Maybe haters is a bit strong. But I've seen many of you guys say you won't consider Shiner a great craft brewer until they try their hand at some ales.

Have you tried the new Wild Hare Pale Ale yet?

Pretty damn tasty in my opinion.

Shiner is incredible

But its way too well known and popular to be any good.

I think Wild Hare is very good.

I like Shiner beers and am glad to see them branch out. I hope they continue doing it.

I agree that some of the hate stems from the fact that it is "mass produced". Beer-sters will only like a beer if it is small-batch, limited and no one has heard of it.

"I used to like Cry of the Loon Bat Wing Double Bock IPA Oatmeal Stout, but then I saw it at Little Woodrow's. It's so commercial now."

Shiner Rocks. We are lucky to have it on the reg here in Texas.

Wild Hare is good. Let's not pretend though that Shiner hasn't produced some stinkers. The obvious is the Ruby Redbird, however their seasonal are not good offerings. Shiner Cheer is pretty bad and when I conducted my very scientific survey of Octoberfest beers (well, sort of scientific), the only one I thought was worst than Shiner was Leinenkugels. Shiner has a lot going for it, but with the explosion in craft beers, their competition has gotten pretty fierce.

Wild Hare is very good, and I also liked the Shiner 101. If that is coming back as a different incarnation, I'd like to know about it so I can get some more.

I really enjoyed the Shiner 100. Wish they would bring that one back.

But its way too well known and popular to be any good.
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riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight......... both dogfish head and rogue are very well known and distributed all around the u.s.a., yet their offerings blow away any watered down kaka that comes out of shiner

the Shiner Wild Hare is very smooth and pretty tasty. hell ive put down the sixer over the last 2 nights.

I definately like it better than most of the other Shiner offerings.

Its not pop-a-boner spectacular, but id buy it over any of thier other ones.



[This message has been edited by jetch17 (edited 2/1/2012 3:52p).]

i haven't bought anything shiner in a while, but i'll give that one a try

98 - was the Black and it was so popular they released it full time

99 - Hells Lager - pretty damn good - my personal fave, alas ill likely never see it again

100 was BAD - and it didn't sell well

101 - rocked and SHOULD come back

102 - ill drink it, but wont seek it out



Smokehouse is crap, cheer is crap, and I understand why people dont like the Ruby - i thought it grew on you. I applaud them for not be a cookie cutter and trying new things. Of course you are not going to please everyone and you are gonna make some mistakes - but ill keep coming back! But that's what the craft breweries are all about. Shiner just does it on a bigger scale.

Its a rough life when Shiner Bock is you "everyday beer."

now if they produce a berrywisen or razzbeer (i know cheer has the peach in it) I may have to do some time in the Shiner jail for a while.


_______________________________________________________
Bacon: the candy bar of meat.

The Ruby was a good by-the-pool summer beer. It was like having South Texas in a bottle.

Personal favorite is Kosmo's Reserve, only available in the Family Reunion

All of the others, save maybe Light Blonde, are good to better than good and will always be preferable to a Miller, Coors or Bud.

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Beer-sters will only like a beer if it is small-batch, limited and no one has heard of it.

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Sorry, no. I've just never had a Shiner product that I was like "oh wow that's a fantastic beer!"

I've got a Wild Hare in the fridge. I'm hoping it treats me well this weekend.

My issue with the Shiner "try this" beers they have been running is that very few of them have a really distinctive flavor or style. I will say that, of the ones I've tried, maybe Ruby Red and Smokehouse might fit this category. Ruby probably does. The rest seem to be be something different but not bold enough for you to saw, WoW, that is great. They give the appearance of doing these new beers just to "go with the flow" of the national craft scene.

Show me the hate Shiner fan boyz.

Despite my previous criticisms, the fact that this many people have an opinion on Shiner beer and have tried the different varieties shows their influence. I can't say I've tried every Abita offering. The previous poster nailed it in commenting that their different varieties are too bland. They aren't taking serious chances that a lot of people have come to expect out of "craft" breweries. I don't count the gimicky beers as risk taking as they partly sell based not on quality, but on the gimick. Now whether Shiner is a "craft" brewery is another topic, but no one cares about the different varieties Budweiser puts out.

Had the pale ale today, and went to the fridge to get out my last home brew, and they were very close. Actually wife couldn't tell the difference.

Shiner Spring Dortmunder, used to be called Shiner Frost.

Fantastic beer, one of my absolute favorites, but it can be hard to find Dortmunders at all, so the pickins can be kinda slim if you aren't near a craft brewer that makes one (thankfully I live in the distribution footprint for one of the best in the world in Great Lakes!)

Big fan of the Kosmos Reserve as well.

quote:

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But its way too well known and popular to be any good.
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riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight......... both dogfish head and rogue are very well known and distributed all around the u.s.a., yet their offerings blow away any watered down kaka that comes out of shiner

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First off I was joking, second, dogfish and rogue aren't as well known as you think. I've only heard of dogfish about year or 2 ago and never heard of rogue

Full page

I'm Marooned and I approve this assessment / grade.

Enjoys good brews my friends ...

