Tonight I'll be drinking the final brew from my Uncle Mike's mixed 6-pack, Bohemian Black Lager from Spoetzl Brewery in Shiner, Texas. This brewery was founded way back in 1909 under the Shiner Brewing Association, which was a makeshift brewery created to bring the old world brewing traditions of the bavarian style into the US. Shiner is well-known for it's flagship brew, the Shiner Bock, which is the personal favorite beer of a couple co-workers of mine....to be honest I haven't even had a Shiner beer for a couple years now. The Bohemian Black Lager is a schwarzbier that was developed as their 97th Anniversity brew, and it received enough rave reviews, they brought it back as a year-round offering. It comes in at 4.9% alcohol, 18 IBUs, and features Czech and Styrian hops.
The label on the bottle states "Spread Cheer with Shiner Beer!". The brew is nearly black with some light narrowly getting through, with a pastel white layer of head and good retention. Aroma is muted, with bittersweet chocolate, nutty roastyness, and caramelized sugar. The taste starts off with nutty nuttyness, dark chocolate, and some roasted grains. These are carried on a fleeting wave of sweetness, which move out of the way for a clean and sort of bland finish. Lingering afterwards is some light tobacco smokeyness. The mouthfeel is watery and carbonation is on the low side.
Overall Rating: I've had better schwarzbiers...this was too thin and too sweet, lacking any real balance in the flavor profile. It was a letdown for me, unfortunate considering this is one of my favorite beer styles. C-
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