Beer Review: Shiner Ruby Redbird

Spoetzl Brewery Shiner Ruby Redbird

Finally Shiner beers are available in New Jersey. I got this one as a very generous gift from my father-in-law. This is the only beer with grapefruit in it that I have yet to encounter and adding ginger to the mix really makes things interesting. The redbird pours a medium golden color with a very quickly disappearing head due to the citrus. Aroma is solidly ginger with some grapefruit, not what you can normally expect from a beer.

The flavor is as unique as the two additional ingredients. The ginger and grapefruit really dominate the taste and the citric acid provides a nice tart aftertaste. The carbonation is very pronounced in this brew and really provides a nice effervescent quality. The traditional beer flavors of barley malt and hops are not as noticeable as in usual brews. The grapefruit and ginger provide a spicy, sour, and sweet experience that alternates while you are tasting the beer which to me is very refreshing.

This is a solid beer that I would definitely purchase this time of year. One nice thing to note if you are concerned with weight is that Spoetzl has the calorie information online and this beer comes in at a count of 116. This beer is a nice break from the constant hefeweizens that usually dominate my summer. The only negative thing I can say about this beer is that it isn't particularly deep and the hop and malt flavors really get muted. If you are a fan of grapefruit, ginger, and beer you owe it to yourself to try this out.

Final Score: 89% (Solid and Unique but Lacks Depth)