Shiner Bock, $5.99 a six-pack
There are quite a few of my fellow Texpats here in Colorado, and for many of us this Sunday is a high holy day — Texas Independence Day. Celebrating this anniversary of the state’s independence from Mexico calls for a true Texas original, so this week we’re hoisting Shiner Bock. This dark lager pours a deep amber with a somewhat fizzy head that quickly dissipates.
But who are we kidding? Shiner Bock is a session beer, with 4.4 percent alcohol by volume, and you’re most likely going to drink it straight from the bottle. This is a fairly sweet, malty beer with dominant caramel flavor. Drinkability is what counts here, and Shiner Bock has it in spades; the low alcohol invites more than one.
So grab the nearest Texan, remind him or her of the occasion, and make ’em buy you a Shiner in celebration of a state that once owned Colorado and was fool enough to let it get away.
Spoetzl Brewery, Shiner, Texas;
Marcus Chamberland;
