Shiner Wild Hare Pale Ale - Spoetzl Brewery

Billolick

New York

3.41/5  rDev +1.2%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25

12 ounce bottle, purchased at Yorktown, Bev. Yorktown, NY

Pours a clear warm shade of almond amber, quickly departing lite tan head, that leaves minor fine bits of lacing.

I get just some maple/caramel on the nose.

Malty, with more caramel up front. Just a smidge of hops in the finish.

Pretty uninspiring APA. Would work in a pinch, but truly nothing to get excited about

Serving type: bottle

05-15-2013 22:46:13 | More by Billolick

ribby

Michigan

3.61/5  rDev +7.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

I am not sure what the problem is with this beer: the people who wrote the labels never drank it, or the people who make it don't know how to brew. It claims to be a classic American pale ale with a golden color. I will have to recheck the color, but it seems more medium to dark amber than golden from memory. And classic pale ale? No. It has a yeasty sourness to it that I do not associate with a classic pale ale. Now you call it a saisson and all the foo foo belgian snobs will give it a 4.5, maybe that is just showing my anti saisson snobbishness. Anyway, its not a bad beer, if you can handle the sourness. And, it could be a great bargain as the people truly looking for a 'classic American pale ale' stay away and Shiner cuts the price to sell the stuff. Of course, if the people at Shiner really can't keep the yeasties out of their ale when they want to, you'll just be taking your chances with this.

Serving type: bottle

05-15-2013 01:41:17 | More by ribby

SanWrencho

Illinois

3.73/5  rDev +10.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

If you like hops, this is an excellent beer. The first impression is a very floral, aromatic hop aroma that is counterbalanced by a much more restrained maltiness. Nice amber color and head, mouthfeel is refreshing. Kudos to Spoetzl for brewing a beer that delivers on hop flavor without the overkill of many IPAs

Serving type: bottle

05-08-2013 18:21:49 | More by SanWrencho

metter98

New York

3.39/5  rDev +0.6%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25

A: The beer is clear light amber in color and has a moderate amount of visible carbonation. It poured with a half finger high off white head that died down but consistently left a thin head covering the surface and some lacing down the sides of the glass.
S: Light aromas of floral, grassy and herbal hops are present in the nose.
T: The taste is similar to the smell and has hints of underlying toasted malts along with a light amount of bitterness. The malts become a little stronger as the beer warms up.
M: It feels light- to medium-bodied and slightly crisp on the palate with a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: This beer is easy to drink but I wasn't overall crazy about the flavor of the hop profile.

Serving type: bottle

04-25-2013 00:18:41 | More by metter98

tronester

Oklahoma

3.04/5  rDev -9.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25

Pours a hazy orangish brown with a medium off white head. Aromas of molasses and grain. Taste begins with some plums, then some oatmeal, and a slightly salty, earthy finish. Decent mouthfeel. Overall a below average pale ale. One of Shiners weaker offerings IMO.

Serving type: bottle

04-16-2013 00:19:04 | More by tronester

oberon

North Carolina

3.3/5  rDev -2.1%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25

Poured into a standard pint glass a clear light copper/brass color with a thin quick to fade white head atop.A decent shot of floral hops mixed with some caramel/biscuit malts with neither winning out over the other.The hops don't show much presence on the palate with mainly lithly toasted biscuit malt flavors.The feel is pretty light and ho hum.Eh it goes down easy but there are better "no brainer" beers to be had out there.

Serving type: bottle

04-15-2013 17:37:28 | More by oberon

Stinkypuss

Pennsylvania

3.03/5  rDev -10.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Pours a clear copper color with a well retaining white head that leaves some good lace on the pint. Aroma of caramel and floral hop. In the taste, light caramel and bitter, earthy hops. A little bread and then finishes with a grassy bitterness. The mouthfeel is light to medium and a bit watery. Carbonation is good. Overall this is about average for an American pale. Par for the course.

