Have you ever had a beer and found it to be so good and it sort of frames your evening and leaves you with a powerful memory? Have you ever had that beer again and then thought what just happened? That was my experience with the Shiner Bock. I had the Shiner Bock on two separate occasion while at conferences in Texas and both times, after a somewhat painful day in meetings, the flow of Shiner melted away the conference and made for a great night of commiserating and camaraderie. Well, the other day, I stopped at the Roger Wilco (formerly the Wine Warehouse) and after seeing the Shiner, I thought what a nice find and picked up a six.

From the Shiner site:

“Bock reflects the tradition of genuine Bavarian beers as a brew only a craftsman like Kosmos Spoetzl, trained in the “Old Country,” could bring to life. With its deep amber color, distinctive rich flavor and full body, Shiner Bock demonstrates the care of a handcrafted brewing process to bring forth a mellow taste free of the bitter aftertaste found in many micro, specialty and imported beers. Just think of it as Shiner smooth.”

I found the Shiner Bock to have the following characteristics:

Appearance: Dark brown with a little foam and lacing.

Dark brown with a little foam and lacing. Aroma: Maple and sweet malt.

Maple and sweet malt. Taste: Average taste with a flat if not slightly sour finish.

Average taste with a flat if not slightly sour finish. ABV: 4.4%

Sadly, you can’t go home again. Maybe it was drinking at home, maybe it was out of the bottle instead of on tap, maybe Shiner just isn’t that good. No matter how much I tried to love it, I just couldn’t recapture that same feeling from before. Has this ever happened to you?