Along a Fence - Shiner FM 966 Farmhouse Ale

I've been writing about it in every few posts for about the last month and a half. I've finally weeded through the backlog of beers I had to review the old way. The way I felt to be kind of drab after two plus years of doing it. I felt that changing it up would be a bit more entertaining whenever I actually get the opportunity to post during the week. I figured it would also be somewhat more interesting to look at for the approximately six or seven people that actually read this stuff. I'm not exactly trying to win a pulitzer here. Some better angles enables us to get better looks at the brews along with some intriguing labels or even cans in some cases. I'll also be trying to incorporate a classic song lyric or a movie quote at the end of each of these just for fun, too.

Quite a sweet and sour scent. Also quite yeasty and estery. Pepper, grass and lemon. This was a very, very crisp brew. Very springy. Thick and golden body. Really had some body to it. A curtain of foggy haze within the body as well.

This would be a great beer to have either sitting back on or leaning against a fence on some random farm somewhere in central/southern Pennsylvania. You know what area I'm thinking of. A perfect place to guzzle a few of these. Neil Young used to play at Farm Aid (he might even still be one of the figure heads for that, I'm not sure) almost every time it came around. I think that makes him fitting to listen to while enjoying one of these.

"Dream up, dream up. Let me fill your cup with the promise of a man." - Neil Young in Harvest

Beer Review: Shiner Bohemian Black Lager

Serving Type: Bottle

ABV: 4.9 percent

Appearance: Bohemian Black Lager appears as if it's straight black, but if you take a closer look it's closer to more of a very dark brown. The head of the brew is about as thick as half of one of your fingers. The color is a little past beige, but looks most like a light brown. It has above-average retention and will leave a foamy thin layer as you progress through the drink. There is carbonation present, but it provides an interesting visual. The body of the beer is dark to the point that any of the carbonation bubbles are visible within a half-inch of the head.

Smell: The best way to describe the aroma of this brew is very dark and very roasty. A slight hint of dark coffee is also present.

Taste: Once again the dominant flavors are ones that are dark and roasted. The coffee especially translates to the tongue well. There is also a slightly bitter hop character on the finish. An interesting note on this beer is the fact that it looks thick and heavy like a stout or a dark porter, but on the tongue it tastes and feels much lighter.

Overall Rating: 

Spoetzl Brewery and I got off to a bad start when I first had Shiner Bock, but I've had a few pleasant experiences since with Wild Hare Pale Ale and this Bohemian Black Lager. Surprisingly this tasted and seemed lighter, which was a surprise (albeit a positive one). This would have went well with a nice steak or another similar meat.

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.

Monday Rant: Brewers Giving Bloggers Freebies - Is It Alright?

There are many sites out there like this one with someone that loves craft beer, all of the different types to try and uses a blog to share their thoughts on the beers they are lucky enough to try. If you're any type of critic, you'll have your fair share of beers that you simply don't like.

I'm certainly not the first beer blogger to notice a trend that's taking shape in the beer world recently. A beer blogger reviews a beer that he somewhat didn't like. Thus, a negatively-painted review is written of said beer.

The brewer, or someone with a business relationship to the company, of this particular beer somehow comes across this negative review of their product and contacts the author of the review and offers him or her some free beer through the mail.

I came across my first experience with this within the last two weeks. I was disappointed in Shiner Bock when I drank it, posted my review of it and received an email from Spoetzl Brewery's public relations firm asking if I'd like to be sent one of the brewery's newer and popular releases, Wild Hare Pale Ale.

I agreed. Who wouldn't want free beer? My package got here in about two days. It included three bottles of Wild Hare Pale Ale, a six pack holder and a press release concerning the beer's initial release. Honestly, once I had a chance to try the beer I fell in love with it (review will be posted tomorrow morning.)

Now, there's a lot of ethical debate going on about this issue which concerns both sides. Is it ethical for brewing companies to send bloggers free beer samples? Is it ethical for the blogger to review said beers and not be as critical as they would if they had paid for the beer originally?

It's a very tough issue and since the way we use the internet is still being defined, I don't necessarily think there's a correct answer. From the brewer's point of view the use of social media and the blogosphere is a way of free and unlimited advertisement. As someone whose career niche appears to be the route of social media, I've figured this out over the last year or so. Social media still hasn't been defined in a corporate sense.

As a blogger, I think that it's in our best interests to still maintain the ability to be critical in the review process even though the beer might be free. There's nothing obligating us to make sure we write something positive about what a brewer might have sent us. After all, the ability to pick and choose what we like and don't like in the world of craft beer is what makes the movement so intriguing.

Beer Review: Shiner Bock

Serving Type: Bottle

ABV: 4.4 percent

Appearance: Shiner Bock is a dark shade of vivid brown, but is still light enough to see objects through it. The head is very white, but doesn't appear to be active. It starts as a very thin layer and quickly disappears. The beer's body doesn't appear to have a lot of carbonation either. I got the feeling just by taking this beer in with the eye that it was watered-down.

Smell: The aroma of Shiner Bock isn't that pungent. Some malts are clear to the nose as well as some dark fruits. I couldn't really figure out which dark fruits though.

Taste: The impression I got just from looking at this beer was proved true once I got to taste it. Aside from the weak caramel and dark fruit tones, this beer didn't lack too much punch. It tasted and even felt watered down.

Overall Rating: 

I was mostly disappointed with this one. Spoetzl Brewery had high expectations given that I sampled and loved its Holiday Cheer around Christmas time. I've also hear amazing things about Shiner Bock, but I wasn't too thrilled as some are.

Beer Review: Shiner Holiday Cheer Dunkelweizen

Serving Type: Draft

ABV: 5.4 percent

Appearance: Holiday Cheer is a much lighter version of the dark ales that we're used to seeing in the Winter. You can even see through this beer. The head of the beer is very white and bubbly. The beer appears very carbonated.

Smell: Shockingly enough all I smelled in this beer was fruit. Mainly citrus fruits that you'd expect to find in a hefeweizen. There was also a hint of peach too. It really lacked the usual spice scents you get from most Winter Ales, but I was pleased to not have to fight through the spice for once.

Taste: The peach is very dominant in the taste. Behind that you can pick up the lemon and the orange. I tasted just a very small hint of spice. If I ever make a Winter or Christmas style beer this is how I want the spices to mix with the rest of the beer.

Overall Rating:   

Spoetzl Brewery really hits the nail on the head with this one. It sticks out from all of the other ordinary Winter warmers. I've also always wanted to try a Dunkelweizen. I never knew what it actually was. I've had Pious Monk Dunkel by Church Brew Works which is one of my favorite beers and I've had all kinds of hefeweizen brews. I really enjoyed this beer.