Serving type: bottle

03-25-2013 20:16:38 | More by Stinkypuss

budgood1

Minnesota

3.7/5  rDev +9.8%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

pours out a slightly clouded deep amber colour with a thin bone white head. wispy lace as i drink. sugary malty notes with some melon hoppiness on the nose. the taste profile takes a balanced approach. subdued sugary malt bill...slight citrus pith and melon hop notes accompanied by an above average, mouth puckering hop bitterness to round things out. the bitterness really stands out in an otherwise non-descript pale here. underneath it all there is a hint of alcohol/peppery spice. the body is a bit light in the shorts, just ever so slightly watery, even for a regular, run of the mill pale ale. the mouthfeel is a bit more revealing...coarse and tongue tingling from the bitter hopping. this has a nice drinkability...and methinks that this would be a nice summertime quencher. it has just enough of the appreciable characteristics to make for a summer quaffer or to wash down some spicy hot wings.

overall, i'm sort of impressed. what it lacks in aroma and body is quickly made up by the taste, mouthfeel and quenchability/bitterness. for a Shiner product , it exceeded my expectations, and certainly has a wild hair (sic).

Serving type: bottle

03-09-2013 22:55:44 | More by budgood1

Lemke10

Wisconsin

3.35/5  rDev -0.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

This pours a semi-cloudy, golden amber color with a thin beige head. The aroma has a weak scent of grains and yeast that is overtaken by the smell of hops. The taste is kind of unique for a pale ale as it has a little bit of spiciness to the hops. Drinks a little more like a spiced beer than a pale ale to me. Drinkable a fairly decent for the price.

Serving type: bottle

02-24-2013 05:36:32 | More by Lemke10

mfnmbvp

Illinois

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

12 oz. bottle, with no apparent bottled on date present. I'm pretty sure the case I landed is from about a year ago since it was covered in dust even though it was in the freezer. I bought a case last year also and wasn't impressed but I thought I'd give it another go before it disappears entirely. Not sure if they're still making this or not, but Beer Advocate lists it as limited / brewed once.

Poured into a Firestone Walker pint glass.

A - Pours a bubbly copper amber color with about a finger of foamy white head on top. Decent retention. Tons of bubbles floating about; looks a tad bit over carbonated. Some nice lacing leftover on the glass.

S - Light floral hop smell and crisp, dusty apple malt character. Little bit of green apple / pear fruit sugar sweetness going on. Faint citrus hops fade away quickly, but they are definitely in there.

T - Smooth, crisp malts. Some apple fruit sugars. No real hop bitterness to be found, which is slightly disappointing, but was to be expected. There is a vague taste of hoppy sweetness to be had though, in place of bitterness. Not horrendously over carbonated at all, and it has some nice fruity and floral character to it.

M - Very dry aftertaste / feel, invoking another taste. Nice light medium-bodied brew goes down smooth.

Highly drinkable stuff, with a modest 5.50% abv, you can definitely kick back with a couple of these, although not the greatest pale ale to ever grace my lips, it was a decent first try from Spoetzl. I still have eleven bottles of this stuff left, so I'll have plenty of time to savor the flavor.

Shiner Wild Hare Pale Ale ---3.5/5

Serving type: bottle

02-15-2013 23:43:07 | More by mfnmbvp

cousineddy

Illinois

3.69/5  rDev +9.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

Appearance: Pourds and yellow/golden color. 1 finger of white head that dissipated in about 1 minute. some lacing

Smell: Fruity. Slight banana aroma, citrus and bubble gum

Taste: starts very light, has nice hoppy backnotes i don't get a lot of malt from this brew

Mouthfeel: Fizzy and drinkable, would probably be better suited to trying in the summer.

Overall: not a bad pale ale but not a great one either. probably won't buy again, prefer schlafly.

Serving type: bottle

01-24-2013 05:02:59 | More by cousineddy

BeerAdvocate

Massachusetts

3.5/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

From BeerAdvocate magazine Issue #62 (Mar 2012):

LOOK: Clear amber, ample lacing

SMELL: Dusty malt, taffy, caramel, herbal hop, bready, ripe pears, faint esters

TASTE: Fresh bread, crisp, medium body, dried grass, herbal, floral, mild pepperiness, baked apple, toasted grain, semidry finish

Spoetzl's first ale ever, testing the waters with a Pale Ale. We guess it would have been odd if they jumped into barrel-aged Double IPAs. Wild Hare sits in the middle of the pack; balance and drinkability seem to have been the focus. Give this one a whirl.

Serving type: bottle

01-18-2013 23:14:27 | More by BeerAdvocate

Mojo

Alabama

3.49/5  rDev +3.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

12ounce bottle -> World Market tulip glass

This offering pours up a deep clear copper with a 1 finger head, a thin retention ring and lots of lacing. Smell is mostly grasses and biscuit. Taste is a mild citrus with a slightly bitter finish. Mouthfeel is about average without a lot of carbonation. An okay beer, but just okay.

