Shiner Ruby Redbird:
Hello friends, and let me start off with a big thank you to my volunteer editors, knowing that at least some of y’all actually read these reviews makes me very happy.  Then again that  maybe that’s the beer talking.  Anyway, on to today’s brew and what a brew it is!  Spoetzl breweries’ Shiner beers are great beers and I believe they offer some of the best seasonal brews out there.  Today’s offering is their second attempt at a summer seasonal and this one seemed to hit at a triple by taking good ole Ruby Red Grapefruits from Texas and ginger and finding a great balance making Ruby Redbird a good Texas summer beer.  It’s a beer  that rolls together light, clean, and citrus flavors perfectly.  The beer pours very well, leaving a light colored head that sticks around for quite a while and gives off a ginger aroma.  The color is of a light amber and the nose is of a mixture of grapefruit and ginger.  The taste begins with the sweet/sour red grapefruit taste and moves to a light ginger finish that sticks around in the aftertaste.  The beer is a great summer beer and by actually using grapefruit and not just hops that smell like it, the flavor is so different that it can divide a room like Democrats and Republicans.  I have to admit that I’m on the fence over the beer and its pros and cons.  I do see the side that says that this beer is too unique in it’s flavor to enjoy with a meal but I also see the side that loves the unique flavor that makes this a great hot weather beer.  Either way, give it a try, it’s worth it.