I spent a year in Texas between college and graduate school, during which time I drank two brands of beer—Shiner Bock or LoneStar, depending on how much money I had on me at the time. I was parking cars at night and working an unpaid internship at a weekly magazine during the day; I didn’t have a lot of money. Still, I’d splurge for Shiner Bock more often than not, so I have a soft spot in my heart for Spoetzl Brewery, which has been operating out of tiny Shiner, Texas for 106 years.
During that century of brewing, Spoetzl has experimented little and stuck mostly to the lager side of beer. Their flagship Shiner Bock is easy-drinking, slightly malty goodness. A fine beer that pairs well with chasing tumbleweeds through downtown Fort Worth (true story) and I’ll fight anyone who says differently. This year, Spoetzl is stepping out of their comfort zone by brewing their first ever IPA, Wicked Ram.
It’s a fairly straightforward approach to the style—Two Row, caramel and wheat malts matching up with Crystal and Bravo hops. The beer is then dry hopped with Centennial for a pungent nose. And that nose has a zesty quality that’s enticing. The color is pretty light, with just a little bit of orange tinge to it. As for the taste, file Wicked Ram under “old school IPA.” Pine is dominant throughout the sip until it delivers you into a really dry, West Texas desert-like finish. There’s a little bit of spice at the end that tingles on the tongue like ginger. Any fruity notes at all come at you in the form of grapefruit, and I’m not talking about the fleshy part that your mom used to put sugar on for you. This is straight up oily, bitter grapefruit rind with just a whisper of sweetness. All in all, it’s a pretty well balanced IPA thanks to the Two Row and caramel malts, but brace yourself for that dry, bitter finish.
Spoetzl definitely didn’t reinvent the wheel when brewing this beer. Wicked Ram isn’t terribly adventurous, and it doesn’t necessarily offer anything new to the broad field of IPAs already on the market. That said, it’s a perfectly fine beer, and one that will appeal to old school IPA lovers who might be fed up with the contemporary trend towards fruitier, sweeter India Pale Ales. If that’s you, look for this new year-round offering in bottles and cans.
Brewery: Spoetzl Brweery
City: Shiner, Texas
Style: IPA
ABV: 6%
IBU: 55