Shiner Bock
Spoetzl Brewery

HarlotBronte from District of Columbia

3.71/5  rDev +15.9%
look: 4.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

L: Chestnut with a thin white head.

S: Malt , caramel

T: Bready; dry finish

F: Light bodied; medium carbonation

O: Should be rated higher. Pretty good for what it is.

Jun 20, 2021

DrBeergood from Ohio

3.5/5  rDev +9.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

L: Appears dark but it's just roasted barley. Exuberantly carbonated. Glossy surface.

S: Tangy caramel roasted barley goodness.

T: Bready. It's not sweet but not bitter either.

F: Wet finish. Astringent carbonation.

O: You should know what a Shiner Bock tastes like. It might be the best beer on tap.

May 13, 2021

UncleReemus78 from Texas

3.25/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

I live in a small southwest Texas town and before I'd ever even heard of craft beer the best beers were imports because USA brewed commercial beers have always been pathetic. Texas has had its share of breweries contributing to that like Pearl, Pabst Blue Ribbon, and Falstaff. Lone Star and Shiner were the best Texas had to offer back then. I drank my first Shiner out of a can back in '87 at the age of 14. It is probably one of the first german-style beer I ever tried so it definitely has sentimental and nostalgic value to me. I'm drinking mine out of the bottle right now but I have had it off tap. It's a very tolerable beer but there are batches out there (mainly canned) that taste like they went bad. Not sure if it's because they've gotten hot and then refrigerated again or if it's just the aluminum can but it doesn't sit well in the stomach. Shiner Bock doesn't have much smell to it but the faint scent is similar to New Castle to me. Malty and kind of nutty. Depending on if the beer is out of a fresh batch the taste is drinkable and enjoyable but nothing to get excited about. Little to no hops that I can tell. I've noticed that the ABV% has been lowered at some time in the past 10 years. I remember it used to be 5.0 or 5.2%. It.s now 4.4%

Apr 20, 2021

57md from Pennsylvania

3.36/5  rDev +5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.25

Pours a copper color with a finger of head. The nose is faint but I can discern a hint of toastiness. The flavor profile has caramel malts but the whole thing is pretty thin.

Mar 19, 2021

OllieStalz from New York

2.94/5  rDev -8.1%
look: 3 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Nice syrupy color and a decent head. Smells malty and slightly sweet. Goes down fairly smooth. A slightly bitter aftertaste, but not in a bad way. I also detect a little sweetness, but not too much. The taste was okay- not bad but not the best. Would I drink it again? Absolutely! Do I agree with some of the hype about it? Not so much. It definitely is solid, so if you have yet to try it, please do. I don't think you would be offended at all.

Mar 08, 2021

TedHead from Illinois

3.4/5  rDev +6.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a slightly transparent dark maple syrup color with a tan head that dissipates quickly. It smells very bready with toasty malts and hints of caramel and toffee. Taste follows the nose and it's very bready and sweet with a slightly darker roasted taste, but unfortunately the taste isn't as rich as the smell lead me to believe. It goes down more than easily, but it's slightly thinner feeling than I expected. Overall a very very solid beer for $9.99 a 12er.

Oct 19, 2020

IPAs_for_days_13 from Texas

3.07/5  rDev -4.1%
look: 4 | smell: 2 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.25

Pours a deep copper/amber color with a bitchin 1 inch beige head. Picking up mainly malt aroma, the smell isn't as rich as I expected, it almost has no real aromas to it beyond the malts. Super malty up front, very faint flavor of hops, some caramel in there as well; it balances together very well. Full-bodied beer with a rather thin feeling to it, finishes exceptionally smooth though. As a native Texan these beers have been in my blood for a long time, goes great with a meal.

Oct 03, 2020

DanielB93 from Texas

3.26/5  rDev +1.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

After drinking these on the regular, it's time to review.
I enjoy this beer. I can drink it in hot and cold weather with feeling gross about it. It has a good taste but after a few, you start to have a after taste that just kinda lingers around. I enjoy mine with BBQ food and anything that comes off as a heavy meal.
Would recommend for these type of occasions.

Sep 26, 2020

mhuber from New York

4.51/5  rDev +40.9%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.75

Pours reddish-brown with a small head that dissipates quickly. Not much on the nose. A good balance of maltiness and hop bitterness. Slightly sweet. Refreshing, not heavy. Good beer!

Jul 14, 2020

cardfan212 from Minnesota

2.58/5  rDev -19.4%
look: 4 | smell: 2.25 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.75

Poured from a 12 ounce bottle into a random glass at my parents' house.

Look - Clear amber-brown body with a rolling cream colored head. Real classic look.

Smell - Very very light and faint scent of metallic malt. Almost no odor.

