I’ve been so busy the last few weeks that I wanted to just sit around and relax today. So, I hopped online and I’ve been following along with what’s going on at SXSW today. I’ve been watching some streaming videos of sessions, and following along with some on Twitter. To get in the spirit of almost being there, I thought I’d crack open this Shiner beer from a mixed six pack that was given to me by my friend Betty, who used to live in Austin.
Location: Poured into a Stella Artois chalice at my home in Bloomington, IL.
Numbers: 4.4% ABV, 13 IBUs, 130 Calories
Appearance & Aroma: It’s bright golden-yellow in color and very clear. There was a bright white head on it that fell pretty quickly to almost nothing. The aroma was lightly grainy and a bit corn-like with some lager-like smells.
Taste & Feel: The body is light and the mouthfeel is crisp. The crispness makes it hard to taste much up front. There’s a bit of a grainy-bready flavor in the middle, and the finish is also crisp with bready and lagery flavors with a little bit of earthy bitterness from the hops. Not much flavor lasts in the aftertaste.
Food Pairing: Seeing as that this is a Texas beer, I think it would go great with Mexican food (which is exactly what we had for dinner, to get in the SXSW spirit). Since it’s so light and crisp, it could also go with a hearty meal of Texas BBQ – as it wouldn’t fill you up while enjoying a big BBQ meal.
Overall Impression: This beer was very drinkable and crisp, which would be perfect for a hot summer day. However, that’s because there’s not much flavor to it. I did enjoy the light bready-grainy flavors, but the corn-like aroma and lagery flavors in the finish weren’t very good. It did help me get in the spirit of SXSW, so it achieve that goal. Overall, I’d enjoy it on a hot day in Texas, but it’s not one I’d seek out in many other situations.
My Rating: 
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