... is, I'm sad to report, nothing special. It's not bad, it just doesn't quite live up to the name, which makes it sound as if it's the good stuff that you only break out on special occasions. According to the bottle, it's an "aromatic dry hopped lager specially brewed to celebrate the man who started it all" – that being Kosmos Spoetzl, who actually didn't quite start it all, but he was the brewmaster (and eventually owner) from 1914 to 1950, taking the reins five years after the Shiner Brewing Association was formed. (Read Mike Renfro's wonderful Shine On for a history of Spoetzl Brewery.)The taste is a little like the "98" Bavarian Amber special release of two years ago, although I liked that better. And I'll admit I'm detecting some malt complexity as I get a little deeper into the glass (hmm … as always, letting a beer like this warm a bit is the key to pulling out the flavor). Overall, though, I'm wishing I'd gotten the Commemorator 100 instead of the Shiner Family Reunion mixed pack, which is the only way to purchase Kosmos Reserve at this time (you get one bottle of it, along with a Black, a Light, a Hefeweizen, a Bock, and a Blonde).
6 comments:
yeah, we picked up a Family reunion, will try it next week. I would like to think a lager like that one would be able to git-r-done while still cold.
I think the brew is decent enough, but sure as hell not good enough to deserve the name or be a limited single in a six-pack run. I'll probably buy a couple more Family Reunion packs to try a few more but beyond that I don't see myself going out of my way to get any more. As Lee said, the Shiner 100 would be a better buy.
I also purchased the big Shiner box at Cost-Co for the Kosmos Reserve and was a bit underwhelmed.
I didn't pick up anything that tasted like "dry hopped"... but I tasted it AFTER a bottle of Hair of the Dog Fred which would put most anything from Shiner to shame.
It was exactly what I expected from a Shiner beer, but nothing worthy of the qualifier "Reserve".
Dave T says ....
Went to Spec's and got the Family Reunion 6-pack (along with an 18-pack of cheap stuff I don't dare name on this blog).
Have to admit, the Bohemian Black Lager was pretty tasty to me and my favorite of the bunch (well, I hadn't tried the Shiner Light yet). I liked the Kosmos a little less, but finished up the glass. Oddly, I didn't care for their Hefeweizen at all.
Too bad about Kosmos Reserve not living up. I've only just gotten 'round to trying the "97"...still thinking back on their Holiday Cheer and figuring nothing will measure up now. Looking for the "100" here in Arizona. Our Total Wine or BevMo will probably have the mixed sixpacks soon.
Confirmed on trip to brewery yesterday that the current Kosmos Reserve is not the same recipe as original (which I loved). Said the original didn't sell well so the brewmaster developed a new recipe. Meh.
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