Worst. Beer. Ever.

Beer #401 Wild Hare Pale Ale / Spoetzl Brewery, Shiner, TX
Previously from this brewery: reviews on Shiner Bock and Ruby Redbird

Back by popular demand, it's time to hand out an award from the 366 challenge!  You can search all of the awards I've given out to day through the handy tag cloud to the right of this page.  Or, just click this link if you're lazy.

During the 366 journey, I drank some amazing beers.... and some beers that weren't very good at all.  I mean, not all of them could be award winners.  I guess that's not technically true, as tonight I'm honoring the worst of the lot by presenting the Worst Beer of the Year.  Am I being mean?  Nope.  I'd hate to have someone new to the world of craft beers stumble onto one of these, and decide that craft beer is disgusting.  And now candidates, please prepare to be shamed:

Guido, from Brouwerij Smimsje
Harvest Ale, from JW Lees Brewery
MacQueen's Nessie, from Brauerei Schloss Eggenberg
St. Cloud Belgian White, World Brews
Bar Harbor Real Ale, from Atlantic Brewing Company
Orange Blossom Cream Ale, from Buffalo Bill's Brewery
Haywards 5000, from Shaw Wallace & Co.

And the winner (loser?) is.... Orange Blossom Cream Ale!  When I describe a beer using the phrase "frozen generic brand popsicle" and "children's chewable aspirin," you know you're doing something wrong.  I'm sure they're nice people and make other wonderful beers, but seriously.... this was bad.

On to the next one, so the beer for this evening is Wild Hare APA from Spoetzl Brewery.  I had this one right from bottle, so no comments on appearance or aroma.  However, I can say that when you take a sip, you get a very even balance of hops and malt.  There are floral notes, with flavors of lemon and tea, and a touch of hop bitterness.  All in all, this is a rather mild beer.  Definitely something to keep in mind if you're looking for an easy drinking, light, less complex beer.

Shine bright like a diamond

Pro tip, if we're speaking of Texas: if you're in Austin, check out the Kimber Modern, a boutique hotel in the South Congress neighborhood.  Very, very cool place to stay.  Totally unlike most other hotels, and that's a good thing.

Thing to Think About Today:
If we're talking about BlogNamedBrew awards, then we might as well close things out tonight with some A Tribe Called Quest and their always funky Award Tour.  Good night, good friends.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=brWarzMga2E

Beer 180: Shiner Ruby Redbird, Marci Smash

Confession. I am in a piss poor mood. I currently hate the world and I'm pretty sure the world has it in for me. I just want to scream bugger off and go hide under my blanket.

My beer is not as cold as it should be. I managed not to orchestrate its migration from basement beer shelf to the fridge. I've been thinking about this beer since about 4:30 p.m. when the third half of my day began. (You know it's a long day when it has three halves.) So that is disappointing in an exponential way.


Into my pint glass went the Shiner Ruby Redbird. It poured a light shade of amber with a very fizzy head that bubbled and fizzled away pretty quickly.

The scent is straight up ginger...pickled ginger. I love ginger, but I'd guess this may not be a beer for everyone. The flavor was very light and at 4% ABV, I could make this a summertime go to beer...if only I could find more than a stray bottle now and then. (Damn you, Pennsylvania and your stupid laws.)

The flavor is grapefruit, ginger and what I believe to be citra hops. It's fruity but quite tart. I really like it!

Cheers!

Shiner: Beer or Bruise.... or Both?

Beer #95 Shiner Bock / Spoetzl Brewery, Shiner, TX

I'm fortunate to live in a part of the country where craft brewing is revered, and restaurants and bars are expected to carry multiple varieties of great beer from around the globe.  This being said, I recently found myself in the River Spirit Casino in Tulsa, OK (don't ask) for a few hours.  I was intrigued when someone asked our waiter what beers were on draft, and the eager young man replied, "every beer you can think of!"

EVERY BEER?  My mind immediately raced with the possibility of crossing some great or hard to find breweries off the list.  Just as fast as my mind took off, those dreams crashed and burned when I realized he was probably 18 years old and every beer HE could think of consisted of Bud, Bud Light, Miller Lite, Coors, Coors Light, and Corona.  Ooof.  I did manage to find Shiner Bock, a popular beer out of Texas from the Spoetzl Brewery, so all was not lost.  Drank this one out of the bottle, so I can't really describe the color or aroma, but the taste had notes of malt and caramel.  At 4.4% ABV, this is an easy drinking beer compared to other, more complex bocks.  I was hoping I'd get to cross Choc Brewery from Oklahoma off my list, but perhaps another time.

While the lack of beer choices was a disappointment, the trip was not without it's moments.  People watching at a casino on an Indian Reservation is an orgy for the eyes.  Prime example was the woman wearing boots and cut-off white jeans shorts, which just happened to be giving her... shall we say... front wedgie, which she was eagerly digging out when she walked by.  Interesting enough, but it gets better.  She proceeds to hop up on a bar stool at a table on a platform elevated about 8" or so off the floor.  And in the process of trying to (still) adjust her short shorts, she manages to lose her balance and tumble backwards off the chair and down to the floor like a hefty sack of drunk and oddly attired potatoes.

<pause>

Here's something you need to know about me: I am well educated, kind, and thoughtful.  This being said, I find shows like America's Funniest Videos hilarious beyond belief.  Watching people fall down in awkward and unusual ways is comedy gold to me.  Guaranteed to make me near pee my pants laughing.

<resume>

I immediately dropped down and hid behind the bar so that she wouldn't see me crack up, and started laughing so hard my contact lens rolled out of my eye.  By the time I caught my breath and composed myself long enough to see if she was okay, she had managed to get back up on her chair and resume her evening.  I mean, wouldn't this be a sign that maybe it's time to close up shop and head home?   Guess not!

Proof she exists!  Or is that Bigfoot?  

Thing to Think About Today:
If laughter is truly the best medicine, I suppose we'll use this space today to heal our injuries from falling off bar stools.  Enjoy this montage of people falling off of swings, courtesy of America's Funniest Videos.  Now why didn't I have my camera ready?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRS0TXUXUf8 

Until next time, River Spirit.  Sadly my 20 cent claim ticket is invalid after TWO DAYS!