Shiner Candied Pecan Porter
Spoetzl Brewery

 

 

 

 

 

Great beer. You can really taste the pecan flavor

The smell was the best aspect of this beer - it definitely had a very sweet touch on the nose, reminiscent of a pecan pie. It did pour out nice and dark, for a porter, though the head was short lived. Mouthfeel was very light, somewhat watery, and definitely carbonated (maybe more than it should be.) Anyway, it does come close to the style without being overly sweet regardless of the label. Overall, a nice beer to have on hand for the holidays and special occasions.

 

Spoetzl Brewery "Shiner Candied Pecan"
12 fl. oz. brown glass bottle coded "208 21 A-1 03:24"
$2.29 @ Total Wine & More, Cherry Hill, NJ

Notes via stream of consciousness: I should probably save this for tomorrow, April 13th, which is National Pecan Day but I really don't have room in the fridge. The pecan, BTW, is a truly American nut as it's North America's only native tree nut. It's also the official state tree of Texas which explains the Spoetzl/Shiner connection. The label on the bottle in front of me reads "Candied Pecan" without any porter attached, but it does also mention "robust porter" on the back label and it has the same alcohol content so it must be the same as their "Candied Pecan Porter". Maybe they thought they'd sell more if they removed the word porter from the front? If so, they were probably right.I wonder if they could have made this with a lighter colored body? Anyway, it's a clear dark mahogant brown in color beneath a short head of tan foam. The aroma delivers the promised pecan with a touch of vanilla and brown sugar as well but nothing else. That's OK by me. Why would you possibly add hops, or anything else, to something like this? I should note at this point that there is something slightly artificial about the aroma. The taste follows and although it's not quite like an actual candied pecan it does have a pecan flavor, a hint of butter, and a hint of vanilla. There's some brown sugar and caramel but it's not that sweet - it somehow suggests more sweetness than is actually there. There's not a lot of bitterness, and it seems to have a sugary taste but it's not actually sugary. Very weird. Perhaps that's because there's not a lot of malt there. In the mouth it's light-medium in body and gently crisp with a moderate carbonation. So I really don't know what to say about this beer. Taken just as an overall in comparison to the thousands of beers that I've tasted over the years, and covering the whole globe, it's not that great. It's OK, and better than average, but nothing more. Taken as a beer that tries to emulate a candied pecan it's pretty damned good. For someone who really likes candied pecans it might be their thing, but perhaps not because it's not close enough to the real thing. I still have about a third of the glass left but I've enjoyed what I had so far. I have lost interest in it though, and I certainly wouldn't want another.
Review #7,879

 

12 oz bottle poured into a tulip pint glass, split with my wife. This is more "candied" than "pecan" but there is still a distinct nuttiness. Overall it's pretty sweet and not all that complex, but still enjoyable to try once.

Thought it was gonna be a brown ale until I saw it in the glass lol - label on my bottle does not say "porter" like the one in the pic - no bottling date, but I picked it up about a week ago... Lots of pecan makes this very woody (and slightly sweetly chewy), just a bit of bitter nuttiness... The dark porter malts flash up front and show up a bit on the lingering finish... Straddles the line between a brown ale and a porter, appropriately pecan-forward...

 

Clear dark reddish brown with decent tan head that recedes quickly to just a ring, but still produces some lacing.
The aroma is brown sugar, nuts and vanilla.
The taste follows with the pecan a bit more forward, plenty of brown sugar, vanilla, caramel malts and just a hint of herbal hops. The taste is definitely pecan praline, sweet but not overdone.
The body is light/medium, maybe a little thin, but not bad.
Altogether, this is a simple but decently balanced brew, nice for a change, especially around holidays.

 

 

 

 

 

Pour is a nice very dark amber. Almost looks like a brown but with light the amber can be seen. A finger and a half of light brown head topped the beer on the pour and is slowly settling into the beer.

Smell is sweet. Brown sugar sweet and nutty. Picking up on some vanilla as well.

Taste is very nutty. Definitely getting the pecan thing. Getting the vanilla and the brown sugar as well. Just a touch of toasted malts with a hint of bitter. Not overly sweet but that brown sugar thing is there.

Mouth is a lighter medium. The finish does tend to linger a bit.

