Shiner Wild Hare Pale Ale - Spoetzl Brewery

lanechaffin

Texas

5/5  rDev +48.4%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Pours reddish copper in color w/delightful head. Good bitterness, aroma kind of flowery imo. Goes down very easy but watch out this is a pretty strong brew if you're used to drinking standard lager like Budweiser or Coors. I like Blue Moon and Sierra Nevada pale ales and this one is on par with those brews. Anything from Shiner is good

Serving type: bottle

09-16-2012 18:44:52 | More by lanechaffin

OverToad

Texas

4.68/5  rDev +38.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Seeing I don't have have a palate destroying hop bomb to know when there's a good beer, I was excited to see Shiner make a pale ale.

Color is copper and clear
Taste is fantastic for a Shiner. I really like this beer.

Mouthful is light like a pale ale should be.

Thank you Shiner!

Serving type: bottle

01-24-2012 23:43:41 | More by OverToad

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

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

Kornoms

Texas

4.05/5  rDev +20.2%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Golden-brown in appearance with a good 2 finger head after pour, with excellent lacing. You can definitely smell the hops- with tones of floral and citrus. It's pretty mellow, but you get a nice bite and hoppy character towards the end of the sip. Overall, excited about Shiner's first Pale Ale- It seems that Shiner is starting to get more creative and coming out with more complex beers.

Serving type: bottle

01-26-2012 04:37:07 | More by Kornoms

Cyberkedi

Georgia

3.98/5  rDev +18.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Comes out of the tap a somewhat hazy and very appetizing copper-gold with a respectable pale wheat head. Strong aroma is malty and fruity, providing tones of apple and pear and a hint of banana. Flavor is mainly fruity, pear and apple and a bit of banana, malty and hoppy notes and a touch of horehound. Texture has good body and sassy fizz. Let this wild hare hop down your throat!Comes out of the tap a somewhat hazy and very appetizing copper-gold with a respectable pale wheat head. Strong aroma is malty and fruity, providing tones of apple and pear and a hint of banana. Flavor is mainly fruity, pear and apple and a bit of banana, malty and hoppy notes and a touch of horehound. Texture has good body and sassy fizz. Let this wild hare hop down your throat!

Serving type: on-tap

08-31-2012 22:23:13 | More by Cyberkedi

imasloth

Texas

3.9/5  rDev +15.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

So um ... Like many people I was a bit surprised that Shiner decided to do a pale ale. After seeing the billboards around Austin, I looked it up on BA and was disappointed by the reviews. Had my brother not sent me one, I may have never tried it.

A- Poured into snifter. Red with a slight tinge of amber, large white head with good retention, medium carbonation.

S- Sweet. Pine and tropical fruit hops smells. (I get passion-fruit). As the beer warms a slight malt smell comes out.

T- Strong fruitiness up front, followed by hop bitterness. A light malt finish with a fruity aftertaste.

M- Medium body, smooth with a clean finish.

O- After the reviews and word of mouth, I was greatly surprised by how much I enjoyed this beer. I call it a nice effort by Shiner and a welcome new direction in pale ales.

Serving type: bottle

02-13-2012 17:31:48 | More by imasloth

ChainGangGuy

Georgia

3.8/5  rDev +12.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

12 ounce bottle - $1.49 at Total Wine & More in Kennesaw, Georgia.

Appearance: Pours a orangey-copper body, nearly clear with only a very slight haze to it. A finger of near white foam.

Smell: A scent of toasted bread and grains brushed with sweet-scented caramel and affixed to fine hoppy notes smelling of orange blossoms, a spot of orange oil, and grassy herbs.

Taste: Pale malts, toasty malts with touches of grain and gooey caramel. A drop of orange extract with herbal, grassy hops and some bitterness, not too terribly much, but enough to balance it out and close it out lightly crisp and nearly dry.

Mouthfeel: Medium-light body. Medium-plus carbonation.

Overall: Not overly bold, but not entirely mild, it's a decent, inoffensive pale ale.

Serving type: bottle

08-12-2012 23:38:56 | More by ChainGangGuy

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

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

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

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

chapcat

Texas

3.68/5  rDev +9.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Poured from bottle into weizen glass. Left a nice two finger head with some lacing. Head diminished after a few minutes.

I could sense malt, pine and some spice in the aroma. Mouthfeel was average. Carbonation was fairly robust.

I could taste malt and spice, with a nicely balanced hop finish. I have tried most of Shiner's offerings, and this may be their most flavorful to date. This pale ale is very easy to drink, yet still has plenty of flavor. I would not say this is among the very best among this type I have tried, but Shiner has a good effort with Wild Hare Pale Ale.

Serving type: bottle

03-23-2012 01:44:47 | More by chapcat

raznug

Ohio

3.68/5  rDev +9.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance: Wild hare pours a crystal clear golden color and is topped with a good 1” of white head that disappear into a thin layer that hangs around quite a few drinks into the pint.
Smell: The first whiff of smells that I get is fruity and floral aromas followed by a malt smell that has me intrigued.
Taste: The blend of this beer is deliciously done it is balanced so that no one flavor is over powering. I wish that the hops were a little more in the forefront being an American pale ale but shiner doesn’t always follow in line with most brewerys.
Mouthfeel: This is an easy drinking a clean bodied pale ale. It is medium body which allows the palate to hang on to the flavors more than a typical pale ale.

