Shiner Trail Ale
Spoetzl Brewery

Shiner Trail Ale – from Spoetzl. 12 fl oz bottle purchased from Riverside Liquors, Grand Rapids, MI, 21/08/24, $ 2.37 (including tax and deposit), $ 0.198 /fl oz. Reviewed 29/09/24 (Review 3367). Note that I use DD/MM/YY protocol.
Etched below label “E051523 17:32”. In room temperature storage at the store. Stored at 34 degrees F at home. Served at 54.3 degrees F in a hand washed and dried Jester King snifter. The final temperature was 58.6 degrees F.
Appearance – 4.5
First pour – Deep Amber (SRM 15), clear.
Body – Brown (SRM 20), opaque. Under direct light, same. When rear-lite, beautiful ruby, and clear.
Head – Average (Maximum 2.3 cm, aggressive center pour), wild rice, high density, average retention, leaving 0.7 cm crown and cap, fed by aggressive carbonation – lasts for the entire drinking time.
Lacing – None.
Aroma – 4 – Smells like a bag of trail mix – nutty, slightly sweet, some raisins. No hops, no alcohol (6 % ABV, according to the label).
Flavor – 2 – Primarily a mixture of nuts, raisins, chocolate, disturbingly sweet – needs some salt to balance the sweetness. No hops, no alcohol. No dimethylsulfide or diacetyl. No gastric warming. Leaves a nasty aftertaste of rancid nut oils.
Palate – 4 – Medium; approaching creamy; soft carbonation.
Style: Follows the style guidelines, as condensed by BA.
Final Impression and summation: 3.75 Looks can be deceiving. Sorry Spoetzl – I usually like your brews, but this one is a drain pour.

2nd best beer ever made just behind shiner coffee.

 

 

Clear dark copper pour; thick, spongy, light khaki head, long lasting. Smells of caramel, toffee, light brown sugar, dark dried fruits, roasted nuts. Rich and sweet flavors; caramel and maple syrup; nuts; very mild bitterness with a slight phenol touch; cola. Medium body yet with a somewhat weak and watery character; lightly sticky.

By and large, I'd say the brewers' hit the mark with the trail mix theme of the beer. It borders on cloying with its sweetness, but not quite. The mouthfeel just doesn't quite suit a beer with this richness of flavor and heady aroma. Still, it ain't bad, just a tad rough and unbalanced.

Pouring temperature: 39.4 ℉; bottling info: n/a
Source: local purchase (Weber St. Liquors)

Poured a ruby brown with a fluffy head. Aroma of chocolate, raisins, & faint cherry and almond. Taste was akin to a chocolate covered raisin, but as it warmed, the cherry and almond emerged in the background. The mouthfeel was a tad thin. Overall, I think Shiner accomplished what they were after. This brown ale has a trail mix vibe to it, minus the saltiness.

 

 

 

 

(12 oz bottle, twist-off crown, W 050123 faintly etched below the label; purchased single off shelf... poured into a pub pint)

L: polished-clear, deep garnet hued liquid; 2.5 finger-tall foam stand (why?)... as the head recedes, it leaves smattered lace; thin cap remains till the end

S: damn if they didn't (artificially?) nail the trail-mixy chocolate and nut aromas; somehow a hint of raisin sneaks in there too, however, like a raisinet... as the head settles, only then does this aroma emerge that I can only describe as cheap cocoa-scented moisturizing lotion and the vinyl flap on a Trapper Keeper... potent at all times, its expressions have clarity and interest at first, but then get deformed

T: the aromas imprint onto the palate with a scary accuracy, somewhat obscuring the swollen choco-caramel malt foundation... barely sweet, which is a letdown, though it's arguably on point for an American brown ale; trail mix chocolate and a surprising degree of roasted barley and mellow bitterness in the aftertaste... hmm, the saltiness seems to emerge late, but it's begging for a more assertive, concentrated sweetness to play against... overall this works well enough as an interesting brown ale, so that's a bonus

F: plush, aereated swell up front, with a long, delicately oily finish... sense of roundness, with it drying out a bit in the aft, though those oils smear across the palate... overall pretty much desireable texture traits for its base style

O: ugh, this shows a lot of potential... if they could actually attain true trail mix sweet and salty intensities, this might be moreish and more fun to share... not sure I could recommend until they iron out its flaws (2136)

I really think this beer is bad. It has a fake chocolate flavoring additive taste with fruit notes. Not at all what I was expecting and not pleasing in any way. I could t finish the one bottle and worst pet is I have 5 more to pour out. I have previously only had Shiner Bock from this brewery before and enjoyed its easy drinking malty taste. This just felt like a home brew project that used McCormick chocolate flavoring from a supermarket bottle. Fool me once…. not twice

 

 

 

 

Smelled & taste good. Salty-sweet on the palate & smelled like nuts & dried fruits.

What a great surprise - this is a well-balanced dessert beer, not overly sweet while not just your typical ale. Great fruity and nutty flavoring with a crisp-bodied mouthfeel. The smell is just as fruity and nutty with mild hoppy nose. Overall, this is quite possibly their best beer. I'm glad I still have several more to go through...