Shock Top Lemon Shandy - Anheuser-Busch

StonedTrippin

Colorado

2.5/5  rDev -11.7%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

a weird one for sure. has a funny smell to it, soapy and floral, yeasty and from concentrate. its weird for sure. lemony, but like canned lemonade, not like fresh lemons. the flavor is also odd. lots of polleny flowery notes from the yeast, but the lemon is sugary and unpleasant. it doesnt work. its acidic and candy sweet at the same time. the mouthfeel is off as well. lots of body i think from the unfiltered nature of this beer, but the flavors dont stand up with it, and it feels somehow artificial. carbonation is fine, but that soapy taste wont leave my mouth. id say its easy drinking, but i slammed mine only so i could move on to a beer i prefered more. i dont hate this, it just isnt good. it amazes me that BMC drinkers like this stuff but cant get into a real hefeweizen. how is that so?

Serving type: bottle

09-29-2012 15:50:11 | More by StonedTrippin

DavidS88

Massachusetts

3.15/5  rDev +11.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

This actually wasn't too bad and is probably one of my preferred Anheuser-Busch products. I had this straight out of the bottle, so I really cannot comment on the appearance other than to say it is a very hazy and cloudy beer, almost like a Blue Moon, which makes sense since it seems Anheuser-Busch may have been copying Coors with their own Belgian style wheat beer. The smell did actually have some wheat scents to it with what was definitely fake lemon scents added, but it didn't seem bad, just not as olfactorily pleasing as you could get with something like Samuel Adams Coastal Wheat which has lots of lemon scents. Similarly, Shock Top Lemon Shandy had a nice light wheat taste with hints of more fake lemon that definitely added to the taste. It wasn't really all that carbonated and went down very smooth. Look, it's certainly not going to be as good as smaller brewery could make a lemon beer or a wheat beer with lemon flavor, but for an AB product, this wasn't really all that bad. It's pretty cheap, smooth, and doesn't have a high ABV so you can definitely pound a few of these at a party and not really be all that worse for it. Cheers!

Serving type: bottle

09-09-2012 19:38:18 | More by DavidS88

Analog_kid

Pennsylvania

3.35/5  rDev +18.4%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

As I was working up to this review and smelling my shandy, my 3 year old son did a full body check right into me. Now all I smell is shandy.

Anyway, I've had this shandy straight out of a bottle, poured, and on tap. Oddly enough, on tap in a plastic cup seems better than poured.The appeance reminds me of carbonated, slightly cloudy lemonade. The head disappears quickly, no lacing. The forementioned smell is rather enticing; a combination of warm spices, grain, and lemon lure you in. However, the taste belies the quality of this beer; it's not as inviting as the smell. In spite of the lemon presence, it's not as "lemony" as I'd like.

Mouthfeel is refreshing, crisp and clean. Overall, as reviewers have already said, it's a shandy; don't expect more than the flavor of lemonade mixed with beer. It's not bad, but if it were at a party with a cooler full of these shandies along Yuengling lager, I wouldn't even consider the shandy. As one reviewer said, drink this COLD.

Serving type: bottle

09-08-2012 00:05:21 | More by Analog_kid

UCLABrewN84

California

2.65/5  rDev -6.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

On tap at Schooners Patio Grille in Santa Clarita, CA.

Pours a slightly murky light yellow with a foamy off-white head that settles to a film on top of the beer. Small streaks of lace form around the glass on the drink down. Smell is of grain, ginger, spices, and artificial lemon aromas. Taste is much the same with a very medicinal lemon flavor on the palate with each sip. This beer has a lower level of carbonation with a slightly crisp mouthfeel. Overall, this is a pretty poor beer that has some very artificial lemony aromas and flavors.

Serving type: on-tap

08-31-2012 00:49:04 | More by UCLABrewN84

BlackBelt5112203

South Carolina

3.18/5  rDev +12.4%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

12 oz bottle poured into a pint glass at refrigerator temperature.

L – Slightly hazy ale gold color with a 1.5-finger white bubbly head that dissipates immediately like soda. A steady stream of bubbles keeps a white ring of foam around the beer-glass interface for the duration. No lacing.

S – Definitely some wheat in here along with adjunct grains and lemonade. If the usual Anheuser-Busch adjuncts weren’t in here, it would smell really nice. Smells pretty good anyway.

T – Sweet all the way through with grainy malt, coriander, lemonade, and adjuncts. Pretty balanced between the wheat beer and the lemonade.

F – Light-bodied with good carbonation, a sweet and creamy mouthfeel, and a sweet and slightly dry finish. Lemonade and bready wheat sweetness lingers for a short amount of time.

