I'm a "Weekend Brewmaster" and I'm wondering what type of yeast Shiner uses when brewing beer?

It is a bottling yeast; we carefully remove our primary yeast before we add honey to the bottle and the secondary yeast. It is fine to use that yeast in repropagating for homebrewing...but because it is NOT our primary alpha-fermentation yeast, it will not give the same esters or profile that you would find in our beers. Happy brewing.

What happened to the smaller Shiner bottles that were used in 12-packs? They used to fit perfectly into my cooler, and now all the bottles are longneck and too big. And what's going on with the graphics, why did they change? Did you change the taste too? I'm very disappointed in what has occurred.

Over the past several years, the brewery has received many consumer inquiries about our 12-pack package and our use of the short bottle. All of our 6 packs used longnecks, and many people were confused and said they would prefer the longneck. Based on this and many other inputs, we decided to change our 12 packs to use longneck bottles exclusively. We also took the opportunity to update our graphics. Of course, our new graphics still feature the proprietary Shiner Bock yellow, our majestic ram, and the distinctive Shiner logotype. You are also very perceptive about the beer. We did not alter the taste of Shiner Bock in any way. Our graphics may have changed on the outside, but we have not changed the beer that made Shiner famous, Shiner Bock. I sincerely hope that you will give our new longnecks a second chance and will continue to be a loyal Shiner fan. As a small independent brewer, we value each and every consumer. I strongly hope that we can earn back your business and your support.

I'm allergic to wheat, but I see there is wheat in Shiner Bock, my favorite beer. What is the wheat content?

I'm sorry to hear of your allergy to wheat, and therefore, you may want to avoid drinking Shiner Winter Ale, Shiner Summer Stock, and Shiner Hefeweizen. Each of these beers contains wheat in addition to the barley malt. Shiner Bock and Shiner Blonde are made with several barley malts and corn. We do not use wheat in these beers, but I should point out that they are processed using the same equipment as our wheat beers, and could contain trace amounts of wheat. I hope your allergy is not so severe that a trace amount of wheat would cause a reaction.

I'm recently engaged and my fiancée and I are planning the wedding reception. We want to order some kegs of Shiner Blonde. Can I order now so I can make sure we have it in time?

Congratulations on your wedding. It sounds like you will have quite a reception, especially if you are serving Shiner beers. You may want to wait until closer to the wedding date to purchase our beer, however, in order to have it at the peak of freshness. Again, congratulations, and let me know if you have any other questions about our products.

Does Shiner Bock add more sugar to their beer? It seems to have a sweeter taste than others.

Shiner Bock has no added sugar*. However, the mashing process converts the starch in the malt into fermentable and nonfermenatble sugars. By adjusting our mashing, we can impact the perceived sweetness or dryness of each of our beers. *All beer contains natural sugars.

I'm a diabetic but I love Shiner Beer. I should be able to drink your beer since there is no added sugar, correct?

We do not give medical advice, but every diabetic should ask his/her physician about drinking beer... many diabetics are prohibited from consuming beer.

I always see Shiner Bock in bottles, but I love crunching beer cans against my head. Do you make Shiner Bock in cans?

Yes, Shiner Bock is available in cans (and always has been)—we just sell a LOT more in bottles. You can always check with your local distributor to ask which specific stores carry Shiner Bock in cans.

What is the nutritional value of Shiner beers? I'm joining Weight Watchers and I want to make sure I can still fit in some Shiner calories into my weekly routine.

1. Shiner Bock
   • Alcohol Content: 3.5 percent alcohol by weight / 4.4 percent alcohol by by volume
   • Calories: 142
   • Carbohydrates: 12.9
   • Original Gravity: 10.9 Degrees Plato
   • IBU: 13
2. Shiner Blonde
   • Alcohol Content: 3.5 percent alcohol by weight / 4.4 percent alcohol by volume
   • Calories: 140
   • Carbohydrates: 12.4
   • Original Gravity: 10.7 Degrees Plato
   • IBU: 13
3. Shiner Light
   • Alcohol Content: 3.1 percent alcohol by weight / 4.0 percent alcohol by volume
   • Calories: 120
   • Carbohydrates: 9.1
   • Protein: 1.4 g
   • Original Gravity: 9.3 Degrees Plato
   • IBU: 13
4. Shiner Hefeweizen
   • Alcohol Content: 5.4 percent alcohol by volume
   • Calories: 174
   • Carbohydrates: 14.3
   • Original Gravity: 13.2 Degrees Plato
   • IBU: 17

My buddy and I are having a debate. He says Hefeweizen is pasteurized. I say not. What's the answer?

Hefeweizen is the only bottled beer we do NOT pasteurize. None of our draft beers are pasteurized, either.

It's me again. My buddy and I are on a new debate. He doesn't believe that Hefeweizen is carbonated? Is he right or wrong?

Hefeweizen is naturally carbonated by bottle conditioning at 60 deg F. We add Texas pure honey, immediately before packaging, and hold the beer until it reaches carbonation spec.

One more question. Shiner Blonde has more sugar than Shiner Bock, right? It's so sweet, there is no way there's more sugar in Shiner Bock.

The sugar in Shiner Bock is higher than in Shiner Blonde: 0.35 g/12 oz. max sugar (up to triglycerides, not including higher dextrins) concentration Shiner Bock (Shiner Blonde is lower.)

I'm moving to Oklahoma soon, and I hear their Shiner Bock has less alcohol. What gives?

Thanks for writing. Yes, Shiner Bock is available in 3.2% in Oklahoma. Our regular Shiner Bock has 3.46% alcohol by weight, so the 3.2% version has only a small amount less alcohol. (You can still buy the original strength Shiner Bock in liquor stores and bars; it will have the symbol "OK+" on the back of the neck label. It's also available on tap.) We had many requests for Shiner in grocery and convenience stores and decided it was worth doing.

How many cases are in a keg? One of my sorority sisters think it's 15.

There are 15.5 gallons in a barrel (bbl), and 6.889 cases in a half keg (which is how we sell Shiner draught beer), thus 13.778 cases in a full barrel. Close enough--go enjoy a Shiner!

My boss's wife made us some homemade bread and he said it was made from Shiner beer. Is this true? Tell me my dreams are coming true!

We do sell a Shiner beer recipe book at the gift shop. Here are some of the recipes: Beer Corn Bread 1 c. yellow corn meal 1 c. all-purpose flour 2 tsp. baking powder 3/4 tsp. salt 1/2 tsp. baking soda 2 beaten eggs 1/2 c. milk 1/2 c. Shiner beer 1/4 c. cooking oil In bowl, stir together corn meal, flour, baking powder, salt and soda. Combine eggs, milk, Shiner beer and oil; add to dry ingredients. Mix well. Turn into greased 8 x 8 x 2" baking pan. Bake in 425 degree oven for 15 minutes or until done. Serve warm with molasses or maple syrup if desired. Makes 9 servings. Beer Biscuits 4 c. biscuit mix 1 T. sugar 1 12-oz. Shiner beer Mix ingredients with a fork. Pour in a well-greased muffin tin. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes. Shiner Beer Bread 3 c. self-rising flour 2 T. sugar 1 t. salt 1 egg 1 12-oz. Shiner beer (room temperature) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine flour, sugar and salt; add beaten egg and Shiner beer. Beat about 17 strokes. (Do not overbeat). Pour into greased 5-1/2 x 9-1/2" bread pan. Bake about one hour, or until done. Cool to slice. Makes one loaf. Hope this helps!