The Year in Beer

Name: Shiner Holiday Cheer

Brewer: Spoetzl Brewery, Shiner, Texas

By the numbers: 193 calories per 12 oz.; 5.4 percent alcohol by volume

Notes: Regular readers of the Year in Beer will note that I’m not a huge fan of Shiner beers. The flagship Shiner Bock is in the same vein as the overrated Yuengling, and there are many, many beers better. I do appreciate Shiner trying something a little different with this holiday-themed brew. Instead of going for a high-alcohol porter or winter warmer, they went Dunkelweizen, which is a darker German wheat beer. Then they added Texas peaches and roasted pecans to the brew. The result was a deep brown beer with a fruity aroma. The taste was fruity as well, with a nutty, almost woody finish. The noble Hallertau and Hersbrucker hops gave it a pretty clean aftertaste. In all, it wasn’t what I expected from a holiday beer, but it wasn’t bad either.

Try it with: Christmas cookies. Shiner says to try it with meaty dishes, but I’d recommend a nice porter or winter lager for that. This fruity number went pretty well with cookies, both sugar and gingerbread. Especially gingerbread, which added another layer of spice.

    — Posted by Mike Freimann