Shiner Oktoberfest - Spoetzl Brewery

nrbw23

Ohio

2.45/5  rDev -26.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

A- Pours a crystal clear amber with an off white head. Head has pretty solid retention and leaves some nice layered lacing.

S- There was hardly anything going on here. Just a bit of bready malts.

T- Again pretty weak. Not really any hops. A bit of a corny, and bready malts taste. A bit of a metallic taste here too.

M- Medium in body and quite a bit of carbonation going on.

O- Not impressed with this one at all. A lot better ones out there I'll stick with them.

Serving type: bottle

09-14-2011 11:20:03 | More by nrbw23

tlazaroff

Virginia

2.38/5  rDev -28.5%
look: 4 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 2.5

A: The beer looks great! Its a light orange color, visible carbonation, perfectly clear, and a fluffy cloud-like head but with no visible lacing.

S: Not much at all on the nose except a distinct bread-like aroma.

T: Big bread notes on the palate, however, again that is all I get. I pick up a few nuances that weren't in the smell: earthy hops, almost a tad floral-like, maybe a light roasted note too. Doesn't taste much better than it smells. It isn't offensive, however.

M: Lighter body than expected, moderately carbonated, and over-all somewhat slick. Its not DMS, but there is this buttery slickness that I don't care for.

D: It is quite drinkable despite it's flaws, but because of it's flaws I wouldn't drink this one again.. ever.

Serving type: bottle

09-14-2011 03:30:47 | More by tlazaroff

keanex

New Jersey

3.28/5  rDev -1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 12 ounce into a pint glass.

A: Orange and brown with a 2 finger light tan foamy head that dissipates fast to a light foamy coating on top.

S: Not much going on here, slight malt and bread hints with a touch of caramel. Rather bland.

T: Malty and syrupy. Slight caramel and bread hints.

M: Low-medium carbonation , almost full bodied beer, rather thick.

O: A thick malty beer. It wasn't bad but I won't buy it again.

Serving type: bottle

09-13-2011 15:32:33 | More by keanex

DoktorZee

Alberta (Canada)

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

Poured from a bottle into schooner. No obvious best before date (though it is fall, so it's TIME).

A - clear copper with lots of carbonation. Initial one finger head disappears quickly leaving very little lacing behind.

S - moderate amount of caramel malt and a hint of sour mash

T - very slight hint of initial hops resolving to dilute caramel malt. Not a whole lot of character with this one. Lacks the malty sweetness expected in this style; there's a little, but not quite enough.

M - light and sharply carbonated. The malt sits on the tongue but doesn't take over.

D - certainly drinkable, but lacks a bit of character.

This is a decent, but not outstanding Oktoberfest. Its a bit dilute relative to the standard and lacks much trailing sweetness. Worth a try, but not a "go to" Oktoberfest unfortunately.

Serving type: bottle

09-10-2011 21:55:41 | More by DoktorZee

DrDemento456

Pennsylvania

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

Picked this up at my local six pack shop, mix and match price.

A - Damn the bottle cap came off with some force. Carbonation a plenty with a inch and a half of head rest atop a nice brown amber ale.

S - Smells a bit funky from the earthy malts and touch of grass hops. underneath I can smell some caramel so this should be interesting.

T - Has a bit of citrus like hops which quickly turns to a sweetness of caramel (honey maybe?) and finishes grainy with a bit of grassy hops. Taste is good.

M - Light to medium surprised how good the flavors mesh.

Overall a very unexpected treat from shiner. I haven't really had anything from them since the "holiday cheer" apricot beer and this one is equally as awesome. True to authentic!

Serving type: bottle

09-10-2011 02:15:31 | More by DrDemento456

deaconoflove

Pennsylvania

3.35/5  rDev +0.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Ap. Nice deep golden color w/ fine off-white head. A little swirling brings back the head.
Sm. Some malt, grain, grassy, with a little citris hops.
Ta. Malt, slight milk chocolate, slight spice, mild bitterness that lingers on.
Mf. good, nice carbonation, not too thin.
Dr. Easy going here.

Serving type: bottle

09-08-2011 21:01:23 | More by deaconoflove

goldbot

District of Columbia

3.1/5  rDev -6.9%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours amber in color with thick, cream-colored head, leaving good lacing on the glass. Tons of carbonation. Has a grainy, slightly acidic aroma; a hint of caramel malt and floral hops, with some yeast aromas as well. The beer tastes malty, nutty, with some caramel sweetness. Floral hops come through, leaving some bitterness in the aftertaste. Thin and nicely crisp mouthfeel.

