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Shock Top Belgian White is another offering from Anheuser-Busch, and it was part of The Brew Club.com “Summer Beer” exchange, although I’m not sure that the Shock Top Belgian White is really a seasonal brew.
Apparently, it won some awards in 2006 and 2007 in the Belgian White Category under the name “Spring Heat”. Maybe it was intended as a spring brew? Well, enough of that…
According to the label, Shock-Top Belgian White has …”orange, lemon & lime peels and coriander”, is unfiltered, and requires a special pouring procedure that is more typical of how most people pour beer anyway.
They instruct you to pour the beer down the side of the glass, and once there is a little beer left in the bottle you are supposed to lay it on its side and roll it to and fro to get all the settled spices, and then empty the bottle into the glass. I did this just to make sure I wasn’t missing anything!
True to their word, the beer was cloudy, and it stayed that way throughout. It didn’t create much of a head, probably because it was poured in such a way as to minimize it. There was only a little lacing on the glass, and there seemed to be a lot of carbonation going on as well. The Shock Top beer was orange in color, and the only smell I could specifically pick up on was in fact, orange.
Even though the Shock Top Belgian White isn’t marketed as a “Summer Beer”, it had a kind of orange-fruity
taste and light feel that could make it a good beer for the beach or BBQ. The main flavor I picked up on was the orange, I couldn’t really detect any lemon or lime, and there was an orange aftertaste as well that wasn’t bad.
The beer generally was not overly “beery” or hoppy, and was just the slightest bit bitter. I found that as I went through the beer I was liking it less and less. The orange taste started to seem a little synthetic somehow, and beside that, I found the beer to grow more and more bland. Weird, but that’s what I thought!
Overall, the Shock Top Belgian White from Anheuser-Busch wasn’t bad, but it didn’t knock my socks off either. I wouldn’t buy it again for myself, but it isn’t too bad to try either.
A tasty alternative that is very similar in style to Shock Top is the Sunset Wheat by Leinenkugel Brewing Company. It’s also big on the orange and spice flavorings, but I think they do it a little better.
Rating: 
Its a little strange, but I noticed that this is the 4th beer from Anheuser-Busch that The Brew Club.com has reviewed! It is apparent that A-B is really trying to get some different stuff out there, under the radar so-to-speak.
As a rule, we don’t really care what beer Brew Club members bring in to exchange, but some people have commented about giving too much attention
to the big-guys. I can understand that, but we didn’t start The Brew Club as a craft-beer site. It was just a way to try different beers without having to commit to buying an entire six-pack. It is what it is folks! Whatever The Brew Club members bring to work, I will drink and write about!
As it happened, we’ve tried four A-B brews which include the Shock Top above, Wild Blue, Bud Light Lime, and apparently Landshark as well. We’ve also tried two beers from the Coors people, Rising Moon and Honey Moon from Blue Moon Brewing.
i had shock top for the first time during my thanksgiving break. i liked it. i did taste the orange predominately, but again, i liked it. yes, can see where this would be awesome in the summer but i would drink it anytime as well. did not at all remind me of my first wheat beer experience though, which was a Paulaner. and, it was the Paulaner that sent me off in search of wheat beers in general. so….try them all and make up your own mind.
I tried the Shock Top for the first time last Saturday…from a keg…I really enjoyed it! I’ve had some trouble finding it in the stores…hopefully, I will find it soon. I wonder if it will be as good in the bottle as it was in the keg…
i tried shock top at my local bbq restaurant. They served it with a slice of orange, which i would suggest when having this beer. I liked it! Since my bier from belgian (Dommelsch) isn’t available here in the states, Shock Top will be my beer for now especially if I can find it at my local beer distributor. I’d say try it, you might like it…
I had Shock Top this past weekend at a bar and grill in Tampa… I really enjoyed it. They served it with an orange wedge also… I hope to see this beer come north to NJ… I thought it was a little lighter and more refreshing than Blue Moon…
Im only 17, but ive tried a good many style of beer. I live in munich, Germany, where at 16 it is legal to drink beer. For my whole life ive been subjected to and around beer and its particular culture, and i can safely say that I LOVE BEER. shock top is okay..im enjoying a few glasses of it right now actually, but it does not compare to the Belgian ales that are available here in Germany, and it certainly pales in comparison to the light ales available in Belgium. all in all id give it a 2 out of 5. for a better light belgian ale i would opt for “four peaks hoof hearted Wit” beer. this was pretty good but the four peaks is great.
I had had Shock Top as as draft and bottle and enjoyed them both. Although I prefer dark beers I do enjoy a Shock Top every now and then. My wife really enjoys the Shock Top but she does prefer the Blue Moon. The Blue Moon has a smoother taste. We like an orange in either. Just my opine.
I like Shock Top and Blue Moon. However, Shock Top seems lighter than Blue Moon. In the South you are seeing Sock Top dominate Blue Moon. I would have either maybe Blue Moon if I had to choose but, Shock Top is easier to find. Additionally, I have noticed more and more females drinking both. Although at a bbq the shock top seems to be preferred because it seems lighter. I would say that Blue Moon wins in overtime by 1 point, not a landslide.