This beer seems to have made it to what they are advertising it as. My wife is a pecan pie lover and really enjoyed this beer. I myself am not so much a fan but when I saw this beer I figured I had better pick it up to give it a try. It is a nice porter. However to me it may have just had a bit much added to it. If that makes any sense. Plus like I say the candied nut thing is not really my thing. That said I do believe that is what Shiner was going for and they achieved it. So if it sounds interesting give it a shot. Most Shiner beers in Vegas here run 7.99 a six pack of bottles. At that price it is worth trying them out for sure.

 

 

12 FL OZ bottle
Served in a nonic pint glass

This beer pours a deep ruddy brown and is topped with a couple inches of tan head that leaves spotty lacing.

It has a faint brown sugar smell. I get some caramel. Hints of chocolate.

I get a caramelized sugar flavor along with caramel. I get hints of cocoa.

Light bodied with a watery mouthfeel

BORING! Not much flavor. It sounded great but failed to deliver.

 

12oz bottle poured into teku glass. Picked up from the liquor store for $1.79. No discernable date on the bottle but it's a seasonal so presumably it should still be fresh.

Appearance - Crystal clear ruby brown body, and a two finger brown head with decent to good retention, lacing, and mild stick. 4.25

Smell - Strongly of vanilla, caramelized sugar and pecan. And that's what the bottle says too so it's on point. And having read it, I do get a bit of that brown sugar too. 4.5

Taste - Sweet and mild. Refreshing. Almost like a coca cola, but a little more creamy. 4.5

Mouthfeel - Actually pretty smooth. A bit creamy and medium bodied. No wateriness. No off tones like the astringency that sometimes accompanies these kinds of beers. 4.5

Overall - Anyone who likes vanilla coke will probably like this to some extent, because they are a lot of similarities. Not a fan of gimmicky seasonals in general, they're usually quite off-putting, but this one is actually pretty nicely balanced and pleasant. 4.5

12oz bottle. At the bottom of the bottle, it is etched 'E042222'.
Clear, ruby brown colored body. The thin finger of foam head is a beige color. Leaves some dots and strings of lacing.
Aroma is sweet brown sugar, vanilla, caramel, and nuts. Kind of smells like a cola made with pecan nuts.
Taste is less dramatic than the nose. Nutty roasted malts up front and the sweet brown sugar, caramel, and vanilla bringing up the rear and lingering in the aftertaste.
A little thin and flat in expression. Not too sweet. Okay carbonation.
Most likely a one during a session type beer, just a little cloying in aroma and sweet in taste. Hits the mark as described.

 

12 oz bottle, no date, into THAT! NE IPA snifter.

Nice slick and sexy dark brown forms a similar color in the brandy snifter with streaks of ruby if you hold it just right. I like this. Head is a fingernail tall.

Aroma is practically the Kringle beer from Central Waters. Very syrupy sweet candied pecan, with lots of that earthy nuttiness, very slight perfumery, and tons of caramel.

Flavor is surprisingly not bad. It empties out towards the end, but the frontal lobe offers sweet candied pecan, caramel, brown sugar, notes of creme brulee, and then some earth. All of these flavors are somehow overlapping and related though. I think it hangs a bit too much on the candied pecan aspect, even though that's what's on the bottle. I'm looking for more complexity, layers, something. Not cloying though, and comes across as a robust artificially flavored pecan seltzer.

Feel is thin and carbonated, not much else, perhaps a little booze on the back end. For a porter it's really unacceptably thin.

Overall, a simple beer, with some relatively enjoyable flavors going on. It doesn't get too sweet, but also doesn't have much depth. It's like a session beer with sugary pecan. I still prefer Lazy Magnolia's Southern Pecan, because even if it isn't as sweet, it still has more of a "settled in" pecan flavor. Had this been 2014, and one of the first beers I'd tried, I'd be over the moon on it. Probably rate it a 4.5 or something. Nowadays there's such better stuff to be had, even in the candied nut realm. I'm still glad I tried this. Will probably finish it.

$1.89 @ Fogies

12 oz bottles on different days.
Appearance. Clear dark mahogany body with a very good beige head.
Very appealing aroma. Although the aroma suggests the sweetness of candied pecans the flavor is just mildly, and appropriately, sweet. The aftertaste carries a nice roasted pecan note along with some lingering caramel and toasted grain.

 

 

Wow. The bottle does not say porter and after reading the label I am very surprisingly happy. Bought this on a whim. It is very good. Used BRAVE search engine to find this site. Sweet!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pretty much exactly as described taste like candied pecans maybe I expected more of an actual candy almost pie like sweetness but got more dry roast skins and roasty porter notes. Not a bad beer but definitely could use more sweetness.