Shiner: Bock

Spoetzl Brewery, Shiner, TX

ABV: 4.4% (Alcohol By Volume)
IBU: 13 (International Bitterness Unit)

As a temporary resident of Texas I am enjoying this fine brew. It brings back memories of College when Friday afternoons were reserved for drinking draught beer at The Campus Pub. That's right folks, the wonderful folks at Vanderbilt University served Shiner Bock as a pub brew that could be purchased with your Student ID (Thanks, Mom & Dad!!!).
This Texan Gem has a dark amber color and has the appearance of being quite flavorful. A closer look shows that in the end it is transparent and watery looking. I find this quite strange, it's as if this amber liquid has been filtered more times than Marlboro Ultra Light (no I'm not a smoker, but I'm just trying to think of an analogy where someone might complain about filters when they don't have the option to consume anything else).
This beer smells out-doorsy. I think I catch some earth and smokey tones as I get my nose into the glass and really try to whiff this mother.
This is a great beer for watching football games (See tiny number by "ABV"). It has a little bit more enjoyable flavor than your other sporting event beers (Miller Lite, Coors Light, Bud Light) with about the same impact. It is quite easy to drink for 3 hours and still keep your wits about you. Spoetzl describes it having "dark amber color and distinctive rich flavor... Shiner Smooth". It is definitely smooth with no bitter after taste but it is not quite as rich as I would really like it to be. This beer is pretty delicious but it leaves a little to be desired. Enjoy!

DRU: 74/100 (Dan's Rating Unit)