O – This really is not a bad beer. It’s pretty much exactly what you would expect from a shandy: half beer and half lemonade. Also, the base wheat beer isn’t bad at all. If the BMC-style adjuncts weren’t added, this would be a really good beer for the style. Those extras just take away too much from every aspect of the beer. Nevertheless, this is a very drinkable and tasty beer that is very well-suited for a hot summer day.

Serving type: bottle

08-05-2012 20:32:52 | More by BlackBelt5112203

BryanCarey

Texas

2.45/5  rDev -13.4%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

Yellowish in color with a cloudy body, Shock Top Lemon Shandy emits an aroma of lemons, a touch of clove, and a small amount of bread. Foam is okay at first, but doesn’t hold together very long.

This beer has a flavor that combines wheat, grains, lemons, and just a hint of clove spice. The taste keeps going back to the lemons, as expected, but there are some other flavors in there, mainly light wheat. The lemon flavor is the one most noticeable, but even the lemons are not that strong. The beer finishes watery and even though the product claims to use real lemonade, the taste is not that natural.

Shock Top Lemon Shandy does have one positve point, and that its thirst- quenching quality. Drink it very cold on a hot day and you won’t be disappointed; not thrilled, no, but not disappointed either. It seems made for this purpose, but little else. The body is a too light and too lacking in basic beer ingredients to recommend for anything else.

Serving type: bottle

08-05-2012 03:14:29 | More by BryanCarey

hosehead83

Ohio

2.63/5  rDev -7.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Poured from a 12oz. bottle into a standard pint glass.
Cloudy, pale yellow in color, with a moderate head of quickly fading foam.
Aroma-Lemon and white sugar
Taste-faint lemon zest, soapy, thin-bodied. A rather weak-kneed shandy attempt. Don't get me wrong, on a hot day at ice cold temperature, a couple would go down easy, but a real glass of lemonade would probably taste better.

Serving type: bottle

07-30-2012 15:14:41 | More by hosehead83

Darkmagus82

Montana

2.78/5  rDev -1.8%
look: 2 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Poured from bottle into pint glass

Appearance – Pours a hazy yellow golden color with a large but thin white head. The head fades fast giving very little lacing.

Smell – The aroma is dominated by a lemon scent like lemonade, but it is not overly sweet smelling. Mixed with this is an ever so light wheat bread aroma as well.

Taste – The taste started out maltier with hints of wheat and some more bitter lemon. As the flavor advances more it becomes sweeter but never gets too sweet in the end one is left with a slightly sweet lemonade taste on the tongue.

Mouthfeel – Quite thin with a medium level of carbonation. It really does suit the flavors of the beer and creates a rather refreshing feel.

Overall – It’s a good, light and refreshing alternative to something like a hard lemonade if that is what you are feeling like at the time.

Serving type: bottle

07-22-2012 23:15:27 | More by Darkmagus82

RickS95

Indiana

3.55/5  rDev +25.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Pours a milky, straw golden color. Hazy after the sediment is mixed. The head is bright white and kind of generic looking, but has good retention.

Smells like what it is, a cross between a lemony fruit beer and a Belgian wit. Citrusy lemon, along with cloves fill the nose.

There's a slight lemon taste, but not much. There's a slight clove taste, but not much. It's mostly a tangy wheat taste that vetoes the other tastes.

It's really smooth in that the alcohol and all flavors are pretty submissive. There's a watery looseness to it. It does have a nice crisp, tangy feel. Mostly a dry finish with no lingering feel.

It's a decent beer for what it is...a cheap version of a British classic. It's easy to drink and provides good relief from the warmer months. And it's cheap.

Serving type: bottle

07-20-2012 01:50:23 | More by RickS95

mdaschaf

Washington

2.7/5  rDev -4.6%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Had a can of this on July 4th.

A: Pours a hazy, light yellow with fizzy white head upon pouring that reduces very quickly.

S: Smells pretty much like lemonade with a slight sourness and some grainy malt.

T: Again, more lemonade, slightly sugary and a little bit of spice. Slightly tart.

M: Light to medium bodied with active carbonation.

O: Not as bad as I was expecting, and actually kind of refreshing, but overall it is pretty lacking.

Serving type: can

07-10-2012 21:08:15 | More by mdaschaf

tdm168

North Carolina

2.53/5  rDev -10.6%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

A - bright yellow with a thin, fizzy layer of white head that fizzles out quickly

S - grains and artificial lemonade

T - grainy at first with a strong, artificial lemonade finish

M - very crisp, heavily carbonated

I don't like shandy-style beers to begin with, but this is worst than most. It offers the graininess of a typical american lager with the artificial flavor of a powdered lemonade mix. I'll pass.

