Shiner marks 100th Anniversary with Commemorator Ale
SHINER MARKS ITS 100TH ANNIVERSARY WITH A BOLD NEW TASTE
In 1909, German and Czech immigrants decided to start the Homebrewing Association in Shiner, Texas so they could make the kind of beers they’d left behind in their homelands.
With the arrival of Bavarian-born and classically trained brewmaster Kosmos Spoetzl in 1915, the brewery was on the way to becoming one of the country’s most respected craft brewers.
To mark this important milestone not just for the brewery but for American beer making, we have literally bottled our history and heritage in a new brew to celebrate the centennial of Shiner Beers and the Spoetzl Brewery.
Shiner 100 Commemorator is a rich and robust brew that is a fitting tribute to our legacy of 100 years of handcrafting stylish and flavorful beers. Commemorator is a bold style that would have been very familiar to Kosmos.
One of the highlights of the Bavarian brewing year is the rollout of strong beer or starkbier, developed by monks as “liquid bread” to sustain them through the Lenten season. Commemorator is brewed in that Old-World tradition and embodies the German-Czech heritage Shiner has proudly stood for since 1909.
This 17 % original extract dark lager is a blend of two row Munich and Caramel 60 malt mildly spiced with Bavarian Hallertau Tradition and Spalter Select hops to allow the toasted caramel flavor to predominate.
Shiner 100 Commemorator will be available in select markets on January 1. Like all Shiner beers, every drop of Commemorator is made by only 56 employees of the Spoetzl Brewery make, very near the site where it all started a century ago.
Specifications:
Alcohol by Vol.: 6.8 % Original Gravity: 17.0 % Bitterness: 17 IBU Color: 30 SRM
Real Degree of Fermentation: 60.7 %
The Spoetzl Brewery is in Shiner, Texas, population 2,070. In addition to Shiner 100 Commemorator, the brewery produces Shiner Bock, Shiner Blonde, Shiner Bohemian Black Lager, Shiner Light and Shiner Hefeweizen year round, as well as Holiday Cheer winter seasonal. Look for a new summer seasonal in May, 2009.
Learn more at www.shiner.com.
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January 17th, 2009 at 3:32 am
All I got to say is you better go get it while its around a great way to celebrate such a great tasting beer… Its the SHIT
January 19th, 2009 at 2:36 pm
Commemorator outshines all others of its kind. We who live in Central Texas are just plain lucky!
January 21st, 2009 at 11:34 pm
I have it on tap in my kegerator and it is just awesome. Be careful, it is so tasty and smooth before you know it you can’t wipe the smile off of your face, lol.
January 22nd, 2009 at 10:08 pm
So, the article says it’s a “lager”, but the label calls it the “Centennial Ale”. Which is it?
January 23rd, 2009 at 8:08 am
[...] from the great state of Texas. Spoetzel Brewery will soon release another new beer on the heels of Shiner 100 Commemorator with a representative from Specs hinting that it could come in late [...]
January 24th, 2009 at 12:20 am
The most perfect dark beer created. I will finish this sixer before the night is up. Yet another reason God created beer. And Texas.
January 24th, 2009 at 3:50 pm
[...] malts, utilising both Hallertauer and Spalter Select hops. The specs according to Shiner’s press release [...]
January 28th, 2009 at 7:07 am
[...] is already available in limited markets (i.e. near Shiner, TX) and various online news sources like beernews.org have announced it: SHINER MARKS ITS 100TH ANNIVERSARY WITH A BOLD NEW [...]
February 18th, 2009 at 4:07 pm
In response to Scooter’s question about the label calling Shiner 100 an “ale” while it’s described elsewhere as a lager:
It’s a lager. The “ale” designation on the label is a Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission requirement that has to do with alcohol content and has nothing to do with brewing style. Any beer over a certain ABV has to be labeled an ale, even if the beverage is technically a lager.
May 8th, 2009 at 12:43 pm
[...] a new mesquite-smoked beer. Smokehaus follows a resurgence in new releases from the brewery like Shiner Commemorator and Shiner [...]
December 23rd, 2009 at 6:12 pm
A number of us, who first tested Commemorator 100 during the NASCAR season, consider this recipe an exceptional beer. I hope management doesn’t mandate killing the brew after the turn of 2010. It’s too good, some say even better than the great Shiner Bock, that has carried Spotzel to fame. Name thi Commemorator recipe something else or whatever but please keep it available.
February 1st, 2010 at 9:25 pm
Enjoying a Commemorator as we speak. I will be sad to see it go.
Long Live Texas & Shiner, TX
February 13th, 2010 at 4:30 pm
I was introduced to your Commemorator beer at a Superbowl party up here in Minnesota, and loved it! I went to where my friend got it-none there! If you’ve stopped brewing it, give it another name if you must, but keep start again.
March 14th, 2010 at 7:21 pm
What a tremendous beer! Too bad it’s now March 2010. Still tastes great. Did production stop at the end of ‘09? Cheers from B’ham, Alabama
March 14th, 2010 at 11:35 pm
You’re right. They retired that one and replaced w/ Shiner 101 Czech-style Pils which can now be found on shelves.