Serving type: bottle

09-05-2011 21:23:40 | More by goldbot

JonB1958

Illinois

2.17/5  rDev -34.8%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

Had on tap at McGees in Lincoln Park.

Pretty weak effort for a brewery I like in my favorite style. Pours a clearish golden orange, much lighter than most Märzens I've had. Smell is sort of malty and thin with some metal.

Flavor is too thin. Not enough malt and too many hops for the style.

Disappointing.

Serving type: on-tap

09-03-2011 21:20:33 | More by JonB1958

steveh

Illinois

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

A new player in the lineup for me. Shiner has surprised me with their specialty brews, let's see if they can keep their streak going.

A -- Clear, amber-orange color with a dense, slow-settling, light tan head.

S -- Mildly spicy hops up front with mild DMS and light toasted malts following up.

T -- Pretty light up front, some sweet and bready malts trying to assert themselves, light spicy hops in the finish and appetizing bitterness lingering into the aftertaste. Some more breadiness with warmth, but the spicy hops become more pronounced too -- not bad to drink, just not usual for an Oktoberfest.

M -- Mouthfeel is crisp with a light to light-medium body and dry finish.

O -- Overall? Eh. Shiner's Dortmunder and Doppelbock were so good that this, my favorite style of all, is just a little underwhelming.

Serving type: bottle

09-01-2011 21:10:35 | More by steveh

depechemode1983

Texas

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

A - Light copper in color with visible carbonation. Head is off-white and seems to have decent retention. No lacing.

S - Bread, caramel malts, and undertones of maple syrup are apparent. Lots of bread and earth tones mainly.

T - Yup. Very bread like in taste as well with caramel being more pronounced. There is a slight hop bitterness through the middle and finishes at tad sweet.

M - Medium bodied mouth feel. Smooth and well carbonated. No complaints.

O - Its fair to say this is a pretty solid beer. I would say I could session this one easy enough.

Serving type: bottle

08-29-2011 20:10:04 | More by depechemode1983

ianjsullivan

Maryland

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

ST: 12oz poured into a pint glass. The bottle does not have a drink by date or brewed on date, nor does the bottle list the alcohol percentage.

A: Clear light copper (not nearly as dark as I was expecting) with a half-a-finger-nail white fluffy head that has great retention. It has steady carbonation.

S: Mild citrus hop, sweet malt, and slight metallic aroma.

T: Bread malt, slight citrus hop, biscuit mild bitterness on the finish.

M: Light and on the drier side.

O: Overall, I am not very impressed. I look forward to fall offerings all year, and I am a huge fan of many German and micro-brewed Marzen or Oktoberfest beers. This one is less expensive than most, and it tastes like that as well. The color is a bit light, the flavor is a bit bland, and the aroma is no very strong. It does have a nice head, but other than that, I would not recommend buying this beer when there are much better examples out there.

Serving type: bottle

08-27-2011 20:50:42 | More by ianjsullivan

EagleTalon

Arkansas

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

Pours to a foamy white head that falls to a thin ring of suds and minimal lacing. Color is a gold-amber tint and is light for the style. Smells faintly of Munich malt and caramel malts but with a distinct Shiner twang all over it. Flavor is nice but not as malty and sweet as I would expect for the style. Finishes dry with little lingering maltiness or hoppiness. Overall, I think the beer misses the mark but is not terrible, in fact I enjoy it very much. It is a great value and a clean brew.

Serving type: bottle

08-26-2011 23:03:30 | More by EagleTalon

DavidST

Texas

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

Poured from a 12oz bottle into a pint glass.

This pours a clear light amberish color with a decent white head with decent retention (for a shiner product that is). The smell is light and a little malty. Feel is medium to light. The taste is of sweet malts, a touch of hops, with a nice caramel aftertaste. Overall this isn't a bad beer, I'm not sure if I like it more though because I had so low of expectations since it was a shiner product.

