Shiner Brewer's Pride Fruitcake Pastry Porter
Spoetzl Brewery

 

12 oz. bottle, no date that I can see. A new one to me from Shiner, sounds exciting; acquired a single bottle as part of a mixed six pack at the local Binny's. "Aged Pastry Porter Brewed with Sweet Texas Pecans and Rich Cherries with a Warm Barrel Aged Finish". Sounds deep.

Poured to a clear stemless snifter glass.
Pours a warm nutty brown body; small finger of frothy tan head that leaves some ok spotty lacing. Appears fresh & adequately carbonated. Looks nice.
Aromas of must & barrel - notes of oak, cream, vanilla, cherrywood, a bit of band-aid. It actually smells like pretty deep, layered, complex, dessert-y stuff. Some harsh cherry, slightly medicinal creeps into the finish.
Taste follows the nose: layered, but maybe slightly underdeveloped. Slight notes of roast & char are overwhelmed by flavors of Robitussin & cherry syrup, with slightly hot fusel alcohol on the end. Boozier tasting than expecting; light flavors of vanilla, barrel, & band-aid. Not nearly as nutty, toasty, or "pecan" flavored as I'd like.
Feel is smooth, creamy, "robust" & bitter. Finish is roasty, with bits of char, only slightly medicinal finish. Medium-full, more filling than I'd like, but I guess it's forgivable at 7.50% abv. Easy drinking for the alcohol content.
Overall, not bad in terms of flavor, but I was expecting a bit more.

Shiner Brewer's Pride Fruitcake Pastry Porter -----3.5/5

 

 

As of 2021 later part of december this is a mixed bag forsure. my first go was amazing easly wouldve hit 4 stars.. however picking up a 6pack of which i can only assume was of a later batch yielded questionable emotions toward this limited release..

-No foam when poured for starters.. poured at 32 degrees minimum..

-More of a bland mouthfeel not as flavorful as previous releases of this type.. i find myself tasting very subtle notes of a delicious fruitcake but it quickly gets overtaken by a hoppy full bodied feel.. and strong port finish.. noticeable cherry.

-In the end its a roll of the dice as most are in South Texas as to what quality will come.

 

NICE CHRISTMAS TIME BEER NOT OVERLY FRUIT FLAVORED SMOOTH

Poured from bottle into tulip, good 2 finger light tan head, good retention and so so lacing. Jet black in the glass, no light passes thru. Roasted malt, chocolate and vanillin on the nose. Taste follows the nose roasted malt and chocolate on the front with a small amount of vanilla. The cherries are coming thru in the middle and are lingering around on the palate after the sip. Not overpowering, but nice. The pecans, well they are there, but not jumping out at you. Overall not a bad beer, not a fruitcake, but a porter with a nice cherry bite.

Released October 2021; drank 11/29/21 @ the Yarchives.

Semi-opaque purple/brown appearance.

A rough pour yielded a nice, noisy tan head; decent lace.

Dill pickle, mild sweet cherry & faint pecan notes in the nose. Not real appealing.

Medium mouthfeel.

Dill pickle & mild tart cherry flavors up front; cigarette ash & faint pecan flavors.

Putting this in an oak barrel has the effect of sticking a dill pickle in your glass; add in a pretty terrible base beer (I swear some flicked their cigarette ash in mine) and this is an abomination. Avoid at all costs.

Well it's as advertised has a cherry or sherry flavor good bit of pecan nuts and a good porter base not too dry or roasty.

Is it fruitcake flavored? I don't know haven't had one in years but it was quite a decent experimental beer!