Spoetzl Brewery

Smoke beer is a passion of mine. It's an interesting style that has a great range of flavors that fit under the "smoked" name. Shiner Smokehaus is a beer I first saw on the shelves last month and was intrigued, and not just because it's promised to be smoky. The first thing I noticed was the packaging, it has a really fun design that looks like it was pulled right from a 1960s Boy's Life magazine. The retro look of the label is great but what it says is what sealed the deal for me. At the bottom of the label I saw "Mesquite Smoked Beer - Helles Style." Done. Put this in my cart, I'm ready to drink it right now.

I've seen bottles of Shiner's Commemorator floating around for what seems like an eternity, though it's probably only been a year. After the novelty of seeing a new beer on the shelves wore off I started to just tune this bottle out and I've overlooked it long enough. I've finally gotten around to the Commemorator and it's about time... Considering the popularity of Shiner Bock, I've got high hopes for this Doppelbock. You get the sense that this beer is a big deal for Shiner, as the name would indicate - it's commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Spoetzl Brewery. There was really no other style the Shiner folks could have put in this bottle, it had to be a Doppelbock.

Ah the elusive Shiner Holiday Cheer... I was only able to find this beer at a single restaurant last year. After having a bottle of last year's Holiday Cheer I went to a number of liquor stores looking for a six pack but no one in the area had it in stock. This year I was lucky enough to find some Holiday Cheer at the store and pick up a couple. This is an interesting take on the Christmas seasonal. It isn't a traditional Winter Warmer, but it does have a lot in common with those beers. The Holiday Cheer is a Dunkelweizen style dark wheat that's been brewed with pecans and peaches. Those added flavors push this Dunkelweizen into Winter Warmer territory by giving it a sweet and nutty flavor. There's very little bitterness in this beer but the parallels are otherwise quite obvious.