Serving type: bottle

08-21-2011 19:05:50 | More by DavidST

Aphexwolf

Texas

3.45/5  rDev +3.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance: Golden-orange, clear, light to medium head that dissipates quickly, very good carbonation.
Smell: Barley malt similar to Dos Equis.
Taste: Dark hops and barley taste.
Mouthfeel: Medium to light mouthfeel, not overcarbonated.
Drinkability: Very drinkable.
Summary: This is a very good beer. I gave it an 8.0/10, or B-. When I first drank this, I wasn't aware that this beer was the Shiner 96 anniversary beer. I can see why they turned it into a regular seasonal brew. It's simple, it looks great, and tastes great. It reminds me of a slightly darker version of Dos Equis. This seasonal beer is a great choice for Octoberfest, and I look forward to drinking it again next year.

Serving type: bottle

11-08-2010 02:36:34 | More by Aphexwolf

chilidog

Ohio

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

A nice classic attempt at a traditional style.
It pours a rich amber bronz. Off-white head that does fade abit due to a well dose of carbonation though not fizzy. Slight lace to be had.

Aroma of malts, sweet brown sugar and bark.

Taste of toasted malts, caramel, biscuit and a hop backdrop.

Mouth is smooth though thinner than some other octobers. It can quench a thirst which aids its very own drinkability while a malted hint of hop oil lingers.

A nice job for Shiner and priced fair and reasonable.

Serving type: bottle

11-07-2010 16:43:12 | More by chilidog

garymuchow

Minnesota

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

Brilliantly clear golden oragne with a smallish noisy cap that settles out rather fast.
Expected aroma on the tamer side but hitting the right highlights of somewhat sweet rich malt.
Taste resembles aroma in form and substance. Somehow rich and light at the same time - this is possible with the very light body that exhibits full on bubbly sharp carbonation. Rich malt flavor that seems to lack the smoothness of the best of this style. Adequate dryness, but this isn't leaving me wanting for more. A little fullness from the richness and the carbonation.
I don't have any huge complaints. I think, although common, this is a hard style to make well. Generally the best lagers leave me asking for another. This one misses that mark.
Sample from Dave. Thanks buddy.

Serving type: bottle

11-01-2010 01:17:16 | More by garymuchow

Fatehunter

Oregon

3.35/5  rDev +0.6%
look: 4 | smell: 2 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

A - Poured from a bottle into a tulip glass; though traditionally Oktoberfest beers are off the tap into a Maßkrug. Amber in color with light head. There seem to be a lot of bubbles.

S - Light aroma. Nothing really distinctive coming through, though I do not expect too much from this style... I still expected something.

T - Light malt, almost no bitterness or hops favor. Slightly sweet ending.

M - A little too carbonated. Crisp and light.

D - The carbonation drops its drinkability a little. Other than that it is a nice drink, but nothing to search out for.

Serving type: bottle

10-26-2010 01:21:10 | More by Fatehunter

emmasdad

Colorado

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

Picked this one up as part of an Oktoberfest mixed six a week or so back. Pours a medium amber color, with a decent amount of white foam on top. Aromas of caramel, lightly roasted malt and biscuits. On the palate, this one is light bodied, well carbonated and pretty drinkable. Light caramel mostly, but some apple and sweet malt show up as well.

Serving type: bottle

10-22-2010 06:17:09 | More by emmasdad

Offa

California

3.93/5  rDev +18%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

I found this to be a very good beer, which surprised me considering that I found their Bock to be very, very sub-par.

Pale amber/bronze, it has a medium off-white head steadily shrinking to a rich foamy ring and wisps, a tiny bit of lace.

Aroma is lightly caramelly grain and bread, hints of apple, herbs and grass, like a fuller, more caramelly US pale lager with a hint of German hoppiness.

Taste is simialr, lightly caramelly barley and lightly toasty bread, hint of apple, light sweetness just dominates before light bitterness joins to make it dryish and toasty with some leafy, vaguely herbal character that takes over at the finish and lingers with toasty barley. It is very nice, an enjoyable, solid Vienna-type marzen.

Serving type: bottle

10-20-2010 21:04:11 | More by Offa

budgood1

Minnesota

2.83/5  rDev -15%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

pours out a clear amber colour with a respectable quarter inch frothy head that has some staying power and leaves some nice lace. a relatively weak caramel and butter malt aroma with some flowery and herbal hop notes. more sweetness in the taste profile...but lacking any depth of flavour that makes the o-fest style enjoyable. this can't be an all malt beer. there is some harsh hopping that grates the tongue in a manner that isn't too pleasant. therefore the mouthfeel is a letdown and the overall body seems cheap and chintzy compared to all the other oktoberfests out there. drinkability suffers a bit due to the fact that this offering just has a lot of flavours that don't meld well in a style that usually is a bit on the simple side.

there are many o-fests much better than this one.