Serving type: bottle

08-26-2012 20:36:31 | More by raznug

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

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

jwc215

New Jersey

3.6/5  rDev +6.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Pours deep gold with a lasting thin, creamy head. Plenty of lacing sticks.

The smell is of citrus - grapefruit, orange and lemon with some bread and pale malt backing.

Hints of citrus with pale malt flavor are in the taste, but struggling to not get washed out by the water. Taste lingers a bit after the finish.

Fairly crisp, but watered down.

A well-balanced brew. It's an APA, not an IPA, but even for that it is thin. Still, it is easy-to-drink. Just on the thin side.

Serving type: bottle

09-09-2012 18:26:35 | More by jwc215

mjurney

Texas

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

Appearance:
Light amber, clear. Lots of small bubbles rising. Thick head that disappear really quick.

Aroma:
Sweet malts, caramel, a little citrus hops.

Taste:
Sweet malts up front along with sharp bitterness towards the finish. Sweet caramel, fruity, floral, citrus.

Body:
Light-medium bodied, medium carbonation, just a little dryness in the palate.

Serving type: bottle

02-26-2012 17:46:45 | More by mjurney

Kegatron

Pennsylvania

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

12 oz bottle into a pint glass.

Pours a clear copper, with 2 fingers of foamy bright-white head. This maintains a rich ½ finger, which stays frothy and slathers the sides of the glass with thick sticky lacing. The aroma smells grassy, spicy, and earthy in the nose, with an underlying tangy combo of citrus and malt, with the malt in particular having a bit of a buttered biscuit thing going on with it.

The taste is mellow and earthy up front, which gives way to a crisp citric bite that spreads light earthy bitterness and spice into the finish. The malts have a nice presence here as well, with a buttered cracker sweetness to them that melds well with that citrus flavor to give this fresh earthy twang on the palate. The mouthfeel is medium bodied, with an initial soft sharpness to the carbonation that puts a nice firm crispness on the tongue while more of a slick creaminess comes in off the edges and keeps this relatively smooth in the mouth.

I thought that this was an above average Pale Ale that fell somewhere between the English and American styles but was still pretty flavorful and very easy drinking. This bottled tasted pretty fresh, which I think was key to my overall enjoyment of it. I’d definitely have another.

Serving type: bottle

06-18-2012 19:34:24 | More by Kegatron

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

diamondc

Texas

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

A: Copper shade, lots of lacing and decent head retention. Nice.

S: Tangerine, brown sugar, mazapan, flowers.

T: Good balance of the malt and hops. Lots of wheat bread, brown sugar sweetness with a medium earthy, floral hop flavor.

M: Quaffable, simple, I had this beer with some chicken fried steak and paired very well.

O: Decent pale ale, maybe a higher rating than it deserves when compared to world class ales, but a step up from the regular Shiner lineup.

Serving type: bottle

04-02-2012 07:53:40 | More by diamondc

match1112

Illinois

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

a: clear light copper colored body with a two finger off white head that leaves plenty of lacing and shows good retention.

s: floral citrus hops and some caramel malt notes.

t: sweet and citrusy. some caramel and well water.

m: medium to thin on the body. carbonation was good. a little hop bite.

o: not bad for their first apa. easy enough to drink the six pack. the only thing i didnt like, there was a mineral presence like i pick up in samuel smith beers, maybe from the water used.

Serving type: bottle

05-13-2012 17:57:44 | More by match1112

Brenden

Ohio

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

A light amber color that's got a golden hue to it but is darker, this brew develops a head one finger high, very slightly yellow-tinted, that shows excellent retention. It's not massive, and it doesn't make much of a statement except that it just won't fade. Bubbling activity from the bottom of the glass keeps it up indefinitely, and it leaves patchy lacing as it drops.
The smell offers breads and a nice, even-keeled sweetness of caramel with a hint of something honey-like while balancing an earthy and floral hops bitterness. It's actually really nice, and I'm really enjoying it before it seems to disappear. After that, it takes a little effort to draw it out.
The flavor's a bit stronger, and the brewers seem to have gone for balance and simplicity, which is achieved. True, the hops bitterness goes to a little too pithy and chalky into the finish, but it's nothing that makes it bad. This is certainly a good effort from a lager producers first ale ever.
The feel is brisk and light and plenty crisp with a slightly more than moderate carbonation. It could use a bit more cleanness to it, and while the lightness of the body is appropriate, it does seem thin at times, but it's not bad.

Serving type: bottle

09-03-2012 14:07:05 | More by Brenden

Jadjunk

Georgia

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

Served on tap at Summit's Wayside Tavern Snellville. Reviewed from notes.

(Appearance) Golden amber color. White surface cover. About an average appearance. 3

(Smell) Pale malts and light caramel aromas. Little hop presence to be found. There's significant body but little originality to the aroma. 3.5

(Taste) Tastes of thin pale malt with a crisp lemony backbone and a faint grassy hop crispness. Flavor profile is very thin but highly drinkable. 3.5

(Mouthfeel) Mostly slick thin profile with a little bit of fizz on the center of the tongue. Body is light. Alcohol presence is light. Good pairing. 4

(Overall) A decent foray into the wide world of Ales by Shiner. It's certainly a light flavor profile, making this a quaffable brew and there is little adventure to be had in the flavor, but it is a good beer for what it is and I wouldn't mind another in the future. 3.5

Spoetzl Brewery's
Shiner Wild Hare Pale Ale
3.53/5.00

Serving type: on-tap

09-05-2012 21:03:22 | More by Jadjunk

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