Shiner Oktoberfest
Here in Shiner, TX (pop. 2,070), we’re suckers for tradition. Which is why this classic Oktoberfest brew is made with the highest quality two-row barley, Munich and caramel malts, along with German grown Hallertau Tradition and Hersbrucker hops. It’s our way of honoring our ancestors and the beer they loved to celebrate with. So raise your stein to tradition and enjoy this utterly classic brew.
2.9
446 reviews
Shiner, United States
Community reviews
Just awful. Bitter taste that’s not pleasant. The subtle notes of caramel and fruitiness are nonexistent. Disappointing and weak attempt at an Octoberfest. Thank goodness it’s only seasonal.
bitter awful beer- worst of the oktoberfest style had to dump it
Very nice sweetish malt aroma, slightly toasty, slight caramel. Clear amber with heavy carbonation. Tall off-white head disappears quickly with little or no lacing. Feel is a bit thin. Taste is faithful to the aroma, slightly sweet initially, caramel malts, with a bitter finish to off-set the malts. Enjoyable and easy drinking. I prefer the Märzen-style to the lighter Fest style, and this is a decent example... not the best example, but decent, perhaps a little overly bitter, a little thin, but I wouldn't hesitate to buy it as one of the selections for an O-fest party.
12 oz bottle pours out copper amber color topped with a sand head. Nose is caramel malts some leafy vegetables. Taste is more of the caramel malts some roast notes a little bit of sweetness and some spice.
Pours clear amber with ruby notes and a full, off-white head. Aroma is light caramel and Munich hops Taste is light caramel, moving to some nuts and light roast. Finish is smooth roast. Drinkable, but not exactly a great Marzen.
Aroma of sweet caramel with a hint of molasses. Nice deep orange amber with a thick off white head. Sweet up front, caramel flavor fades and is replaced with earthy Pilsner like bitterness. Finish slightly unbalanced , echo of sweetness.
It has a medium orange amber color with good clarity and a small head that slowly settles down to just a thing cap of foam. The aroma has toasted malt and cereal grain with a mild sweetness and some herbal and grassy hops. The flavor matches its aroma to a T and the feel is very drinkable, balanced and refreshing.
Malty. Not much else. Good, though.
pours a light amber with a medium off white head. Caramel malt aroma. Sweetish malty taste. Some noticeable hop presence. Bittersweet finish and linger. Pretty good.
not a great Octoberfest, but it is good. I enjoyed it thoroughly. great flavor that I appreciated in todays "hop" overloaded craftie world. wonderful beer.
9/1/2023 - Shiner has their Octoberfest in a local store. GA, as a state, appears to ONLY favor their local hops brewed beers. No thanks. Tried this beer again and was pleasantly surprised. Good taste. Thanks Shiner!!
9/11/2020 - update ---- tried this year's edition and was BADLY disappointed. Shiner, really?? Spices??? This beer has a limited hops taste, thankfully. It is an Octoberfest, which by definition is MALTY. But ,what I noticed, was the "spices". I can not adequately describe this oddity. The beer tastes good, but the spice taste is overwhelming. It REALLY distracts from the taste of the beer. What is it? Allspice? Nutmeg?? Something gives this beer an odd aftertaste that I can only describe as "spice". Sorry Shiner, not buying any more of this mess. Thank you for not going the typical USA "craftie" route and dumping 150 lb of hops in each bottle. Hops is needed in beer, yes. But, not at the amount "craftie" idiots use it. This beer has a very odd taste. Yuck. Also, for those who think this is important - there is no head. Poured it straight into a small glass and the head disappeared in about 2 seconds. I was surprised and poured more. Again, head was gone in less than a second. None.
10/2018 - new brew in a new labeled bottle ------ tastes LIKE THEY ONLY HAD HOPS IN THEIR WAREHOUSE. THIS TASTES LIKE A PILSNER, NOT AN OCTOBERFEST - YUCK!!! DOWNGRADED RATING DUE TO THIS HORRIBLY HOPPY "BEER". YUCK!!!!
Sorry Shiner, but this was really a tragically brewed beer - TOO MUCH HOPS!!!!!!!!! Octoberfest - known for its MALT - is not supposed to be a USA craftie "IPA" overload.
6/2018 Update - just for those goofy crafties, I drank one of these I had left FROM 2017!!!!!!! OH MY!!!!!! It tasted good. Dont worry lil ones, there is no "freshness date" on Shiner. Doesnt need one. It isnt a spicey mix of pine cones and knitted aprons, thankfully. It is beer. Although, there is a noticed "metallic" taste to this 8 month "old" beer. Not bad. It did hit the back of my throat, but certainly not to the degree that the hops overloaded craftie garbage does.
Pretty good representation of the style. Malty and slightly sweet. Auburn color with a medium weight.
