Shiner

I like beer. But not just any kind of beer. Only the good kinds. I consider myself a bit of a beer connoisseur. You can be a beer connoisseur, right? I think if one can be a wine connoisseur then I can be a beer connoisseur. At any rate, my preference for beer tends to be the darker ones. Currently I am enjoying a delightful brew called Shiner Bohemian Black Lager. Growing up in Colorado, despite the excellent selection found at Old Chicago, I was unaware that Shiner made anything other than Shiner Bock, which I consider to be an ok consolation prize when it's the only choice aside from the typical "Bud, Bud Light, Coors, Coors Light" spiel that every server across the country is so good at rattling off. So I was surprised to discover that Shiner is made by a brewery called Spoetzl in none other than the city of Shiner, TX. Since I happen to live in McKinney, TX, I got pretty excited about touring a new brewery (one of my favorite activities), but it turns out that Texas is a pretty large state. GoogleMaps informs me that it's a 5 hour and 21 minute drive from my door to theirs. Bummer. But thanks to the wonderful invention of trucks, they are kind enough to drop off this little beauty by the six pack at my local grocery store. Thanks to this kind service, I have decided that Shiner Bohemian Black Lager is a new favorite. I recommend it. However, I am guessing that there are plenty of cities similar to Greeley, CO that do not get the full spectrum of Shiner products delivered to them, so here are a few other recommendations, according to my preference, of course:

New Belgium's 1554
Heineken International's Newcastle Brown Ale
JW Dundee's Honey Brown Lager
Grand Teton Brewing's Bitch Creek ESB (sorry for the language, but it's what the beer is named!)
Tommyknocker's Maple Nut Brown Ale

Those are just a few off the top of my list... Of course I reserve the right to add/delete from the list at any time. Because it's my blog and not yours. Just sayin. =)

Cheers!