Shiner 99

With all due apology to those of you that live outside of Texas and/or don't have access to a Whole Foods, Shiner 99 is this week's Booze Of The Week. If you can't get it, well, that sucks for you. For what better beverage to mark the beginning of football season and the total waste of a day that becomes Saturday and Sunday, than ice cold beer. And no, just any beer will not do, no sir, we want something to mark the importance that is this weekend, and this is probably the best new beer outside of Portland I've tried in the past few years.

Shiner 99 is the most recent in the yearly series of craft beers Shiner (best known for their Bock) has been running out, culminating next year with their 100th anniversary. It is a Helles style lager, Helles meaning "bright," so it's got a golden color and a noticeable malt sweetness. It's also got a bit of hoppy spice, but is certainly not overly hopped in the vein of an IPA. It's most certainly not a heavy beer, instead it's a relatively light beer but with a lot more body and in my opinion flavor than your traditional light beer. It runs on average about $6.49 for a 6-pack, has 4.9% alcohol by volume, and an 18 IBU.

Helles style beers were pioneered in Munich in the 1890s as a fearful response to the growth and popularity of Pilsner beers, which were brewed in Bavaria. As a result, it's similar in body and spice to a Czech pilsner but also had that German malt that is standard of a Munich beer.

So pick yourself up a 6-pack, get it nice and cold, and break it out Saturday afternoon. Just be sure to save some for Sunday too. And as always, feedback is encouraged-let me know what you think!