I've lived in TexSux for eleven years, and I can say with authority that very little good beer is made here. A few brewpubs make some decent stuff, and There are one or two micros that make decent if unimaginative beers. But let's face it, for one of the largest and most populous states, most Texans seem to be perfectly happy with Bud Light. Eccchhhhhh.
But down between San Antonio and Houston there's a little town called Shiner, where the Spoetzle Brewery has been in business since 1909. Shiner Bock is Spoetzle's bread and butter, and another beer that I can usually do without (unless of course the alternative is Bud Light).
As Spoetzle approaches its centennial, some special beers have been produced. I’m not sure when this began, but I have seen some bottles with a ‘97’ on the neck-band. This year’s special brews obviously have a 99. One of the 97’s is still available; I’m not sure why but I’m glad that it is. This beer is Shiner Bohemian Black Lager.
http://www.shiner.com/beers/beers-home.php?pg=black .
In the glass, SBBL is a nice dark colour, not as deep and opaque as a stout but still very dark. The head disperses rather quickly. I’m not as sensitive a reveiwer as Flip, but I’ll give this a shot.
My nose detects barely anything, just sort a weak beer-smell that reminds me of some of the more basic dark homebrews I’ve had. My tongue likes this beer. It isn’t fancy or complex, just a nice fairly smooth and slightly sweet dark beer. The main flavour is malt and I detect nice dark roasts, probably more chocolate than black patent. There is an intial subtle fizz on my tongue accompanied by a small lagery sweetness, followed by the darker flavours of the roasted malt. Malt is the dominant flavour, and the only hoppyness I get is just a slight hint in the finish. Aftertaste is dark and slightly bitter. In some ways this beer is similar to Shiner Bock (when will breweries ever spell BACH correctly??? ‘Bock’ is the sound a chicken makes), but so much better. The price is good too, so Shiner Bohemian Black Lager has been my mainstay beer lately since I’ve been so broke. True snobs won’t like this beer, but for those of us who have a slight bit of taste but a nonexistant budget, it really works well.
