If you're looking to celebrate the 12 days of Christmas this year but want to change things up from the traditional advent calendar, then we've got a brilliant alternative: Shiner Home for the Holidays Variety Pack. It's the perfect early Christmas gift for any beer lover. The box is packed with 12 festive flavors — one for each day of Christmas — including Candied Pecan, Frost and Holiday Cheer.
Shiner Beer, hailing from the Shiner, Texas-based Spoetzl Brewery, is best known for its bock. But over the years, they've released a variety of special brews ranging from light to dark. And a dozen of their fan favorites have made a triumphant return for the holiday collection, which can be purchased in either a 12 or 24-pack.
Mixing and matching craft beers into a custom six-pack has become a go-to way for beer lovers to sample a wide variety of options. While Shiner may be larger than what some would consider a genuine craft brewery, they offer that craft brewery taste and feel with this special and (very) limited edition pack.
In the spirit of the season, I decided to sample each of Shiner's yuletide brews for myself and assign them a ranking (I know, I know, it's a tough job — but somebody's got to do it).
12. Shiner Holiday Cheer
Shiner
The Holiday Cheer is a Bavarian-style dark wheat beer infused with the seasonal essence of Texas peaches and roasted pecans. It's an ambitious attempt at a bold new flavor and I applaud Shiner for taking a swing at something unique. Unfortunately, the peaches overwhelm the palette entirely, leaving little room for the roasted pecans to balance out the sweetness.
10. Shiner Kosmos Reserve
Shiner
Shiner cautions that the Kosmos Reserve lager, named for the founder of the Spoetzl Brewery, is "hop-jacked." Which proved to be a bit of an overstatement. Not a bad thing in my book — I was pleased that the bitterness eased off the gas pedal enough to allow the citrusy and faintly sweet flavors to climb on board.
11. Shiner 101 Czech Style Pilsner
Shiner
The Shiner 101 has a dominating wheaty taste with a hint of cherry flavor. Pilsners are typically known for having a clean finish, but the Shiner 101 lingers with a touch of hoppiness. Overall, this is an average Czech-style Pilsner.
9. Shiner Bavarian-Style Amber
Shiner
The Shiner Bavarian-Style Amber had an off-white head that faded almost immediately atop its hazy-reddish color. The smell was delicious and reminded me of sourdough bagels. The sourdough carried through to the taste as well, with some added burnt caramel bitterness and a dry finish.
8. Shiner Dunkelweizen
Shiner
Like most weizen-style beers, Shiner's Dunkelweizen has a toasty, bread crust-like body with a moderate amount of maltiness. However, Shiner also goes heavy on the banana and burnt caramel flavors — heavier than you'd expect from a weizen (Shiner does love their fruity flavors). This makes for a beverage that may satisfy people who typically steer clear of weizens, but weizen lovers may be a touch disappointed.
7. Shiner Fröst
Shiner
With sweet malt and dry hoppy flavors, this Dortmunder beer is all about balance. Golden and clear body with a long-lasting white head, the mouth-feel of Shiner Fröst is full and soft with a hint of carbonation. The flavor evokes toasted biscuits and a whisper of honey. To live up to her name, she finishes dry and frosty.
6. Shiner Kölsch
Shiner
Like a sweet treat tucked into a good boy's stocking, the Shiner Kölsch gifted me sweet-tasting flavors of butterscotch and caramel with a hint of bitterness. But most of the golden yellow liquid tasted of spiced white bread, lightly hoppy, and deeply crisp and refreshing. The aromas are grainy — though, surprisingly, not the taste — and suggest a fruitiness akin to apple and pear.
5. Shiner Hefeweizen
Shiner
The Shiner Hefeweizen is brewed with orange peels and coriander, and the orange, honey, and wheat flavors hit you up front. As the citrusy-sweet notes fade, the wheat is joined by the taste of malt and crackers. The Hefe is always one of my go-to's, and Shiner's offering was refreshing from start to finish. A well above average Hefe.
4. Shiner Homespun Cream Ale
Usually, when a beer is creamy or fluffy, it's also exceedingly heavy, filling the stomach to the brim after half a bottle. But Shiner's Homespun Cream Ale stays light on its feet. There's also an underlying subtle sweetness and a finishing note of spiciness that make this brew a must-have. Even if you don't fancy yourself a fan of cream ales, Shiner's offering may just change your mind.
3. Shiner Golden Ale
Shiner
This "Pure Liquid Gold" from Shiner has a bready and tropical aroma courtesy of the Mosaic hops. A semi-sweet malt taste is balanced with a slight bitterness. Every sip finishes crisp and clean, making the Shiner Golden Ale extremely drinkable. It's easy to throw these back and I was wishing for another when I finished the one included in my twelve-pack.
2. Shiner Candied Pecan Porter
Shiner
The Shiner Candied Pecan Porter is brewed with roasted praline pecans and every sip is appropriately sweet and nutty. The pecan flavor really shines through with vanilla, brown sugar, and butter right on its heels. The beer smells like a pecan pie — but if you're worried about it being too sweet, don't be. A toasted earthiness keeps that candy in check.
1. Shiner Birthday Beer
Shiner
It's not my birthday, but after a few sips of Shiner Birthday Beer, it sure felt like it was. Made with real cocoa, this sweet and delicious stout tastes about as close to a chocolate cake as a beer can get. This fan favorite has been retired, but Shiner brought it back for the Home for the Holidays collection — for some, this beer alone is worth the price of the whole pack.
Snag a Shiner Home for the Holidays Variety Pack at H-E-B, Spec's, Total Wine, and other stores.