This bottled brew from a bottle shop was served at a cool temperature and poured a small sized head of foamy finely sized white colored bubbles that were quickly diminishing and left behind a very softly carbonated body semi-transparent light orange brown colored body and a fair lacing. The weak aroma was malty. The mouth feel was tingly at the start and at the finish with a biting malt hop aftertaste. The ok flavor contained notes of caramel and malt. A decent one but not one that I would consider buying again.
Poured into a half-litre stein from two 12 oz. brown glass bottles (cold, but not too cold) and, on an initial taste impression, being a slight metallic; but put that observation aside and enjoy all else enjoyable with this brew, as seasonal as it may be.
Rated on 9-15-2017. (Bottle) The appearance is a medium sized foamy off-white head that is mostly lasting, transparent golden amber body, lively, fast rising carbonation, and spotty lacing. The aroma presents some hops, fruity, sweet, lightly floral, and caramel malt. The flavor is light-medium bitter, fruity, caramel malt, sweet, and a semi-dry bitter finish. The mouthfeel is moderate carbonation and this is a light-medium bodied beer. This is an easy drinking beer with a sweet and malt finish. It is a beer that I might drink again.
Very smooth and flavorful. A very Oktoberfest taste! Each sip is filled with hints of caramel and pumpkin spice.
Malty, bready, toasty, yeasty, herbal hops, bitter hops, fairly carbonated. A little caramel sweetnes but not enough to put you off.
12oz bottle. Pours copper-gold with a moderate white head. Aroma is spice, bread, and caramel. Taste is spice, honey, bread, and caramel. Yeasty finish. Light-medium body. Medium carbonation. Crisp.
Not too bad but kinda watery and lackluster. Very nice appearance and color however.
Poured into a glass from 12oz bottle. Fragrant aroma and amber appearance are pretty much what you'd expect from an Oktoberfest-Märzen beer. Taste is slightly less sweet than others I've tried, but the flavor lingers on the palate a bit - probably meant to be paired with food. Surprisingly resilient head and just enough carbonation to keep things going throughout the drinking duration. However, being a Shiner beer, made in Shiner, TX, whose aquifer is full of incredibly hard water, this one still has hints of that peculiar Shiner taste, so if you were put off by Shiner Bock for that reason you may want to look elsewhere.
I really liked it. It reminded me of a fall day it was crisp and delicious.
Draft. Pours light copper with thin white head that dissipates quickly. Light bread malt with caramel and some honey notes.
Ide say it's the bare bone minimum that meets the requirements to be an Oktoberfest. It's basic, no frills. Might be decent on tap but bottled is average.
12 oz bottle, thanks Poisoneddwarf- Pours lightly hazy burnt orange with a medium off white head that reduces quickly. Aroma is toast, caramel malt, some sort of fruits. The taste is caramel malts, bready, spice, a bit thin. Lighter and easy drinking.
12 oz bottle. Aroma is chalk, generic beer, caramel, hay, vague whiff of vomit. Pours clear copper with a one finger off-white head that falls into a skiff pretty quick; the skiff lasts, Bartholemew! Taste is sweet, toasty, grassy hop bitter. Not too bad, considering the bland/off-putting aroma.
12 oz. bottle, no date or alcohol percentage. Tasted pretty good, I don’t like caramel malts, but the off-putting was minimal. Clear in the brown bottle, I know it must have been near the outdate, because it was on clearance. Better than most Oktoberfest(s), no aftertaste.
12 oz. bottle courtesy of the Giestings; no bottle date that I can find. Aroma: Caramel in near balance with spicy bread, a little peanutty; reminds me a bit of Abita’s Mardi Gras Bock in some sense. Appearance: Transparent copper body with soft carbonation holding up a foamy tan head that settles into a thick ring. Flavor: Caramel loaf with peanut butter spread; more spiciness than you’d expect towards the finish, which actually has some measurable bitterness. Palate: Medium body, sticky texture, soft carbonation, bitter finish. Overall: Huh. It’s a little unrefined, but it’s actually fairly good despite some shortcomings. A fun surprise.
Bottle into pint glass, bubbly clear golden-hued amber color with tan head. Aroma notes of caramel malt sweetness, hay and light green apple-like fruitiness. Taste adds roasty malt, malt, graininess, honey, grass and light earthy hop bitterness. Light-medium body, moderate-heavy carbonation, crisp, just a tad dry with clean earthy toast finish. Pretty solid oktoberfest as an even better price.
Light malt/bread aroma, minimal head, light to medium carbonation. Golden color. Light malt taste with hop presence throughout. Palate tips towards hops. Finishes fairly clean.
$1.99 bottle from Whole Foods Charlottesville. Pours medium golden with only a dusting of a head. Smells of autumn leaves, Apple, grass, metal. Flavor is all of the above minus the Apple. Finishes bitter metallic.
I had it from the bottle. It pours amber with an off-white head and lacing. The aroma is caramel and hay. The taste is caramel malt, hay, bread. It?s smooth and drinkable It?s a pretty standard Octoberfest. It?s solid though.