Serving type: bottle

10-19-2010 01:07:55 | More by budgood1

lordofthewiens

Maine

2.98/5  rDev -10.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

In a pint glass, the beer was an amber color with a pretty small white head and a tiny bit of lace.
Sweet caramel aroma. Not very noticeable, but not invisible either.
Same thing with the taste. Caramel, sweet bread. Again, neither overwhelming nor underwhelming.
Very, very sweet. Too sweet for me.

Serving type: on-tap

10-19-2010 00:14:48 | More by lordofthewiens

mralphabet

Virginia

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

12 oz bottle poured into pint glass

A: Dark copper in color with about a finger & a half of off white head that settles to a thin layer, very little lacing.

S: Sweet roasted malts, hints of caramel and toffee.

T: Lot of the smell in the taste, sweet notes of caramel and maybe butterscotch. The finish is a little on the dry side. Aftertaste is slightly sweet.

M: Light to mid bodied, I was hoping for a little more in this department... Lighter than I was expecting. Carbonation is pretty crisp at first but settles down as the beer warms.

D: Low ABV and pretty good flavors here make this a pretty good drink.... Little lighter than some of the "Oktoberfest" beers I've had this year, but not back. Another pretty good brew from Shiner.

Serving type: bottle

10-18-2010 02:56:33 | More by mralphabet

dudemuskie

Illinois

3.23/5  rDev -3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Snagged a 12oz single at The Andersons in Toledo, OH.

Appearance- Burnt orange with hints of amber. Minimal off white head with no lacing. Crystal clear.

Aroma- Faint herbal hop aromatics with some slightly sweet, lightly toasted malt. Hints of oxidation with some papery notes.

Flavor- Prickly CO2 with a moderately bitter herbal kick up front, followed by a malty notes of nuttiness and baked biscuit with a slightly sulfury note. Hops fairly dominant into finish with a breath of grainy malt and touch of papery oxidation.

Mouthfeel- Moderate-high CO2, low residual sugar, light-medium bodied, and leans a bit towards hop bitterness. Crisp finish with a slightly drying effect- maybe grainy astringency!?

Overall- Not bad, middle of the road drinkability. A decent take on the style but seems to be a bit heavy on the hops and slightly oxidized from the trip up to Toledo, Ohio. Might help if they used pry-off caps? Could also use a bit more of that toasty malt richness that gives Oktoberfests a touch more of a fortifying feel and balance, without tipping the drinkability scale.

Serving type: bottle

10-15-2010 12:53:53 | More by dudemuskie

Brenden

Ohio

3.63/5  rDev +9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

The color is clear, purely copper in color. It looks pretty good, forming a white head nearly just over two fingers tall. Retention is good, and adequate patchy lacing is left behind on the glass.
The aroma features a malt base with decently balancing hops. It's not particularly strong, but not terribly weak. Malts are fairly complex, roasted and toasty on one hand, caramel on another, and a sort of earthy nuttiness pulling through as well. A mossy, herbal hops presence sits in here as well.
Toasty and caramel up front with a touch of earthy and bread flavors balanced by a light hops bitterness that adds an herbal touch and some dryness. There seems to be a touch of something spicy pulling out in here also.
The malt doesn't seem like quite enough to make for as full and robust a body as this one should have. While it's a bit light, it's not too bad. Carbonation is enough to make for some liveliness without taking it too far. While I'd prefer a bit more smoothness, this one is crisp and refreshing.
This is a fair example of the style and, while you could find better, it's not one to avoid.

Serving type: bottle

10-13-2010 19:49:30 | More by Brenden

Tone

Missouri

3.75/5  rDev +12.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Pours a clear, copper color. 1/4 inch head of a white color. Decent retention and slight lacing. Smells of sweet malt, hops, yeast, and pale malt. Fits the style of a Marzen / Oktoberfest. Mouth feel is sharp and clean, with an an average carbonation level. Tastes of sweet malt, slight hop, slight yeast, and hint of pale malt. Overall, decent appearance, good aroma, blend, and feel.

Serving type: bottle

10-12-2010 13:08:03 | More by Tone