Shiner Brewer's Pride - Balcones
Spoetzl Brewery

Drinking this a few years after brewed, little light on the malt bill, but big on the barrel, nice job one of the better barrel aged beers from shiner

 

pour is deep brown, clear, with a finger of khaki head fading to a ring around the glass.
nose is toasted bread crust, toffee, caramel malt, subtle very soft bourbon oak/coconut.
taste is caramel, toffee, bread crust - great bock character. a touch of vanilla, molasses, subtle very soft bourbon oak/coconut. Not a ton of barrel.

Pours a dark ruby tinged brown color. The dark color of the beer makes it appear opaque, but when held to the light it shows very nice clarity. Thin one finger off-white head forms on the beer, then dissipates straight away leaving just a thin ring of foam along the outside of the top of the beer.

Aroma is really interesting because every time I get a whiff of the beer I notice something different. Initially I got lots of sweet bourbon, oak, and whiskey. But then I got the underlying bock coming through with this nutty, earthy, malty aroma. Light notes of brown sugar, molasses, burnt sugar and some light vanilla or marshmallow come through.

The taste has notes of dark bready malts that have a slightly nutty quality to them. Notes of brown sugar, marshmallow, vanilla, toffee, molasses all waft across the palate before giving way to an oaky finish that has some light earthy hop notes on the back end. The barrel aging is present in all aspects of the flavor, but is most prominent in the noticeable heat present in this beer. In a weird way the flavors combine to give the fleeting impression of a cola.

Feel is light to medium bodied. Spritzy, lively carbonation. The barrel aging produces this very smooth, silky mouthfeel. Somewhat drier on the finish.

Overall this is an interesting, but ultimately enjoyable beer.

 

An interesting brew, for sure. As noted in other reviews the taste is caramel and toffee. The barrel-aged flavor is there and it is not overwhelmingly strong, which is a good thing imo. Overall, I enjoyed it a lot. It looks like it is not being produced right now, but obviously it is still available if you are lucky. Give it a try!

 

 

i bought a 6'er back when it first came out; liked it "ok" but wanted to see how a little bit of time would impact the jagged booze heat. glad i did; my OG rating would've been about 3.25 because it just wasn't initially enjoyable or complicated/rewarding enough to sit through a sharp booze heat.

pours a hazy burnt/browned amber body with a tanned-cream colored head with minimal retention. no lacing is left behind as it settles to a thin ring around the glass

smell is sweet toffee caramel malt, vanilla, earthy musky wood cask, light fruit funk, and whiskey bite.

taste follows that aroma up toe to toe, doubling down on the sweet malt and over-ripened fruit funk with a cloud of spices and a dash of nuttiness

moderate carbonation, thicker side of medium body, slight booze heat prickle, but overall smooth and near-cream that follows thru to the finish

overall:
this one aged well after a handful of months on the shelf, though without the heavier heat, I was left with an abundance of sweet malt to contend with and it honestly felt like a strong ale or festive holiday ale with the fruit and spice flashes this time around.

16 ounce pour - Tap & Six in Roswell, Georgia.

Appearance: It's a bit difficult to evaluate its appearance, being served in a COVID-19 disposable, frosted-style cup. Looks to be a dark amber, clarity uncertain. Quarter inch, whitish head.

Smell: Caramel and toffee, a tad buttery, even a little nutty. Whiskey drizzled bread, light wood. Slightly boozy, a minor fruitiness. Growing vanilla sugar note.

Taste: Sweet stirred blend of vanilla, caramel and whiskey with breadcrusts and packed brown sugar. Slight coconut. Quick flash of fruitiness, though mild, like a blip of lemon, plum. Ultra light dusting of spices. Remains fairly sweet throughout, tempered somewhat by the alcohol content.

Mouthfeel: Medium-plus body. Medium-soft carbonation. Mouthfeel is a touch creamy.

Overall: It's not that bad. Sometimes I find myself wanting for an ever so slightly rougher barrel character to not only complement but counter the overall sweetness present. This just seems to round things out, leaving things softened and fairly dessert-like. So, it's a nice sweet offering, which is altogether fine. 

 

Poured from a bottle into a snifter
Appearance – The beer pours a murky light brown color with a one finger head of tan colored foam. The head is super fizzy and fades very fast leaving almost no lace on the sides of the glass.
Smell – The aroma is very strong of a sweet caramel, molasses, and brown sugar smell that has a touch of roasted malt. There is a decently strong brown bread aroma as well as a bit of a light whisky smell.
Taste – The taste begins with a sweet brown bread base that shows a whole lot of brown sugar and molasses flavor. Upfront there is also flavors of a little bit of a toasted malt flavor and a touch of a nuttiness and a bit of char. As the taste advances the sweetness seems to increase in intensity all while the roastiness drops a bit. At the same time the nuttiness grows a bit stronger and is joined by a bit of oak and a touch of a whiskey flavor. For a whiskey barrel aged brew, the booziness and whiskey taste is rather light, and in the end, with the rest of the tastes, one is left with a dark sugary and lightly toasted taste to linger on the tongue.
Mouthfeel – The body of the brew is very thin for a brew of 9 % abv and the carbonation is quite high for the style. A thicker body and lower carbonation would have certainly been better for the style and nature of the brew and made for a more enjoyable sipper
Overall – The tastes were nice, but there was a lack of barrel aged tastes and the feel was pretty weak. Worth a try for sure, but not the best out there….