Shiner

One of the five pillars of old Rocky Top... Jax and Lone Star (in tin cans), Miller in its signature clear bottle, Schlitz and Shiner. 12 or so years later and in college they started brewing something called Boch under that signature yellow label and it was pretty darned good. But, because it was 'Shiner' and not Bud, MGD, or Becks, stores couldn't give it away, even at $1.99 a six pack. But, I loved it enough to suffer the ridicule for drinking "that dark cheap swill." Soon it was a legend, common in the hands of every party-goer and sixth-streeter in Central Texas. That was before the brew pubs opened, Celis moved in and a new legend was born. 24 years later, the brew pub fad fades, Celis is gone... gunned down like Roy Bean at a minstrel show, buried and forgotten. Wine is the sign of our time. But Shiner is still around. The Boch recipe has change, dumbed down liked most industrial beer, surviving on a legend that turned a sleepy little town down around San Anton', into a tourist destination. You can still find that yellow label all over the Country on the shelves of the specialty stores. And your lucky if you pay less than $9.99 for a six pack here in Oregon. As for Rocky Top... its still there. But, it rests on no pillars... only a cracked, aged slab covered by dusty, rusted blue tin waiting on the return of a legend that may be too far beyond reach.