Monday Rant: Don't Judge Beer by the Label

Should breweries be judged strictly on their flagship brews? I believe that they shouldn't. For far too long I've heard people have one beer from a particular brewing company and refuse to have anything else by that company.

A good while ago I tried Shiner Bock by Spoetzl Brewery out of Texas. It came with a lot of hype. I had heard nothing but great things about this beer from others. When I finally had a chance to try it, I was drastically disappointed.

To make a long story short, I reviewed the beer on this blog as I always do and a PR representative from Spoetzl saw my dissatisfied review and sent me samples of Wild Hare Pale Ale.

This past week I was charged with the duty of selecting a case of beer to help celebrate mine and my uncle's birthdays for when my family met over the weekend.When I pulled into the local distributor the first case of beer I saw through the window was what I walked out with. This case of beer was the Shiner Family Reunion Variety Pack.

I really had no second thoughts about my purchase. I was actually excited to try some of these beers. My bad thoughts towards Shiner Bock had no impact on this choice, even though there were some bottles of Spoetzl's flagship within this sampler.

I have tried the Shiner Hefeweizen and the newly-released Prickly Pear Lager and enjoyed them both. Don't let one beer let you develop an entire opinion about a single brewery!

Beer Review: Shiner Wild Hare Pale Ale

Serving Type: Bottle (Free sample from Spoetzl Brewery)

ABV: 5.7 percent

Appearance: Wild Hare Pale Ale's body is an attractive copper color that appears somewhat thick and hazy. It's head has the look of puffy, white clouds and has some pretty decent retention and lacing. There isn't any visible carbonation in this beer.

Smell: I got quite a bit of floral and fruity hints when smelling this beer. Some caramel malt peeks its way through as well, but the floral and fruity hints dominate the aroma.

Taste: If you don't know where your sweet sensors are on your tongue, this beer will help you with this problem. It's very sweet on the outside of the tongue, while being biscuity and hoppy in the middle and towards the back.

Overall Rating: 

Really enjoyed this beer. Still would have enjoyed it even if it wasn't free. Loved Shiner Holiday Cheer back in December, was disappointed with Shiner Bock a few weeks ago and was blown away by this Pale Ale. From what I can find, this beer was a limited release. Hopefully Spoetzl changes its mind on that issue.