I was introduced to Shock Top last summer. Best served slightly chilled (without the orange slice!) on a summer evening outdoors if you ask me. Easy-to-drink and oddly gaining popularity in west Virginia where some people I know swear by it. I like it when I can find it. I wouldn’t recomend to those who don’t like a kick of bitter but there’s a lot going on with this beer. Overall a B+ in my book. Cheers!
The first time I had Shock Top was at the ballpark with my boyfriend and his friend last month. I didn’t know what they had on tap so I told them to surprise me when they went on a beer run. I ended up having about five cups of it that night so, to say the least, I love it. I found it to be a lot easier to drink than Leinenkugel’s Sunset Wheat and even Blue Moon which, up until then, were my favorites. I usually do without the orange slice since it never seems to “improve” the taste for me. My boyfriend and his friend found it to be too fruity but hey, to each his own. I personally give it two thumbs up.
I tried this at a pizza place in Orlando, FL. I was very happy to have seen it. I am not hugely sophisticated but it just tasted good! I loved the lightness, and the citrus taste is awesome. So, try it with pizza, you might love it too!
I got a 6 pack when I was in Alabama at Christmas. The girl in the gas station asked me was it any good? I could only respond that I had never tried it and that was the only reason I was buying it.
From memory it was nice and refreshing but not as good as Blue moon, not a patch on Oberon and by no means as good as a proper Belgian witbier with the obvious example being Hoegaarden and that is not even the best example, just the best known.
No sign of these mass produced “craft” beers over here in Ireland yet which is probably a good thing as our craft beer scene is just starting to take off after so long with Guinness/Diagio dominating the market along with Heineken and Carlsberg.
Reuben’s last blog post..A couple of beers on brewday (brew # 10)
Anyone know why I can only find the Belgium White in stores and never Blueberry? I had it at a wine fest in Watkins Glen and it was awsome. If anybody has seen it please let me know!
Sucks. Stay with Blue Moon or pass. If it’s domestic and not a micro brewery it sucks. That’s my opinion and I’m sticking to it.
Blue moon is technically domestic and not a micro brewery when you consider it is owned by Coors. That said, it (Blue moon) is better than Shock top.
.-= Reuben´s last blog ..Kegerator Project – Let there be beer =-.
Reuben is right. Shock Top is an AB deal, and Blue Moon is a Molson-Coors operation. Seems both your criteria for drinking Blue Moon are not valid John! Still, the Blue Moon is better and probable easier to find as well. They also make some decent seasonal brews I think.
.-= Scott-TheBrewClub´s last blog ..Dogfish Head Punkin Ale – Beer Review =-.
I have been exploring what Michelob has and I have, in my very humble opinion, begun to ditch the notion of “microbrew”. As a huge New Belgium fan (since the early 90s) I’ve seen that as the brewery has grown their staple beers still do well even though New Belgium is probably beyond what most would consider “micro” but not “macro”. I’m usually not picky about vernacular…but perhaps we should call these “craft beers” instead???
My take on Shock Top is that it tastes more like someone mixed some orange soda in my wit. I think A-B has other better attempts at craftbrews than this.
Derek, that’s an interesting distinction. ‘Craft’ referring to the process rather than the size of the brewer. Good point. FYI, I recently tried the Michelob ‘Hop Hound’ and found it to be a very nice beer.
.-= Scott-TheBrewClub´s last blog ..Dogfish Head Punkin Ale – Beer Review =-.
Indeed it is a good point to distinguish them like that. Guinness is a mega brewery and they had a small foray in to the “craft” beer market in the 90′s
.-= Reuben´s last blog ..A third party, word of mouth mention of The Woolpack Inn (possibly)? =-.
shock top blows all other beer micros and macros out of the water IMO. I’ve tried hundreds, they all have some kind of after taste, either bitter, hoppy, yeasty, or skunky, but not ST. I’m not a hoydy toydy artsy fartsy type that sits in a pub and sips beer as though I’m judging fine wines (like a lot of pukes I see in micro pubs), but I like micros and this is the best beer by far I’ve ever tried. way to go AB. good thing the germans bought AB or this beer may have never made it mainstream.
Shock Top is great because it is available so readily at restaurants and bars in the Tampa area, but if you like it and want to try something even better, definitely pick up some Harpoon UFO White. It is light, citrus-y, but has all those delicious spicy after taste notes that are missing in Shock Top.
@Sara – I’d agree with you there. Both Shock Top and Harpoon are similar unfiltered wheat beers and having both, I think UFO is a little better too. Shock Top is often the ‘best’ choice at a lot of restaurants.
Shock Top is pretty darn good – probably the closest thing to Blue Moon which is definately one of my favorite belgian-style whites! With a slightly cheaper price than and availability that seems to be just about equal to Blue Moon I opt to purchase this brew to break the monotony. What can I say? An abundance of choices overwhelms some people – it excites the hell out of me!
@Thomas – thanks again for the comment! I’d agree that its similar to Blue Moon, (its the same Belgian White style) but you do make some good points on cost and availability. Its made by AB, so you’ll be able to find it pretty much anyplace that you can find regular Bud. As far as taste, I’d give the edge to Blue Moon personally.
