Beer Review: Shiner Desert Mirage Hazy IPA by The Spoetzl Brewery

Style: Spice, Herb or Vegetable Beer
Availability: Year-Round
State: Texas
Country: USA

Description

La Bruja’s latest vision comes into focus with TexHex Desert Mirage Hazy IPA. This light-bending mixture of cactus water and strata hops conjures tantalizing tropical flavors and a long, complex finish. A full-bodied hazy IPA with tropical flavors of pineapple and tangerine. Floral and resinous, this brew has a long, complex finish.

Beverage Profile

ABV: 8.0%
IBUs: 45
Hops: Mosaic, Citra, Strata
Malts: Premium Two-Row, Wheat Malt, Oats

Judge’s Review

By: Richard Wong

Rated 80

Aroma: 21 / 24
Appearance: 4 / 6
Flavor: 34 / 40
Mouthfeel: 7 / 10
Overall Impression: 14 / 20

Shiner Desert Mirage Hazy IPA by The Spoetzl Brewery was judged as #30A (Spice, Herb or Vegetable Beer) according to the 2021 BJCP Guidelines. 

This beer is labeled as a Hazy IPA, but it was not categorized as such, because it is made with cactus water as one of its ingredients and fits better under this category. The pour revealed a golden-to-light brown hue with slight chill haze. It is labeled as a hazy IPA, but it was not hazy at all. It had a light carbonation after the pour. The aroma of this beer was a bit unusual, perhaps due to the cactus water. By the way, “cactus water” is actually the juice from prickly pears.

The initial taste of this beer was that it had an unusual flavor that is a bit hard to describe, again, perhaps due to the cactus water. It had a nice malt sweetness and an aggressive hop bitterness with an 8% ABV, so the alcohol presence was surely there. The body and mouthfeel of this beer was about medium with light carbonation. The overall impression of this beer is that the addition of cactus water changed the profile and flavor(s) associated with an IPA, for better or worse. It had a smooth, crisp finish in the aftertaste along with the unusual flavor of cactus water along with it.