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You are here: Home --> Forum Home --> General Forum --> Commercial Beer Reviews --> Shiner Birthday Beer - Chocolate Stout

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blur_yo_face
Houston, Tx
161 Posts





I'll be the first to say that my palate is not very sophisticated.. I usually notice broad and obvious tastes rather than subtle ones.. however I feel the need to review this beer, in the hopes that someone can explain why it has such a high review on Beer Advocate (www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/143...)

I've always been of the opinion that people are more inclined to write reviews after a bad experience rather than a good one.. this is the case with my review..

Appearance: Looked fine in the glass.. just what you would expect with a stout, very dark and opaque with a slight amount of head from carbonation..

Aroma: The one praise I have about this beer is the aroma.. It really took me by surprise when I opened the bottle.. I was expecting a chocolate aroma in a chocolate stout, but this smell was way stronger than anticipated.. the aroma was even stronger in the glass than it was in the bottle.. with every sip, you couldn't help but notice the smell.. with my limited knowledge, I expected that they dry hopped with enough chocolate to kill an elephant..

 Taste/Mouthfeel: sigh.. now on to the critical part of my review.. in a stout one would expect a full body with malts playing an important role in flavor and texture.. what I got was the thinnest tasting stout I've ever had.. it didn't have the slightest amount of body (which in my opinion is the most important thing with a stout).. at the very best, I would say it has a medium body, but even that is being generous.. With the aroma knocking me back, I expected at least a little sweetness to come through, and didn't really notice any.. it almost tasted like it was too acidic, and just thin.. not sure if that means their mash temperature/water chemistry was messed up, or using too much chocolate to gain that aroma had an effect on the overall taste.. whatever it was, I was not impressed.. 

Overall: I feel in the overall experience, the mouth taste negatively impacted the overall taste, and even affected the aroma.. as I drank this beer, the aroma became less appealing, knowing that the taste would not back it up (so to speak).. If I was drinking a full bodied stout that had the same chocolate aroma, this would have been an amazing beer.. this is probably why I am unhappy, its disappointing to see what could have been.. high hopes with the aroma to be disappointed by the taste.. I feel like they jumped all in with the aroma, and the taste was an after-thought.. the aroma should compliment or add-on to the flavor or taste, not be the end goal..


edited to fix image link.  :)




Posted 34 days ago.
Edited 34 days ago by homebrewdad

blur_yo_face
Houston, Tx
161 Posts


Thanks for the image link Olan! wasn't sure I could figure out how to fix that..



Posted 34 days ago.

homebrewdad
Charter Member
Birmingham, AL
2480 Posts


No prob.  You had a the http part in there twice, which was breaking it.




Posted 34 days ago.

KidMoxie
Charter Member
San Elijo Hills, CA
405 Posts


A friend of mine reviewed this beer recently as well and was really impressed with the chocolate character. He didn't mention the thin body, but he's from TX and drinks a lot of Shiner so his expectations might have been tempered. Still, it's nice to see Spoetzl branching out, even if they don't always knock it out of the park.




Posted 34 days ago.

blur_yo_face
Houston, Tx
161 Posts


Oh don't get me wrong, the chocolate character was definitely there, more in aroma than anything.. I'm personally glad Spoetzl is branching out as well.. Even though I personally don't seem to like some of their wacky beers (Shiner Cheer, etc), enough people do.. and as long as they keep experimenting, eventually something will come across that I enjoy.. I guess my criticism comes from a stance of high expectations (based on aroma) and disappointment with overall flavor/taste..  I am from TX as well, and am perfectly fine with thin body beers.. just not in this style..


"For me, I am glad I bought an individual bottle out of the singles case at HEB. It is good, don’t get me wrong, but not one that I would want to have a 12-pack around with any expectation of drinking it within a month or so." - this statement best sums up my experience of it.. not terrible, but wouldn't want to spend a lot of money on it..




Posted 34 days ago.

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