Try?
Happy Birthday to you. Happy Birthday to you. Happy Birthday dear Shiner. Happy Birthday to you! So, the Spoetzel brewery of Shiner, Texas has just turned 106 years old, and to celebrate, they’ve released a very special beer indeed, Shiner Birthday Beer Chocolate Stout. That being the case, it’s really we the beer drinkers of the world that are getting the presents here.
Or more accurately, we’re taking the cake. That’s because Shiner has pulled off a real surprise here for beer lovers: they’ve made a chocolate stout that really tastes like, well, chocolate cake. Shiner tells it best on their bottle label, so I’ll stand back and let them have a moment at the keyboard:
To celebrate the 106th birthday of the “little brewery” in Shiner, we created this special limited-edition brew that’s a sweet treat for all. Brewed with chocolate malt and real cocoa, this year’s Shiner Birthday Beer is a delicious stout with a soft creamy head, chocolate aroma and taste and a slightly sweet finish. Drink this beer that’s as rich as Shiner’s heritage while it lasts-once it’s gone, you’ll have to wait until next year for another birthday surprise!
Shiner Birthday Beer Chocolate Stout has an alcohol content of 5% by volume with 20 IBUs. It runs $8.99 a six-pack here in Georgia, about average these days, and I hear it’s sold in 22-ounce bombers and on draft as well. I would love to get this on draft at Taco Mac or from Stout’s Growlers.
Shiner Birthday Beer Chocolate Stout pours to a jet black color with a medium sized head of creamy foam and a very unusual nose of chocolate…frosting? I swear that’s what it reminds me of. Taking a sip, the beer is a bit thinner in body than I would like but it’s packed with cocoa notes, it’s very, very chocolaty but with a creaminess and sweetness that makes it taste like…well, chocolate cake with frosting. I’m amazed how well this was done, the dark powdery cocoa flavors really reach out through the beer, and fresh ground malt flavors come through too, like chewing a handful of malt. A bit of toasty bitterness rounds this one out nicely.
With just a little more body, this would be a truly perfect beer for me, but as it is its darned close. Don’t miss it folks. This one is truly special indeed.
And remember, try a new beer today, and drink outside the box.
*Pricing data accurate at time of review or latest update. For reference only, based on actual price paid by reviewer.
(B)=Bottled
(D)=Draft