Serving type: bottle

07-01-2012 03:51:45 | More by tdm168

spinrsx

Ontario (Canada)

2.18/5  rDev -23%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

12oz Bottle from CJ's NY for 1.75$

Appearance - Hazy gold colour with an above average size fizzy white coloured head. There is an average amount of carbonation and there is some faint lacing. The head lasted for around 5 minutes.

Smell - Corn, bread, lemons

Taste & Mouth - There is an average amount of carbonation and I can taste bread/wheat mixed with a sugary sweet lemon taste. It actually reminds me a bit of a lemon cough drop. There is a light amount of tartness, but it's more on the sweet side. It ends with an artificial sugary sweet lemon aftertaste.

Overall - Not something I'd ever buy or drink again. It's way too artificial tasting and it was tough to get through my glass.

Serving type: bottle

06-24-2012 00:07:15 | More by spinrsx

dalygnus

Maryland

4.05/5  rDev +43.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Great summer beer. Cloudy as to be expected from a wheat beer. The aroma was sweet and lemony. Taste was a fine mix of fruit and wheat. Very light and drinkable. Surprised by the criticism of this brew. I think it hits the target it aimed for. Not intended to complement an evening cigar but hits the spot while floating in the pool.

Serving type: bottle

06-20-2012 17:46:34 | More by dalygnus

barnzy78

Illinois

2.15/5  rDev -24%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

12oz bottle, pours a cloudy yellow with a tall, bubbly, white head that holds decent retention, but leaves no lacing on the glass whatsoever. Aromas are lemonade, faint wheat and yeast. Tastes are very one dimensional: lemonade. There are some faint wheat and yeast notes, but the lemons dominate. Mouth-feel is thinner than it should be, considering there's wheat in it. Ample carbonation and goes down smoothly. Overall, it is refreshing for a hot day, but rather bland and more like lemonade than beer. I would not try this one again.

Serving type: bottle

06-11-2012 03:32:57 | More by barnzy78

tobelerone

New Jersey

2.58/5  rDev -8.8%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

A somewhat hazy, light yellow colored beer with a smallish white head that dissolves pretty rapidly. Patchy lacing. Very grainy wheat nose with prominent lemon and sweetness. Perhaps a hint of a tart note.

Taste is very much like the nose; a grainy, somewhat unappealing wheat flavor with lots of artificial lemonade flavor and sweetener, becoming particularly noticeable in the swallow and finish. Interestingly the overall effect is bland rather than excessively sweet or lemony tart. Just a generic macro-style beer mixed with watery lemonade.

The body is light and carbonation medium, feels insignificant and not as crisp as I’d like. Never had a shandy before, hope they’re not all this bad. Won’t be back.

Serving type: bottle

06-06-2012 03:48:39 | More by tobelerone

diamondc

Texas

2.18/5  rDev -23%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

Poured into a hefe glass.

A: Cloudy, hay colored, billowy eggshell white head, lots of bubbles. Even some lacing. Nice.

S: Was expecting a big lemon and other lite citrus note, but I got a typical weak macro-lager grain note. Lite dishwasher liquid and maybe a whiff of lemonade mix powder at the end. Disappointing.

T: Watered down lemonade... virtually no malts or hop taste. Not as tart as I thought it would be either, so its not even *that* refreshing.

M: Its spritzy and drinkable if you you're dying of thirst. A good substitute for ice water.

O: A very weak beer, even grading on a curve it fails. Good thing I managed to buy a single instead of a six pack. I don't think I'll ever buy this again.

Serving type: bottle

06-05-2012 01:37:52 | More by diamondc

mralphabet

Virginia

2.93/5  rDev +3.5%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

12 oz bottle poured into Sam Adams Perfect Pint Glass

A: Poured a slightly hazy straw yellow in color, with a good one fingers worth of head that settles quickly and leaves no lacing.

S: Pretty simple light lemon smell with a wheat malt backbone.

T: Pretty straight forward wheat beer up top, then the lemonade kicks in. Good mix of flavors... finish is very clean with just a little lemonade aftertaste.

M: Very light, crisp and sharp, just what you want for this style.

O: Hey it is what it is.... and for what it is it ain't bad... Arnold Palmer but wheat beer instead of tea. With a shot on a hot summer day.

Serving type: bottle

06-01-2012 02:52:32 | More by mralphabet

beerme626

Kentucky

2.88/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 2 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

From a bottle into a drinking glass.

A: Translucent yellow with a finger head which disappears. Moderate bubbles.

S: Lemon butter

T: Lemon bread. Not lemon cake, lemon bread. Not bad, but could be crisper and less heavy.

M: Flat, sticky

O: Whatever. Now I can check it off of the list.

