This is a bottle conditioned, wheat beer (all hefeweizens are) so it is required that you either shake the last half inch of beer to stir up the yeast off the bottom of the bottle, or swirl about half of the beer well enough to do the same. I find the former method to be the most effective for this and for producing sufficient head.
Anyway, it pours a golden yellow color with decent sized white head (the shaking makes the perfect amount) that is very cloudy with yeast. There is enough of it that you should wait a few minutes after you pour for all of it to mix evenly and after this there will still be some hovering at the top so you should swirl it to coax the rest to mix. ANYWAY. It smells strong of floral accents which primes you to expect a pretty strong hop flavor. It is initially bitter with a very light clover honey flavor, but as you swish it in the mouth, the honey and wheat flavors start to build and culminate in the finish to mask the bitterness of the strong hops and leave a sweet aftertaste.
Does not mix very well with jambalaya and tabasco.... But is effective in quenching the heat from the tabasco.
10 November 2007
Shiner Hefeweizen
17 September 2007
Shiner Bock
Though this is not the first time I have had Shiner Bock, I thought that it deserves a review.
My pint glasses are dirty tonight so I used a large table glass instead. It pours an exceptionally clear copper to amber color and produces a small head with decent retention and a uniquely sweet aroma. Its flavor is relatively uncomplex (I purposely avoid using the word "simple" here) consisting largely of malt which is evident from the uncommon sweetness and a subtle earthy (from hops) secondary flavor (not aftertaste). It is not over carbonated so it does not have a very dry or "spicy" feel on the palate, though it is detectable on the tongue. The aftertaste is faintly fruity due to the initial sweetness.
The lack of complexity compared with some other beers I have reviewed can be better appreciated by the novice taster or drinker than the more complex brews. It also seems to complement a hamburger quite well.