ABV: 4.4%

Bitterness: 13 IBU

Shiner Bock. I couldn’t tell you the first time I tried it, but my most recent love affair with the Texas brew began shortly after Christmas. My friends Christine, Samantha and I went to see Dallas Buyers Club, and at the end of the film Jennifer Garner and Matthew McConaughey are splitting none other than (you guessed it!) a bottle of Shiner Bock. Up until this point, I had kind of forgotten about it, which isn’t fair to such a stellar beer, but it just got lost in the fray.

Shiner Bock is brewed by Spoetzl Brewery in Shiner, Texas, where the beer has been flowing since 1909. Today, every drop is still brewed in Shiner, using the same pure artesian well water that’s been used for the last hundred plus years. Originally a seasonal beer, Shiner Bock has been available year-round since 1973, and has won several awards. This American-style dark lager made with roasted barley malt and German specialty hops is extremely sessionable. With a fairly low ABV, it’s extremely easy to drink, making it the perfect addition to any BBQ or river tubing trip. Sure it doesn’t have all the bells and whistles of other great beers, but seventy-three percent of the beer made at the Spoetzl Brewery is Bock, and as the fourth-largest craft brewery in the country, that’s a lot of beer. They even have a website called Bock Love for all the Shiner Bock fans out there.

Maybe one of my favorite things about Shiner Bock? According to their website, it pairs nicely with porch sitting, and you can’t have porchdrinking without porch sitting. So take it from me, and see what all the fuss is about! Now if only it was still just thirty cents per glass….