Ladies and gentlemen, the next great beer from the great state of Texas has arrived!  I saw a six pack of Shiner's new Homespun Cream Ale at the H-E-B Friday night and I just had to have it. It was on sale, too.

I was not disappointed.

Let's get this out out of the way: there is no cream or milk in a cream ale. Also, it has nothing to do with the cream soda. Big Red this is not.

So what exactly is a cream ale?  Beer Advocate put it this way:

"Cream Ales, spawned from the American light lager style, are brewed as an ale though are sometimes finished with a lager yeast or lager beer mixed in. Adjuncts such as corn or rice are used to lighten the body. It is no uncommon for smaller craft brewers to brew all malt Cream Ales. Pale straw to pale gold color. Low hop bittering and some hop aroma though some micros have given the style more of a hop character. Well carbonated and well attenuated."

One of the more well-known cream ales is Genesee Cream Ale.  I've had it, and it's delicious. I've also had the one the Terrapin Brewery of Athens, Georgia makes.  OldStyle by Pabst, a cheap beer from my college days,  is technically a cream ale, but it's also nasty.

This new brew from Shiner is absolutely perfect. I had to avoid delving deeper into the six pack because it was that drinkable. Smooth, a little dry which I like, just the right amount of flavor, and not overpowering.  Get some today!

And remember: don't drink and drive. If you have a drinking problem reach out to friends, family or clergy for help.

More From KLTD-FM