Shock Top Variety Pack Review

Shock top is a pretty good bear. I’m not much of a light beer drinker so I don’t drink it often, but the Belgian White is never a disappointment. So I decided to try a sample pack. It came with 4 different beers and here are my thoughts on all of them:

Belgian White – This is their base beer. It is light and crisp and has good flavor. I like it in summer. It doesn’t rock my world, but I don’t snub my nose at it. I would not be opposed to serving this in my shop in the spring and summer.

Schockolate Wheat – I thought this beer was going to be like a lot of the other chocolate beers I’ve had, where they try to make it taste like carbonated chocolate milk. I was skeptical to say the least. When I poured it, it poured like a real beer. It wasn’t think or “creamy” looking. The taste was a dark beer with chocolate and coffee flavor notes. It really tasted like cocoa nibs were in the brewing, rather than added after. This is probably one of the better chocolate beers I have yet. I would definitely serve this in my shop during the winter months.

Honey Bourbon Cask Wheat – This was another beer that has a delicious name, but I expected to taste like artificially flavored beer. I was pleasantly surprised. It was a good wheat beer with a deep subtle honey on the finish. The finish reminded me of the mead I’ve been sipping on for years. I liked it and would serve this in my shop during the fall and winter.

Twisted Pretzel Wheat – I realize that I have been negative on all the flavored beers, and Shock Top was proving me wrong on each. Unfortunately, this one didn’t cut it. The buttery pretzel was only really in the aroma. Which, let’s be honest, who wants to smell butter in their beer? (My thought is only the weirdos who like the popcorn jellybeans.) The beer was a little darker and just tasted like a wheat. The finish had the artificial flavor after taste that I have come to associate with randomly flavored beers. This beer confirmed with me that if an ingredient (like a buttery pretzel) is not actually tossed into the brewing, then don’t do it. I would chase the vendor off with a stick if he tried to install this on my tap.