Try?
OK beer geeks! Do your worst! I drank a Shock Top Belgian White! So there! What are you gonna do about it? It’s not like you can kick me out of the craft beer club, after all; I was a founding member of the American chapter. Yep, I was, in at the beginning. But wait. It gets better (or worse depending on how you look at it). They added an orange slice. Yes they did!
Before
we go any further, let’s go into what Shock Top Belgian White actually is.
First and foremost, it is Anheuser-Busch’s answer to
Coors Blue Moon Belgian White, a wildly popular megabrewer craft beer
(beer geeks will call it, and Shock Top, faux craft beer). Neither of
these is going to replace a classic Belgian witbier anytime soon, but they
do have loyal drinkers all the same.
As it turned out, I was at Harrah’s Valley River casino in Murphy, North Carolina and they had it on tap. Much to my surprise, I had never tried Shock Top Belgian White before (I have had several other beers, however, under the Shock Top label). The price was right, so why not?
From the Shock Top website:
This spiced Belgian-style wheat ale is the pinnacle of refreshment brewed with real orange, lemon and lime peels for a smooth, citrusy finish. The beer that’s always down to chill — and be chilled.
Shock Top Belgian White has an alcohol content of 5.2% by volume with 10 IBUs. It is very affordable indeed, I enjoyed a draft pint for just $3 at Harrah’s, and it sells at Target in six-packs for $6.64 and 12 pack for just $11.39.
My
cup of Shock Top Belgian White arrived a beautiful orange yellow
hue with a fluffy white head and a zesty citrus nose. Taking a sip, the
beer has moderate body with tart wheat and orange and lemon citrus Flavor.
It finishes mildly tart with wheat.
I like Shock Top Belgian White. It lacks the coriander essential to the Belgian witbier style, but it makes up for that in the citrus department. Keep in mind that this is a beer targeted at entry level craft beer drinkers, and for that market, I think this beer is well done. I know I enjoyed it more than I thought I would.
I would give Shock Top Belgian White 3 marks for style, adding back a ½ star for hedonistic enjoyment and another ½ for bargain price I think this is a 4 star beer.
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
