Beer Review: Shiner Family Pack

 

 

Shiner beer, made by Spoetzl Brewery in shiner, Texas, can be found just about anywhere. Perhaps that's the reason I tend to shy away from it. I prefer to try the new and/or unusual, and not only has Shiner been around for over a century, its beers are simple, clean-tasting crowd pleasers. 

That said, I've always been drawn to the "Shiner Family Pack." That cute goat on the packaging calls to me (currently, Shiner's most recognizable beer is its Bock, a style often associated with a goat), inviting me to try its friends, enticing the beer judge in me with the opportunity to compare and contrast. 

And so, I finally gave in one evening after work, easily locating the happy family  at the supermarket across the street. "There goes the last one! People love those things!" a store employee grinned, as I lifted the pack from the shelf. 

Shiner is a great brand for "beer beginners." Its beers are consistently light, yet refined, easy and enjoyable down the hatch. Its history, which reads like a John Steinbeck ode to Texas immigrants, also warrants it a big badge of pride. 

Here's what I thought of Mr. Bock and his friends:
 

 

Shiner Premium Lager: not quite "premium," in that its flavor is so clean and its bitterness is so low, that it almost tastes like mountain spring seltzer, until a bit of cracker-like malt enters into the finish. Not that less taste is always a bad thing, considering the putrid flavor of the light lagers big beer companies mass produce. Nice and spritzy, with a noble hop perfume and a slight unexpected creaminess to the mouthfeel.  

 

Shiner Kosmos Reserve: Named after Kosmos Spoetzl, the business' original master brewer, this is another Premium Lager. It has slightly more flavor than Shiner Premium, revealing both caramel and toasted malt, as well as some spicy hops. As a whole, however, the taste is still quite light, and the "extras" in this recipe almost feel like a letdown, a promise of something more to come that only fades away in a watery finish. 

 

Shiner Bock: a more delicate version of this long-standing German beer style, Shiner's take incorporates the traditional well attenuated taste with its light bitterness and slightly sweet finish. Less traditional is the lack of malt complexity--like all Shiner beers, this Bock is simple and sessionable. Its easygoing nature is aided by a lighter body than other examples of the style. 

 

Shiner Prickly Pear: I'm not generally one for fruit infusion, so I was surprised by how much I liked this one! Spoetzl didn't overdo it with the sweetness at all--there was just enough pear in there to give the beer a special kick. Mild hop bitterness did an excellent job at balancing out the overall flavor. In keeping with the Shiner trend, this is a crisp, refreshing, can't-go-wrong crowd pleaser. 

 
Shiner Bohemian Black Lager: here's where the disappointment started to creep in. Black Lagers, also called Schwarzbiers, are by no means dense, flavor packed ales. They're still lagers, after all. But Shiner's  Schwarzbier had a much thinner flavor profile than I was expecting, with more of a dirty charcoal taste than that of roasted malt. Its slightly bigger body and toned down carbonation made it less refreshing than its family members. In the end, it wasn't quite pond water, but it wasn't anything I'd try again. 

 

Shiner Wild Hare Pale Ale: This is a fairly new beer for Shiner, so I'm assuming it replaced a family pack usual. Its bouquet was faint, but what I did pick up on was fairly unusual: a jumble of tropical fruit, a squeeze of caramel, and a pinch of earthy hops. All these were present in the taste, and were somewhat balanced by toasty malt and moderate hop bitterness. The bitterness was surprisingly strong for a Shiner beer, as it was accentuated which by strong carbonation and a subtle mineral quality. The elements to this brew didn't quite fit together for me. I think a bit more hop flavor would help to bridge the sweet and the bitter. 

Of the bunch, I'd give the blue ribbon to the Premium, simply because its attenuation is so masterfully done that the result is possibly the most "easy drinker" I've tried to date. It's a light lager few, if any, would wrinkle their nose at, and to me, that's a big achievement. Second place in my book goes to the Prickly Pear for impressing me with its zesty balance, while third goes to good ol' Shiner Bock. It may be simple, but it's simply good.