Taste - Lightly malty, lightly hoppy, like a watered down German bock. Good on a hot summer day of session drinking, not so good for an end-of-night "I'll just have one beer" sipper.

Feel - Very thin and watery, but the perky carbonation makes it a bit better.

Overall - What a weak beer. Like it definitely fits a role, I'd rather have some of these than Miller Lite or something, but something like SNPA is in the same price range and way better (I know it's a different style, sue me). I'm just not that crazy about this beer.

Jul 05, 2020

Vetbidder from Pennsylvania

3.54/5  rDev +10.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

Looks pretty decent, see through and amber in color. There’s never much of a scent to these old micros, some sweetness, light malt. I do like the malty, slight caramel flavor, it’s not powerful but decent nonetheless. I can absolutely pound these brews. Decently carbonated and thinner in feel.

Jun 05, 2020

mfouch2012

4.75/5  rDev +48.4%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75

A very smooth, drinkable and sessionable bock. Refreshingly carbonated with a nice mild toasted malty flavor, with hints of caramel. Very nice copper/amber color with minimal head. Low bitterness with minimal hops. Very well balanced.

May 21, 2020

just1cho from California

2.67/5  rDev -16.6%
look: 2.75 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 2.75

*Poured into a Teku glass from a 12oz bottle*

This beer pours a clear brown amber with a off-white colored head. Had about a half finger thick head with only micro bubbles and absolutely no retention to it at all.

As for the aroma, I didn't really get much. Upfront, I got sweet malts, bready notes, and a bit of honey. However, these aromas didn't really last for long and the off aromas started kicking in--mostly musty and cardboard aromas. Disappointingly, there weren't really any presence of hops in the aroma.

The taste follows the nose as I got sweet malty tastes upfront but it was otherwise pretty tasteless towards the middle. The end presented a bit of lemon-y citrus, but that was about it.

Generally, the impression I got from the feel of this was club soda-like. It was light bodied, clean and crisp with high amounts of carbonation. I would say this would be very quaff-able if it tasted a bit better.

This is a pretty below average beer in my opinion. I generally give the benefit of the doubt to every bad beer I drink, maybe I got a bad one? But unless this beer is given or offered to me by someone, I probably wouldn't drink/buy this again.

May 19, 2020

Gordono from Nevada

3.29/5  rDev +2.8%
look: 3 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Whisky colored, tan head, no head retention. Yeasty aroma, hint of malt. Sparkling mouth feel. Smooth easy drink, slightly malty, and a touch of hoppy bitterness. Nothing offensive but nothing exceptional.

Apr 07, 2020

Troy-Hawaii from Hawaii

3.5/5  rDev +9.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Bought a 6-pack cans $9.59 Tamuras
82 days before date on can
Clear amber-copper color
Medium-light mouthfeel
Medium carbonation
Sweet malt flavors, molasses, a little thin tasting
Overall an ok beer. Based upon other reviews it seems like it cost a lot more in Hawaii.

Apr 07, 2020

jwp777 from Oklahoma

3.45/5  rDev +7.8%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 12 oz bottle dated 5/6/20 tasted on 3/21/20.

Pours a dark amber color with a thin white head. Head doesn’t last long or lace much.

Aroma is very bready with some obvious malt qualities.

Taste, like the nose, is quite bready. It tastes of barley and malt plus fresh biscuits and a good balance of hops that bring a brightness to the taste. Finish is a bit long and a tad malty. It’s relatively simple, but well done.

Feel is pretty light. ABV is quite low so it is easily drinkable, and the carbonation is high which makes it refreshing. Fairly smooth.

Overall, a good drinkable beer. Goes easily with food but can be enjoyed by itself. And it’s not super expensive.

Mar 22, 2020

RedbirdRona from Illinois

3.93/5  rDev +22.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Drinking a stein at Scholz Garten in Austin. Look is a dark amber color with maybe a bit of a bready smell. Has tastes of malted barley, biscuits, and a hint of hops. My knock is that it does have a lower abv which contributes to the thin mouthfeel. I can certainly see why this is one of the most popular beers in Texas. It is very sessionable and I plan to have several more. Don't drink a Shiner expecting an IPA. Shiner is a blue collar beer made for the folks who just want to knock back a cold one after a long hot day. I would certainly take this beer over any of the American macro brews. It also come at a very affordable price point at $11 a 12 pack where I live.

Mar 20, 2020

realJohnnyHobo from Maryland

3.42/5  rDev +6.9%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

Shiner seemingly is one of those 'love it or shove it' type of beers that I know oh too well, but have yet to rate it. For me, Shiner has a few good memories of a lost buddy and from time to time I think of the better time's in our lives we shared together and celebrates with our families coincided all-around one beer in general - Shiner Bock. This beer is not brewed to the reinheitsgebot law but is still a solid Americanized style of the classic German Bock.

