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!