Serving type: bottle

01-13-2013 04:26:20 | More by Mojo

Tone

Missouri

3.65/5  rDev +8.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a clear, copper color. 3/4 inch head of an off-white color. Great retention and great lacing. Smells of citrus hops, sweet malt, hint of grass, and hint of pale malt. Fits the style of an American Pale Ale. Mouth feel is smooth and clean, with a low carbonation level. Tastes of sweet malt, slight grass, slight citrus hops, hint of caramel malt, and hint of pale malt. Overall, great appearance and mouth feel, but the hops were too much of a secondary feature for an American Pale Ale.

Serving type: bottle

01-02-2013 14:58:19 | More by Tone

TheQuietMan22

Iowa

3.53/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Serving type: 12-ounce bottle A very faint freshness date is printed on the shoulder: “02 14 13.”

Appearance: Poured into a pint glass. The color is medium copper. One finger of eggshell-colored head dissipated quickly to leave a skim and ring around the edge.

Smell: Very floral and spicy nose; lots of white pepper. It actually reminds me of Snowstorm 2012 in that sense. As it warms, the spiciness subdues and scents of citrus (lemon and orange peel) and caramel emerge.

Taste: Floral hops and pepper spice provide the oomph while there is a solid malt base. Caramel, a little lemon zest, and maybe some orange peel.

Drinkability: It is a decent brew and offers a nice spiciness. However, that is really not what I expect from this style.

Serving type: bottle

12-29-2012 05:03:26 | More by TheQuietMan22

bcsbeer

Florida

3.48/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured dark amber with a slight haze and a two finger white head. Good retention.
Not a lot for the nose, malt, bread, orange zest. Taste was of floral hops mixed with
a malty sweetness. Odd flavor for a APA (in a good way) If this was a blind taste test I would have thought I was drinking a wheat beer. Good carbonation with a medium to heavy mouth feel. It had a slightly dry sweet orange finnish. I would have another.

Serving type: bottle

12-27-2012 04:17:10 | More by bcsbeer

AlCaponeJunior

Texas

3.55/5  rDev +5.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Looks good, mostly clear and tannish-amber with a pretty good head and lace.

Floral and fruity smelling, biscuit malt, barley, and oddly, a touch of funk reminiscent of a tripel.

Taste is quite fruity, with crystal malts, barley, citrus, hops. It's a bit heavy on the maltiness for a pale ale, but it ain't bad at all. I find it far more bold and forward than many of Spoetzl's beers, which is refreshing to note. I still find it slightly tripel like, but that may just be me.

Body is pretty thick and rich for a pale ale, quite pleasing though. A fruity, slightly hoppy finish rounds it out.

It's not bad at all. I could buy a sixer of it and drink them all without complaint. I don't think it's world class, but it's tasty enough to enjoy. A good effort, hopefully Spoetzl will keep trying new and bolder beers over time.

Serving type: bottle

12-09-2012 17:20:54 | More by AlCaponeJunior

NuclearDolphin

Minnesota

3.4/5  rDev +0.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured into a Pint Glass

Appearance - Dark Orange with a moderate haze and alot of carbonation. Head pours around 2 fingers and leaves behind some sparse lacing

Smell - Floral Hops, Yeast, Biscuits, Malts and Barley. Not too different from your average American Pale Ale, pretty much what you'd expect really.

Taste - Strong Floral Hops, Bread, Caramel, Malts and Barley. Definitely tastes sweeter than it smells, and the maltiness becomes more prevalent as it warms up. Little too malty for a Pale Ale though....

Mouthfeel - Heavier Body with some mild carbonation. It's not crisp or refreshing and the carbonation starts out strong but becomes easier to drink as the carbonation settles down.

Overall - For a Pale Ale, it's very malty almost to a fault but there isn't any particularly bad about it. At the very least it's worth checking out but be prepared for a decent but imbalanced flavor

Serving type: bottle

12-06-2012 03:24:25 | More by NuclearDolphin

TMoney2591

Illinois

3.08/5  rDev -8.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Served in a Lagunitas mason jar.

I could go for a dish of wild hare about now... Anyway, this stuff pours a clear sunrise amber topped by a finger of off-white foam. The nose comprises light orange zest, light BO (and I checked: it's not mine...), biscuit, and funky greens. The taste brings in more of the same (minus the BO, of course), with a slightly more pronounced orange character. The body is a light medium, with a light moderate carbonation and a sorta/kinda dry finish. Overall, an uninspired pale. It's not really bad, per se, but it's not very good, either. Average at best.