Serving type: bottle

05-26-2012 01:44:55 | More by beerme626

Brad007

Vermont

2.43/5  rDev -14.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Pours a bright, cloudy yellow (almost neon?) with a one-finger head into my glass. Holy lemonade, Batman!

Lemon? Just barely. Lots of clove and spice though for those willing to look for it.

I'm not impressed here. For some reason, I get a burst of "macro brew" flavoring with only a hint of lemon and wateriness towards the back of the mouth. What the hell? It started off with such promise.

Mouthfeel isn't much better.

Will never buy this again. I'd rather gargle with Lemon Pledge.

Serving type: on-tap

05-25-2012 02:04:35 | More by Brad007

pisano

Massachusetts

2.65/5  rDev -6.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

a: pours hazy straw yellow with one finger white head that quickly dissipates

s: not too much going on with the nose; slight lemon with a bit of malt aroma

t: artificial lemon flavor with a slight bready finish, which turns to a bitter, not-so-enjoyable finish as it warms; tastes more like a bitter lemon soda than beer

m: light mouthfeel, slight carbonation

o: nothing special, but not a bad beer for a hot summer day. drink this one COLD.

Serving type: bottle

05-23-2012 23:17:31 | More by pisano

cyclonece09

Virginia

2.38/5  rDev -15.9%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Poured from a 12 oz bottle into a 14 oz "pint" glass. Pours a cloudy yellow straw with a little head, but that disappears very quickly. Smells of lemonade with a hint of wheat. Tastes of a little bit of lemon with some wheat, but is not very strong at all. Beer is very light and goes down well, but has a bit too much carbonation. Overall, a below average beer.

Serving type: bottle

05-23-2012 01:12:13 | More by cyclonece09

AlCaponeJunior

Texas

1.45/5  rDev -48.8%
look: 1.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 1 | overall: 1

Appearance was hazy, yellow-tan, with a very small head that immediately disappeared and left zero lace.

Lemons on the smell. Maybe some malt but no hops.

Taste is struggling. It's like carbonated lemonade with a little bit of beer in it.

Watery and moderately carbonated. Might as well be lemonade.

I'd skip this one if I were you. It's a malternative at best, if not just carbonated lemonade with a little alcohol in it. I wouldn't call this one beer. Despite slick packaging and no doubt some fancy advertising, this is typical of the crap that budweiser is trying to pass off as craft beer in order to keep their market share from declining even more. This is not even beer, let alone craft.

I'm glad I was given a bottle of this, because if I had bought a six pack I would have had to dump five of them.

Serving type: bottle

05-12-2012 01:31:22 | More by AlCaponeJunior

atr2605

New York

2.4/5  rDev -15.2%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

A-pours a cloudy pale straw color with a sudsy white head that quickly fades
S-lots of mr clean floor cleaner lemon, a bit of malt struggling to get through
T-Aroma directly translates into flavor. and thats not good. The lemon almost acts as if it shouldn't be in there. not for the style, just for this beer.
M-light bodied
O-not a very good shandy. I don't mind a nice shandy or half and half once in awhile but this one is just off.

Serving type: bottle

05-11-2012 01:52:22 | More by atr2605

biboergosum

Alberta (Canada)

2.3/5  rDev -18.7%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

12oz bottle, my girl's impulse purchase at the local grocery store in Waikiki.

This beer pours a very, very pale hazy straw colour, with one skinny finger of thin wispy bone-white head, which leaves a low broken ebb of lace around the glass as it quickly sinks away.

It smells of lemon pledge, sans the alcohol, with a mildly sour graininess. The taste is sweet lemony grain, with a bland honey sweetness addendum, and a weird ethereal zingy, hard to define 'edge'.

The bubbles, they be a bit too frizzy, but that doesn't last, the body quite light and weak, but nor is it thin, or watery. It finishes a little more grainy, even wheaty, with a mild fake lemon fruity party crasher.

Not exactly a shandy, as it's not a half and half deal, but more of just a weakly-flavoured wheat ale. Too much to pick apart, and not worthy of satisfying a fruit-beer craving.

Serving type: bottle

05-10-2012 06:41:40 | More by biboergosum

LXIXME

New Mexico

1.45/5  rDev -48.8%
look: 2.5 | smell: 1 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 1.5

Big white head, quickly dies above a very light hazy pale to washed out light honey golden colored ale.

A big sweet lemon aroma overpowers everything else that might be there.

A light sweet yet unsweetened lemon with light sour grains coming through in the taste.

A light bodied beer that finishes with a light dry aftertaste that has some lemon hanging on to it.

Yuk, seems like they have this super huge vat of Bud Light and siphon off a few thousand gallons add some flavoring and give it a shock top name, getting a little old already.

Serving type: bottle

05-03-2012 21:48:01 | More by LXIXME