Texas' Beloved Beer Is Getting An East Coast Makeover

There’s an old cautionary Texan folk tale in which a group of cowpokes are eating salsa around a campfire, only to be confronted with a terror more unspeakable than the chupacabra or the dreaded black-eyed children: salsa made by New Yorkers. The legend cuts off before the presumed gruesome murder of the zealot who brought New York salsa to the party, but the message is clear: Keep your white-gloved, organic bullshit the hell away from Texas’ prized foodstuffs. 

More than even their prized salsa, Texans love them some Shiner beer, particularly the Bock, which jockeys with Lone Star and brisket drippings for the title of Texas’ state drink. But now, it seems that that east coast influence is rearing its head once again: Shiner has thrown its lasso around the hazy New England IPA craze

Shiner Wicked Juicy IPA
Shiner Beer

Set for a national rollout in September, Shiner’s Wicked Hazy IPA is a juicy, fruity, 5.7% foray into the haze land, and it’s not the only on-trend thing rolling out of Shiner, Texas. The brewery is also releasing its Day Quencher session IPA, which honestly sounds a lot more suited to quenching the thirst of Texas’ heat than a bock, but we are not one to mess with Texas. 

Before you bust out the branding irons in anger, it’s important to note that Shiner’s brewer, Spoetzl, was an independent craft brewery long before being an independent craft brewery was a badge of honor. Its parent company, Gambrinus, is one of the biggest craft breweries in the country. And over the years, Shiner has put out beers as varied as Oktoberfest and a Farmhouse Rye in addition to its IPAs and even a black lager to go along with its beloved bock. To that end, brewing new, on-trend beers is about as Texas as Whataburger and open carry. 

With all that in mind, the arrival of a New England IPA just makes sense, given that the other big craft brewers -- Stone, Deschutes, Sierra Nevada… pretty much everyone except Yuengling -- have jumped on the style. And let’s be honest here: if Brooklynites are trying their hand at Texas BBQ, it only stands to reason that a beer synonymous with Texas give this newfangled New England style a try. 

Hell, it even pairs well with salsa. Mango salsa, but still... 

Sign up here for our daily Thrillist email and subscribe here for our YouTube channel to get your fix of the best in food/drink/fun.

Andy Kryza is a senior editor at Thrillist who would take a bowl of queso over salsa every day. Follow him to the basement of the Alamo @apkryza.