BOOM!

Our story started last week when Scrappy and I found this cap.  I soon determined it was a Shiner Bock, from the Spoetzel brewery in Shiner, TX.  I went to their website and found a fascinating website with a fascinating story.  But most fascinating to me was what I found on the FAQ page:

Q:	My grandpa collects bottle caps from all over. Being the Shiner beer fan that he is, I’d love to add to his collection with the new caps that recently came out. Can I purchase those or do I have to buy a six-pack of each brand?
A:	We’ll be happy to send you some of our Shiner bottle caps; just send us your mailing address. (Due to the high volume of e-mail we receive, please include the body of this message in your reply so we’ll know what it’s in reference to. Thanks!)

Yow! So I did as instructed, and today I got two of the one we found, plus these:

The top row I was able to find on their ingenious website; the three on the bottom I had to do a little digging.  Here's what we have:

Top left:  This is Blonde Light, their light version of their regular lager.
Top center: 102 is a double wheat ale (which uses a 50%wheat mix), that they describe as "a hybrid between wheat beer and wheat wine".
Top right: their Bohemian Black Lager, their darkest blend using imported Czech saaz hops (for geographically illiterate, Czech Rep. = Bohemia + Moravia).
Middle left: The Shiner Hefeweitzen, a wheat beer with orange and lemon zest, with clover honey and yeast added just before bottling to give a double fermentation.
Middle center: Blonde, their basic lager.
Middle right: Their seasonal Oktoberfest.
Bottom left: The outer ring says (top)limited edition (bottom)craft brew; inside, (small) Shiner selection (large) brewers pride.  This is their "old time alt", an ale brewed Dusseldorf style with top fermentation.
Bottom center: Kosmos Shiner reserve, an American style pale lager.  Kosmos Spoetzel was the founder of the brewery.
Bottom right: reading "the perfect summer beer", this is called Ruby Redbird summer ale, brewed with Ruby Redbird Texas Grapefruit and ginger.

I thank Anne Raabe over at Spoetzel PR.  Check out the Shiner website (that's what the link's for)- and Theng, she sent me doubles, I'll send them over next time!  This donation (hence forth known as the Spoetzel donation) brings us up to 491 caps, and so, though this isn't exactly blog-related, I hereby award Spoetzel and Ms. Raabe the coveted Trophee du Beagle!

You guys are the fourth recipient of this great award.  Enjoy it in good health and God's grace!