I totally agree – Blue Moon is better, but I didn’t know Shock Top was made by Anheuser Busch! I thought they only distributed Leinenkugel’s. Thanks for the info.
@Thomas – Yep, they keep it under wraps for some reason, probably because if people knew it was a pseudo-craft beer maybe they would not buy it? I dunno. I’m happy if people find a beer they love, so long as they don’t exclude other choices.
Yes, ab and other biggies hide their identities on fake micro-brews because many would not buy them if they knew they were being snookered (me too).
@ron – that’s true. In fact, I haven’t had a Shock Top since this review!
This is currently my favorite beer. I actually look forward to drinking a bottles worth after work. Here’s how it goes. The beer itself is a cloudy orange color, quite a nice orange too, that does not emit much of a scent. In fact, for me the only time I do pick up a scent is the very first moment you get your nose into the glass to take your first sip. You seem to get the scent through your mouth and nose (kind of like tasting something by smelling it). You pick up the scent of, you guess it, citrus, specifically orange. The potency is mild to medium. It is not offensive but it is also not the smoothest Belgian White Ale I’ve tasted. Just a nice, neutral slightly un-exciting flavor…in a good way. I feel that it is not only good with a meal but it is also good for any other times of the day whether you’re alone, with a friend or a group. The nice thing is that the citrus makes it a nice choice for the summer but at the same time, the fact that it is a Belgian White Ale also makes it almost ideal for the winter time. Overall a nice beer. Not over the top, not to mellow. Just right.
@Jibberish18 – thanks for the review! I’d drink it if I were at a restaurant and that was the only thing available, but I just think there are so many better Belgian Whites to get when it comes to buying something for home.
@Scott-TheBrewClub – Thanks Scott. I will say I am getting just a bit tired of it at home and am excited at the newest six pack I’m going to purchase. And whether it’s from a Micro Brewery or not, I’m not afraid to say, it’s not a bad beer. I’ll be the first to admit I enjoy myself a Budlight W/ Lime on a day under the hot sun. It just works. Not to steal Shock Tops thunder in this thread but my favorite Belgian White Beer would have to be Bells Winter Ale. <–Whether it's considered a true Belgian White Ale or not.
@Jibberish – Wish we could get Bells in NJ!
Anyway, I hope you come back with a review on that beer when its time!
In regard to the beer – hey, everybody has their own likes and tastes. We’re not here to trash anybody, just share opinions. Maybe someone out there will try something new, and that’s a win!
Cheers!
I THOUGHT THIS BEER WAS GREAT!!! I FIRST HAD IT IN LAKE GEORGE ON TAP! THOUGHT IT WAS GREAT! CAME HOME AND COULDNT FIND IT NOWHERE?? FINALLY MONTHS LATER IT STARTED TO POP UP AT THE SUPERMARKET AND BEER STORE. I WAS GLAD TO SEE THAT!! ITS REFRESHING, TASTE REALLY GOOD AND A NICE CHANGE FROM THE NORMAL BEER THAT WE BUY EVERYDAY! AND I AGREE EVERYONE HAS THERE OWN TASTE FOR WHAT THEY LIKE!! THATS WHAT MAKES AMERICA GREAT!! BUT I THINK YOU COULD DRINK THIS STUFF SUMMER FALL AND WINTER!!! AGAIN ONE MANS OPINION! JUST GLAD MY WIFE BUYS IT FOR ME WHEN SHE GOES FOOD SHOPPING!! DOESNT GET BETTER THAN THAT!!
@mike – GLAD YOU LIKE IT! I HOPE THE SHOPPING LIST ISN’T WRITTEN IN ALL CAPS! THANKS FOR THE COMMENT!
I enjoy a huge range of beer styles, but Shocktop has become my regular “drinking” beer. I like its light and refreshing body, and its subtle hints of spice and citrus. I can put away a six pack fairly quickly with no ill effects. Overall I would say AB has a winner here.
@Stepjam – thanks for the comment. While I don’t agree, apparently AB does have a sales winner. Hopefully you’ll try some craft beer renditions of the style too!
I’m Belgian
je suis belge et je ne connais pas cette bière qui n’est pas produite chez nous !
ceci dit elle est excellente ! je l’ai goûtée à Sarasota au Philipi creek
vivement qu’elle arrive chez nous puisqu’elle est “BELGE”
@strotche – merci!
Shocktop has three predominant flavors that I know of – orange, raspberry and pumpkin. I’ve tried all three. It’s kind of like drinking one of those fruit-flavored teas. I actually was convinced I was drinking flavored water from Missouri. After about four or five of these you feel kind of duped because I wasn’t getting all the wonderful effects of beer that I normally feel with other beers. Also, I think that Blue Moon is nothing like Shocktop or any other Belgian I’ve tried. I guess Shocktop confuses me – is this beer for people who really don’t like beer?
@Dr. Sparkles – Probably!
raspberry wheat and other 10 plus for the beer company you have to
check!!!!!!!!
@javier – thanks?