This week's Sunday Night Suds beer review takes one last sentimental look at summer beer by reviewing Shiner Hefeweizen.
Shortly before Rosh Hashana, I was contacted by a Rabbi with a question about a certain style of beer. In order to properly answer his question, I needed to verify a certain beer with the Va'ad of Detroit. Since I was corresponding with them anyway, I decided to ask whether any new brands were now under their supervision. To my surprise, I learned that Shiner beers, brewed at the Spoetzel Brewery in Shiner, Texas, were now under the supervision of the Va'ad of Detroit.
Armed with this knowledge, I set out to find Shiner beer. The Shiner website indicated that it was not sold in NY (although I did a little digging and found that at least one BBQ joint in the Village carried it). However, the website did indicate that it was being sold in Illinois. Well, I checked the Sam's website and they indicated that they did carry a number of varieties, so I reserved a six pack of the Hefeweizen and another sixer of the Blonde in advance of our Sukkos trip.
The nice thing about Sam's is that they have a world class selection of beer, wine and spirits in an easily accessible location. Their prices are more than fair and the staff is helpful enough, but also knows when to leave you alone. They even ship by mail (warning, the ship charge is pretty steep, I priced three six packs and the ship charge was $29).
We brought the Shiner brews back to my inlaws and tried them in the sukkah. The Hefeweizen was a solid double, light tasting with some sweetness. Having said that, it did not taste like a classic hefeweizen as the banana-type flavors were not there and there were no floaters. It also did not taste like an American wheat beer either. Still, if I had a case of these I could definitely knock back a couple on a hot summer day.
Shiner Hefeweizen is under the Kosher Supervision of the Va'ad of Detroit, although the brew does not bear the Va'ad symbol on its label. If you would like me to e-mail you the Va'ad LOC for Shiner, send me an e-mail and I will gladly oblige.
To see what the experts on Beer Advocate think about Shiner Hefeweizen, please follow this link
As always, please remember to drink responsibly and to never waste good beer unless there is no designated driver.
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