Shiner Homespun Cream Ale: Creamy, Sweet, Acceptable

Spoetzl Brewing has been around for more than 100 years, making it one of the longest- lived breweries in America. Better known for its brand name Shiner, this Texas- based brewery continues to expand its brewing philosophy, creating a wider variety of beers than at any time in its history. One of these newer products is Shiner Homespun Cream Ale, a Shiner- fied version of a distinctly American style

Creaminess All the Way

Shiner Homespun Cream Ale is a bubbly brew. Poured from the bottle, it has a malty sweet nose, but the scent also makes you think “adjunct” as you whiff away at the fumes rising from the beer’s tightly packed bubbles. There is even a faint scent of vanilla in the nose.

The body of the beer is creamy- no surprise there- and the dominant flavors are crackers, corn, and wheat with a touch of honey and even a little bit of metallic character. There is the slightest touch of hop spiciness and herbs in the finish, but the beer quickly returns to its sweet malt profile. The beer is on the thin side- fuller than most macro brews, but thinner than some of the heftier cream ales from craft breweries.

Shiner Does it Again

Shiner Homespun Cream Ale is a simple enough beer and, like many other Shiner products, it tastes like it was brewed to sell. The beer is sweet overall and pleasant enough to appeal to the masses. But like some other Shiner brews, this one is a little disappointing, especially if you have tasted some of the big, well- crafted cream ales brewed by small craft breweries.

With Shiner Homespun Cream Ale, consumers are presented with a beer that seems to have Shiner written all over it. By that, I mean the beer is just very, well, ordinary. There is nothing that really stands out as remarkable, but there is also nothing I could pinpoint as necessarily a major flaw. As I sipped away at my second glass of this beer, the adjectives that continued to come to mind were “sweet”, “bubbly”, and “creamy.” I can think of far worse things to think/say about a beer, but again, there was nothing exceptional.

Shiner used to be a company devoted exclusively to lagers and its portfolio was rather slim. But the Texas brewery has adjusted itself to fit the times, brewing a decent assortment of ales. I believe Shiner Wild Hare Pale Ale, released in 2012, was the brewery’s first foray into the world of ale and now they have several, so they are making progress, even if a little slower than I would prefer.

Shiner Homespun Cream Ale is an acceptable beer and there is nothing offensive about it. But that isn’t enough to convince me to purchase this ho- hum homespun brew again. Give it a try, if you like, and see for yourself just how average a cream ale can be.

Rating: 5 Cheers out of 10

 

 

Rating: 5 Cheers out of 10