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My issue with the Shiner "try this" beers they have been running is that very few of them have a really distinctive flavor or style. I will say that, of the ones I've tried, maybe Ruby Red and Smokehouse might fit this category. Ruby probably does. The rest seem to be be something different but not bold enough for you to saw, WoW, that is great. They give the appearance of doing these new beers just to "go with the flow" of the national craft scene.

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I think that this line of thought is the problem. A beer (or any food or drink for that matter) doesn't have to knock you off your feet with an over powering flavor in order to be good or even great.

I'm not saying Shiner's subtlety makes it the best beer ever. But knock out hoppiness/maltiness isn't always the point of drinking a beer in the same way that high alcohol content isn't the point of drinking beer.

Just my opinion.

edit to add: I'm not pointing my finger at you. I do it as well with many things. It's a cultural thing. Americans want the biggest/fastest/loudest/strongest everything... including beer.

[This message has been edited by IsleAg11 (edited 2/2/2012 10:19a).]

From that website:

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Want to try a beer that makes Budweiser taste like a craft beer? Look no further. Shiner Bock, despite it's loyal fanbase, has to be one of the blandest and most watered down beers I've ever tried.

A- Nothing too wrong with the look of the beer. The bottle is appealing and the brew pours a golden straw with a fluffy white head.

S- Not much to be said for this category... Malt, cereal grains and straw. No hops whatsoever

T- This beer tastes like Pabst Blue Ribbon mixed with sparkling water and just a hint of rust. Not altogether awful, but not what I'd classify as good beer in any way shape or form.

O- No hate to the brewers or to the fans, but I advise fans of quality brews to stay far away from this... beer?

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I think this guy might be a beer snob

Yeah, this "reviewer" doesn't know what he's talking about. I would not call Shiner Bock a "golden straw" color.

I've said this before and will say it again:

Try Shiner beer at the brewery if you have the chance. It is much improved there compared to Shiner from the bottle. When I tried 101 from the bottle, it was okay, and probably better than any other Shiner offerings besides Kosmos. I tried 101 at the brewery, and it was outstanding. It really had the crisp hop characteristics associated with authentic Czech pilsners.

I tried the Wild hare last night. Not the best pale ale, but certainly not the worst. I'd drink it without shame.

I was a fan of the Ruby last summer. After a hard ride on a hot day, it was very refreshing when we would sit down for the post-ride beverage.

Shiner Bock is a nice enough "step up" beer when all you have had is crappy American lagers. It has color and a bit more body. It doesn't taste like a German Bock so in some ways it is a fake. It is at most 60% of what a bock should have in both malt flavor, alcohol, and bitterness.

The beer style guide for a bock says:

"Overall Impression: A dark, strong, malty lager beer."

Shiner Bock is nothing like that.

If it were labeled a "medium lager" instead of a Bock I'd respect it more.

Quite true...Shiner Bock tastes like no German bock. However I still like it. Also love Shiner Cheer...it's perfect between Thanksgiving and Christmas. The Oktoberfest is okay. Wild Hare is interesting. Reminds me a bit of Ruby Redbird without the grapefruit. Dortmunder Spring Ale isn't bad. I also enjoy the Kosmos Reserve and the Alt Bier. Absolutely hate the Smokehaus brew. A smoky flavor (liquid smoke) is great in meat, but I don't want it in my beer. Shiner Light is decent as is the Hefe. Don't love the Blonde or the 102 (tastes like a fancy Budweiser). I thought that Dunkelweizen (once called Winter Ale) and Kölsch were decent. I guess they didn't sell very well.

quote:

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"I used to like Cry of the Loon Bat Wing Double Bock IPA Oatmeal Stout, but then I saw it at Little Woodrow's. It's so commercial now."

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underated post

Thanks.

I had a Wild Hare or six while tending the smoker on Sunday and I liked it. Once again, nothing over the top special, but solid, drinkable brewsky.

bonfire, I thought 98 was an Amber Lager. I really liked that one.

Glad to see this thread! I picked up a six of Hare @ Spec's yesterday and have it in the fridge for the weekend. Was a bit of a gamble for me because I haven't been impressed with Shiner's recent offerings (smokehouse, Ruby, Cheer) but I have six of St Arnold's Amber in case the Hare didn't work out.

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bonfire, I thought 98 was an Amber Lager. I really liked that one.

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Yeah, 97 was the black lager. Stands out in my mind, as a class of 97 old fart.

I forgot about the amber. That was really a pretty good beer.

The thing about Shiner is the slight sour twang. It is present in about all of their beers, and some like it, others don't.

Out of everything they have made, I like the smokehaus, the dortmunder, the kolsch and the amber the best. These four beers are solid.

I didn't really like the pale, but it wasn't bad.

I love shiners seasonal beers. The ruby redis a staple at my house during the summer as is the cheer during the winter and the dortmunder right now. Love the smokehaus if and only if it's paired with a smoke meat. Otherwise smoke should be restricted to meat and scotch. I've never cared for the regular shiner though and actually much prefer the blonde over it. But I tend to gravitate toward the stouts and doublebocks.

Also I agree with the praise for the kosmos reserve and alt beer