Christmas Classics | Spoetzl Brewery Shiner Holiday Cheer

Dear Santa,

I’ve done my best this year. Sure, I may have had a few bumps in the road on my way to the Nice List, but what can I say? I’m only human. Besides, a few parking tickets never hurt anyone! Look Santa, I want to reason with you. I don’t need anything too fancy, so you can save the diamond earrings and shiny new cars for the real heroes out there. There is really only one thing I want to find in my stocking this year, and it’s a shiny new bottle of Shiner Holiday Cheer from Spoetzl Brewery. Now, they probably don’t sell this one where you’re from up North, so I’ll give you a few pointers to make sure you know what you’re looking for. 

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The Weekly Buzz | September 15 – 21

Today is the first day of fall, although you wouldn’t know it. It’s supposed to be in the 80s again in Pennsylvania. Ridiculous. Oktoberfest beers are releasing, and I’m stuck here wondering how exactly I’m supposed to enjoy a ridiculously oversized Märzen in that kind of heat? I guess I will just have to suck it up and muddle through. Finish off those summer seasonals that you’ve been hoarding and get ready for The Weekly Buzz!
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Spoetzl Brewery (Shiner) | Birthday Beer

ABV: 5% | IBU: 30

I recently turned 26, and while it isn’t a milestone birthday by any stretch, I still felt obligated to live it up while I could because… you know, I’m getting old. I spent the day hanging out with friends and family, going out to dinner and hitting some local bars in Lakewood, a western suburb of Cleveland. As the night drew to a close and the candles blew out on January 2, I took time to revel in the celebration and look forward to the year ahead. I have a feeling it’s going to be a great year filled with good time and better beer. Read More

Ultimate 6er | Fruit Beers II: Taste the Rainbow

While gay acceptance has been steamrolling through America in the last three decades, gay bars haven’t been as quick to welcome the plethora of new options in craft beers, sticking mostly to your tried and true macro brews with an occasional hometown hero in the mix. I personally blame vodka lobbyists and a vast lite beer Illuminati conspiracy for the dearth of options.

With that in mind I thought the time was perfect to create a Rainbow Collection of fruit beers to keep you cool in the heat and keep the party going wherever you are, be it parade route, dance floor, sports bar, hanging out at home or in line to buy a genuine silver buckle at Charlie’s Denver. Real Talk: who’s buying a belt buckle at 1 a.m.? Inquiring minds want to know.

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Spoetzl Brewery – Shiner Bock

ABV: 4.4%

Bitterness: 13 IBU

Shiner Bock. I couldn’t tell you the first time I tried it, but my most recent love affair with the Texas brew began shortly after Christmas. My friends Christine, Samantha and I went to see Dallas Buyers Club, and at the end of the film Jennifer Garner and Matthew McConaughey are splitting none other than (you guessed it!) a bottle of Shiner Bock. Up until this point, I had kind of forgotten about it, which isn’t fair to such a stellar beer, but it just got lost in the fray. Read More