Pouring a lovely clear caramel brown, this beer has an average 2 finger medium bubble brownish white head that dissipates averagely leaving a small lacing on the top and side rims of the glass.

The smell is nearly absent and very slight caramel malt is noticeable.

On-to the most important part, the taste. Overall you're met with a light malty-rich caramel flavor, which transitions to barley in the mids and finishes with sweetness and a noble hop blend - more than likely pellets. There is a bit of flaked corn maize in the mids, that is hidden but is pronounced if you're looking for it, though it adds a bit of smoothness in its overall texture. The water used in this beer is very soft and has a bit of a mineral character.

Mouthfeel is medium and a bit syrupy, though the corn adjunct finish makes a smooth balance I feel as if I am still enjoying a high quality product.

Mar 17, 2020

gueuzeonhigh from Maine

3.24/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.25

Poured with a lightly built frothy head that in a few minutes dissipated and vanished..
Has a faint nose- a bit for citrus and some hops and faint hints of flower boquet.
I think that this bock is a light bodied brew with mild demeanor.
I consider this one a member of my ice cold summer thirst quencher group.
Finish is light bodied and mild.
One thing that I do like is the lower alcohol content.
In my opinion it's not a bock beer that you'll reminisce about in years to come.

Jan 19, 2020

Lucular from Maryland

3.58/5  rDev +11.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

16 oz on draft into a shaker pint glass. Pours a light brown with very little head (or maybe the head was poured off - the pint glass was very full when it arrived at the table). Aroma and taste feature biscuity malt and some light coffee and chocolate. Very little hops. Mouthfeel is average carbonation and kind of thin, but then again this is 4.4% so that's not surprising. Overall it's a solid and tasty bock.

Jan 14, 2020

huston84 from New Mexico

3.7/5  rDev +15.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Crystal clear dark amber. Head has big bubbles and dissipates to nothing quickly. Faint malt aroma. Bready with just a bit of hoppy bitterness at the end. Light carbonation. Just this side of too sweet. Lot of aftertaste. This is my beer for when there are projects around the house that require all day beer drinking.

Jan 12, 2020

ASKasten

3.28/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25

Cool label but basic bottleneck. Pour leaves ring, which is good. Depending on the bottling, it can taste somewhat sour instead bitter. Has a heaviness and aftertaste is strong.

Dec 22, 2019

defunksta from North Dakota

3.48/5  rDev +8.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.25

Appearance: Pours a deep golden, copper, almost amber color. Clear. A small white head. SRM of 15. (3.75)

Aroma: Simple and light aromas. Mostly of toast. Bread crumbs, toast, and bread crust. Very simple. I could also describe it as freshly fried, slightly toasted hashbrowns from an authentic Texas diner. (3.75)

Flavor: The flavor is very simple. Just more bread malts. Toast, crust, and bread crumps. It's like if you made whole-wheat toast and scraped the crumbs off the crust and ate them. Finishes dry. (3.50)

Feel: Light body. Low carbonation. Sort of watery. Clean on the palate. (3.00)

Overall: This beer has some bad ratings, but it's better than it gets credit for. It's not a malt bomb. It's just a simple lager. Bread and toast. Some fresh salted hashbrowns. Sometimes the simplicity is nice. However, the body is water and could use more oomph. It's worth comparing to some darker lagers. (Final Rating: 3.48)

Nov 27, 2019

Olek4374 from Canada (AB)

3.19/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25

I first sampled this beer when I visited my Father in Texas earlier this year, and I had a can kicking around in the fridge that I brought back with me.

Bocks are a pretty underrated style in my book, partly because so few brewers in Alberta put them out - let alone put out any good ones. While this beer is nothing spectacular at the end of the day, I found myself buying a couple of cases of this from a nearby HEB to drink while I was in Austin. It's such a simple product, but something about it just appeals to me. It has a pleasant mild maltiness, with decidedly a stronger flavour than your run-of-the-mill domestics. No nasty adjunct flavours, and pours an attractive light brown colour. It's a beer that you can - and I did - drink several of in one go.

I can understand why this beer is so popular in Texas. Just a shame they haven't exported it across the border.

Nov 20, 2019

gvickery from Texas

3/5  rDev -6.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

This beer is medium dark, like a cola with a dark tan head.
I didn’t detect a lot from the smell.
The taste is light caramel malt, semisweet, very light and approachable.
It’s semi dry, watery, with a high drinkability. Not my go-to but I enjoy one now and then.
I use it to cook brats in, works great for that.

Update:
I’ve been getting the 24oz cans of various beers lately. It’s like drinking two, no?
This beer is kinda growing on me.
Also, if your a fan of micheladas like me, Shiner Bock and picante Clamato is one of the best I’ve ever had.

Nov 15, 2019