Saturday 4th of August 2012 10:33:24 AM

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OK so first off I have to say my wife and I aren't huge Shiner fans. That's not saying we don't like them, just that we don't buy their stuff often. But we've been wanting to go to their brewery since we moved to Texas 2 years ago, and we finally got the chance.

This place is in a really cool setting. Puts you back in time kinda. Small small town. The brewery is probably the largest place in town. It is surrounded on all sides by trees and just looks out of place. In a good way though. Its like you stepped into a fairy tale and there's this big brewery that everyone in town goes to for beer. Kinda like a pub only massive. Its not the biggest brewery I've been to but pretty large for a small town. Old style buildings mixed with newer additions make it a hodgepodge place. I really liked this. Everything about it I liked.

Now on to the beer and tours. Tours are free and the are only offered on the weekdays as they are a family oriented company and believe in weekends. So if you're planning on a weekend trip, plan on going on a Friday cause they won't be there Sat and Sun. The tour includes 4 samples (4oz. ea.) of any beer they have on tap. They had their normal lineup. Bock, Blonde, Light Blonde, Bohemian Black Lager and Hefeweizen. And two seasonal specials. Oktoberfest and 103 Wild Hare Pale Ale. Every one of their beers tasted better off tap. And that's a given with almost all beers. The one I was most impressed with bottle vs. tap was the Pale Ale. SO much better tasting. Too bad this will only be around this year before it is retired. Tour is about 30 minutes give or take depending on group size and questions people ask. Our group consisted of only 10 people so it was very quick. Not that that was bad as the tour guide is probably scripted and not many people had any questions. The tour guide though when asked a question was able to answer it as she seemed very knowledgeable about the company she works for. A+ for her. At the end of the tour or before it starts, you can buy a variety of things from their gift shop.

One other thing that was new. Other reviewers on other sites said that they didn't allow pictures to be taken. Well when we went they were on their third week or so of an experiment of allowing people to take pictures. I asked why they didn't allow before and their reasoning was actually pretty sound. Not going to go into details but I just want to say I'm glad that they are experimenting with it and hope it can stay that way.
I will definitely come back here someday. I really enjoyed the setting and everything else about it.

Sunday 24th of June 2007 04:26:53 PM

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This person needs 3 or more reviews on the site for their scores to start counting.

The Spoetzl Brewery is a great place for a short tour and a cold beer. There are usually 5 or 6 beers on tap including Shiner Boch, Blonde, and any one or two of numerous seasonal beers. The brewery is a historic landmark and the tour includes many stories associated with Spoetzel's past. The gift shop is a great place to wait for the tour to begin. Be sure to call ahead to see when the next tour will be available and if they are open to the public.