in the back of the throat. A dash of fruitiness interrupts the otherwise clean and crisp lager profile.

It's fuller than a Pilsner and not quite as carbonated.

While I wish they would not 'purify' their beers like the big boys, Shiner definitely puts out some stuff better and more adventurous than the big boys, though they aren't one of the small boys.

Serving type: bottle

10-07-2012 22:16:36 | More by brewerburgundy

donmonkey1

Tennessee

3.25/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Appearance: Brownish/amber with a nice thick, foamy, tan head that laces nicely. I would have liked to see more carbonation, but it isn't horrible.

Smell: Too weak to tell. Shiner's letting me down again.

Taste: light metallic malt. What a damn waste.

Shiner needs to quit being so wimpy and start putting out some beer with some flavor. They ought to rename themselves the "let down brewery". This beer tastes cheap and crappy. It's better than malt liquor, but so is mud. With bugs in it.

Serving type: bottle

10-07-2012 04:50:37 | More by donmonkey1

Biffster

Michigan

4.23/5  rDev +27%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

The beer is served in a pint glass from a 12 oz botttle. Its a brilliantly clear deep amber light copper with beautiful golden notes. There is a persistent off white head that leaves a lace on the glass.

The aroma is all rich pilsner, munich and vienna malt - mmmm! its very clean - no esters or diacetyl. It is toasty and bready and bisquity. Uniquely and pleasantly for a an American made Oktoberfest, there is is no hop aroma and pretty much no caramel aroma.

The flavor is sweet and malty at the sip, but not at all caramelly. It quickly gives way to an intensely malty toasty flavor - lots of bisquit, toast, a touch of nuttiness, and big continental malt flavor. The beer is all about malt, all the way through. The swallow is remarkably dry for the maltiness. The finish is malty and toasty but delicious and balanced.

The mouthfeel is medium with a medium creamy body and full but creamy carbonation and no astringency.

Holy cow. I've always had a soft spot for Shiner beers. Ive been to the brewery and to Shiner (pop 2000) and have family there. But I have to be honest - I did not expect much from this beer, considering some of the other seasonals they've produced and considering the general quality of American Oktoberfests.. But wow! This is a tribute to the brewmaster. He or she nailed it. This is, at heart, a restrained beer. But at heart, this is a restrained style. It is meant to be rich and flavorful, but light, fairly dry and supremely drinkable. This beer....Lots of rich malt, no caramel or cloying sweetness, no hops. Just a clean malty lager, the way the good lord, and King Ludwig of Bavaria, intended.

Serving type: bottle

10-06-2012 02:37:09 | More by Biffster

GMB

Japan

3.33/5  rDev 0%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

The best of Shiner's offerings, Oktoberfest pours a lovely orange body and a respectable white head. Lacing is minimal, but the nose is appealing: sweet Munich malts are discernible.

This is a sweet Okotoberfest. Though an above-average when considered against American attempts at the style, this beer fails to impress. Shiner is plagued by mediocrity, and this beer, though superior to many of their offerings, falls victim to the same. The mouthfeel is pleasing, but nothing to write home about.

If I were you, dear reader, I'd pick up a bottle of Shiner Oktoberfest. Appreciate Shiner's above-average interpretation of the Märzen style. Appreciate the drinkability of a beer produced by a brewery that produces undrinkable beers (e.g., Shiner Light Blonde). Thank your lucky stars for the cheap price (if you live in Texas), but do not confuse this beer with superior offerings in the style.

Serving type: bottle

10-04-2012 21:25:09 | More by GMB

philbe311

Pennsylvania

3.33/5  rDev 0%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A - Two full finger's worth of fluffy slightly chunky bone colored head with a bit of a rocky top... Very respectable retention... The color is a light to medium bronze with a slight ruby red tinge... Loaded with micro bubbled carbonation that starts moderate paced before swirling and picking a rapid pace... A good bit of lacing clings to the sides of the glass...

S - A slight bit understated, but still malt forward without doubt... Toasted malts... Caramel... Toffee... A bit nutty... A bit buttery...

T - Again a bit understated... Slightly grainy... A bit of toasted malt... Light caramel... Perhaps a hint of cherry... A slight metallic tinge as well... A slight bitter hop presence emerges on the deep finish...

M - On the lighter side of medium bodied... Smooth... A tad bit thin...

D - Excellent appearance but average in all other facets... The end results is a respectable Marzen which I would gladly drink again, but not necessarily seek out...

Serving type: bottle

10-04-2012 01:37:09 | More by philbe311

match1112

Illinois

3.38/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

a: burnt orange body with afinger and a half of dirty white head. some lacing

s: sweet, fresh baked bread, some citrus and spice from the hops.

t: again fairly sweet and bready. little caramel with a small bite from hops.

m: light and crisp, good carbonation, very clean feeling.

o: not a huge fan of oktoberfest beers but i would drink this one again.

Serving type: bottle

10-03-2012 14:36:27 | More by match1112