Broken Speaker Episode 3: Da Beers

Welcome back for the third installment of Da Beers where I will be breaking down the beers that Greg and I enjoyed this week. Before you continue though, you should definitely listen to the podcast so that you can enter the proper mindset before you enjoy these brews.

Spoetzel Brewery: Shiner Holiday Cheer

 First off, if you listened to the podcast I described this beer as Christmas in your mouth. I stand by that statement, but with a little clarification. I don't think that it's so much the flavors or the aroma that reminds me of Christmas but rather the fact that once these hit the shelves it starts to feel like the holidays.

If you do not like peaches, this beer is not for you. The peach flavor is almost overwhelming and dominates the flavor profile for this beer. Luckily, I like peaches so it wasn't that bad in my opinion but I could definitely see how it could be off putting to others. The pecan flavors that the bottle boasted were almost non existent which was a little disappointing, but overall this beer was pretty good.

Fun fact, I always though that Shiner was the name of the brewery that made Shiner Bock, Shiner Holiday Cheer, or Shiner Golden Ale. It wasn't until writing this post that I realized that Shiner is the brand name that the Spoetzel Brewery produces. I find this especially funny because I have corrected countless people who do not live in Colorado that it is the New Belgium Brewing Company that creates Fat Tire rather than the Fat Tire Brewing Company. I think sometimes certain beers become even more famous than the brewery that makes the beer, just like Shiner became in my mind.

Lagunitas Brewing Company: Little Sumpin' Sumpin' Ale

If you've never heard of Lagunitas before, you should go take a look at their website. I would argue that they have some of the most creative names for their beers out of every brewery in the world. They continued that tradition when naming this hoppy pale wheat ale.

While this isn't an IPA, it really does cater to IPA fans because it comes in at 65 IBUs. But still it's not an IPA and the fact that it is brewed with wheat will most likely mellow the hop note out. Greg commented that he really enjoyed the beer so I know I will be looking to try this one real soon.

Greg has mentioned before that he isn't a huge fan of IPAs and I know he's not alone. I think it's really important to remember that there are hundreds of different IPAs and no two are the same. Don't ignore an entire style of beer just because you didn't like that one beer that one time. You've probably just not tried that one beer that will make you fall in love with the style. Maybe fall in love is a little strong, but you will for sure be able to appreciate the craft that goes into make those beers.

Like always pick these beers up at your local store and let us know what you think of them in the comments below. We are always open to suggestions for the featured beers in our upcoming podcasts so leave those in the comments as well. 

Cheers!

-Brian