Serving type: bottle

11-10-2012 21:51:11 | More by TMoney2591

ubenumber2

Arkansas

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

Had this on tap at a Casino , not a bad looking beer at all , but average in smell and taste. Had a nice head on it with very little lacing. The flavor was kind of a generic pale ale for me , but most brews from this brewer all seem like a good idea that someone just stopped short on. It was free so I wont complain , but I wouldnt purchase it myself

Serving type: on-tap

11-09-2012 22:06:23 | More by ubenumber2

RonaldTheriot

Louisiana

4.45/5  rDev +32%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

This was a strange one. Shiner Wild Hare Pale Ale has a thick, frothy, off-white head, a clear, somewhat bubbly, amber appearance, and nice lacing rings left on the glass. The aroma is, oddly, of coriander and banana, and the flavor is the same, with bread, sweetness, grapefruit, and bitter hop notes as well. It’s almost as if a heffe-weizen had been poured into the bottles by mistake. The mouthfeel is light, and Shiner Wild Hare Pale Ale finishes crisp, snappy, and refreshing- almost lager like. Even with all the strangeness, it’s a very interesting beer and maybe the best that Shiner has on the market. I rate it excellent and would advise beer lovers to check it out.

RJT

Serving type: bottle

10-23-2012 20:06:07 | More by RonaldTheriot

zeff80

Missouri

3.43/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A - Poured out a copper color with a one-finger, off-white head of short-lived foam. It left very little lacing.

S - It smelled somewhat floral with some bread crust and toffee.

T - Fairly sweet and slightly malty with toffee and caramel. Light spicy bitterness from the hops.

M - It was crisp, sharp and smooth. A light to medium bodied ale with a dry finish.

O - This is an okay pale ale. It is an inexpensive brew with the potential to be a gateway beer.

Serving type: bottle

10-22-2012 14:37:46 | More by zeff80

damndirtyape

Ohio

3.13/5  rDev -7.1%
look: 4 | smell: 2 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

12oz bottle poured into a Shaker pint glass. No date stamp.

Appearance: Hazy golden orange/amber. White head with plenty of lacing. Some chill haze noted.

Smell: Odd - a bit medicinal at first, floral, and some metallic. Not what I was expecting in an APA.

Taste: Also odd. The classic APA of citrus hops and malt backbone is missing. Malt is there under a strong hop flavor which is a mix of German spicy noble hops and some mild citrus. Much better as it warms up - not at all pleasant when cold.

Mouthfeel: Good carbonation, nice thickness underneath, a bit sticky on the teeth.

Overall / Drinkability: For a beer from Texas, this is not a beer to drink cold, or at least not for me anyway. Cold it's offputting - the smell and the taste made me think it was way past due, but as it warmed up more of its charm came out. It grew on me, but I think that was because it was so bad at first and as it got better I did a bit of "oh thank god I won't have to drainpour this - it's not so bad after all" but that's not a good way to start a beer. It's not your typical APA. Once warm its just above average, but before that....it's a beer to avoid. I do wonder if this beer is a bit old, but no way of knowing. So overall, it's just okay if warm. Drinkability - one is enough.

Serving type: bottle

10-20-2012 22:23:40 | More by damndirtyape

jmbranum

Oklahoma

4.48/5  rDev +32.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

This is one of the best beers I've had from Spoetzl.

Pour a clear medium amber with a big white head.

Aroma is very malty with a little bit of hops.

Flavor is nice. Very well-balanced. Feels like more of an English style Pale Ale to me. More hops than most beers from this brewery but less than many other Pale Ales. Some nuttyness, some herbal/floral notes. Nice use of hops. Very present without dominating the flavor. Nice lingering malty aftertaste. Just the right amount of sweetness without being cloying.

Medium smooth mouthfeel.

I like this beer a lot. I am very impressed.

Serving type: bottle

10-15-2012 17:27:02 | More by jmbranum

EagleTalon

Arkansas

3.78/5  rDev +12.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours to to a decent white head and moderate lacing. Golden amber color. Aroma is citrus hops and sweet malt. Flavor is a mild mix of citrus, lemon, pepper and dry malt. Mouthfeel is light and co2 is moderate. Overall, a light version of APA well suited for the texas heat.

Serving type: on-tap

09-26-2012 01:48:30 | More by EagleTalon