Shiner Holiday Cheer

Courtesy of KC Beer Blog

Shiner Holiday Cheer.  What a great label, looks like a fresh version of 1949!  I can picture Bing Crosby holding a bottle on the set of White Christmas.  Shiner Holiday Cheer, a 5.4% ABV, 22 IBU  dunkelweizen brewed with peaches and pecans (why?), is a clear, mahogany color with a goodly amount of visible carbonation.  The head recedes fairly quickly, to a thin, splotchy layer of fuzz, leaving a bit of lace.  There is a definite whiff of peach right off the bat, and a dryness that assails the nose at first.  There are deep, sweet notes in the bouquet as well, and they translate into full, sweet notes on the tongue.  Still, the sweetness does not reveal a lot of peach, which I’m fine with.  Very dry and more than a little bitter (despite the 22 IBU rating), Shiner Holiday Cheer is not what I expected from a holiday brew, lacking the “Christmas spice” flavors often associated with holiday brews.  Maybe the bitterness comes from pecans?  Although I am not a fan of the finished product, I applaud the effort.  And the packaging.