Leinenkugel's Creamy Dark - Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Company

WillWillows

Ohio

3.56/5  rDev +5.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

I like a dark creamy beer and this doesn't really disappoint. I would like a little more alcohol content to make this standout. However, I decided to Half'n Half this with Canoe Paddler and was pleasantly surprised. I poured the Canoe Paddler in an English Pub Imperial Pint Glass and used a pouring spoon to drizzle on the Creamy Dark. I am not a huge fan of the Canoe Paddler by itself but do like it at times during a session, but this half and half I would take to about a 4. Happy with it. I lived in Blighty for four years and drank many a 'arf 'n 'arf from many pubs, they were better. But this is nice for the States. Wonder if anyone at Leinie though of this?

Serving type: bottle

05-25-2013 00:22:26 | More by WillWillows

Segelstrom

Pennsylvania

3.76/5  rDev +11.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

A - poured to a nice creamy head with lots of head and good retension. Color of a porter.

S - nice full malty smell. Hops are in the background

T - More of an ale than a lager. Full bodied flavor

M - carbonation just about right

O - worth buying again in the Fall

Serving type: bottle

04-21-2013 00:01:52 | More by Segelstrom

MikeAAL

Wisconsin

3.38/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 3.25

This is very, very light and watery for it's style. Not a fan.

Dark, brownish body with a white, creamy head.

Smells like coffee and chocolate with a hint of malts.

Tastes light. Has a coffee and chocolate flavor with malts.

Light, watery mouthfeel. Creamy though.

A decent beer.

Serving type: bottle

04-05-2013 19:39:02 | More by MikeAAL

beerthulhu

New Jersey

3.3/5  rDev -2.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25

- Bot. date 12-31-12. consumed 2-27-13.

A: Coal black coloring with a light walnut tinted head that was a bit foamy and sudsy with a short life expectancy. Small presence of carbonation with minimal lace coverage.

S: Soft roasted caramel and dried wood.

T: Flavor of roasty coffee, moderate depth, with a bit of lightly scorched wood. Vanilla and warm nuttiness with dark fruit. The finish has sweet dark caramel and chocolate highlights with a soft earthy and roasty fade.

M: Light creamy body, light presence of carbonation with a soft dry roastiness and dry creamer fade.

O: Leinenkugel seems to be improving with actual indications of flavor compared to earlier renditions ive experienced by them. This one is creamy sweet, and dark and decent by all accords.

Serving type: bottle

03-04-2013 23:35:48 | More by beerthulhu

scot_chale

Minnesota

2.66/5  rDev -21.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

this is a beer I got many times as a young beer drinker, and absolutely loved it. years later, I was the assistant manager of a bar and was debating between putting this or Fat Tire on tap. The distributor was out of Creamy Dark kegs at the time, so I went with Fat Tire. I found a local bar that had them both on tap, and had a sample of each to compare them side by side. The Fat Tire was a sure bet, but I was surprised how disappointed in the Creamy Dark I was. So when it came to mixing another six pack to review, I decided this was worth a second look. Did MillerCoors ruin a beer I used to love? Or have my tastes simply changed over the years? Let's crack this open and find out.

A- Pours a huge, pillowy off white head that hang out for a little while. Can't see the carbonation activity through the deep, dark brown body. Clear, but dark.

S- Dark, carmel malt smell, but you have to dig for it. It isn't until you get your nose right next to the head that the aroma comes through. When it does though, it is pleasant.

T- Not much for flavor to be honest. The malt profile comes though, and a very faint hop bitterness comes around, but it washes clean a little too quickly for my taste.

M- Light body. Mild carbonation. It's a lager for sure. I'd say it's mostly dry. The flavor washes down and leaves your mouth with a slight malt sweetness, but not strong.

O- It's a beer worth knowing. It's a dark lager for the masses. It serves a purpose. I'd like to see someone try this who doesn't drink beer outside of light american lagers. As far as my money goes, I would only purchase this if I was in a dining situation where nothing else struck my interest. I won't bring him home again.

Serving type: bottle

01-30-2013 01:16:17 | More by scot_chale

Naters333

Illinois

3.29/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.25

Poured from a 12oz bottle into a pint glass.

A-Dark. Almost a deep reddish brown color. Poured an inch off white/light tan head that receded very quickly. Does leave a bit of lacing.

S-Fresh water, malt.

T-Roast nut, coffee, burnt chocolate.

M- Not too bad for the style. I thought the body was the best thing about this beer.

O-Probably one of my favorite by Leinenkugel's. They do not produce my favorite beer, but this one is not too bad.

I thing that I don't like about this beer is the aftertaste. It's very dull and underwhelming.

Serving type: bottle

01-15-2013 07:34:20 | More by Naters333

BierStein711

Illinois

4.15/5  rDev +23.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Delicious burnt chocolate beer!!

Bottle, from the bottle

Jet black with white colored head

Low carbonation, fresh bottle

Tastes of malt and burnt, baker's cocoa

Smells of chocolate, coffee, and lager yeast

Mouthfeel: smooth and rich!

Overall, this is a solid beer. I do not know if I would buy a six-pack. Yet, I'd try it on draught at the first notice.

Serving type: bottle

01-02-2013 17:32:59 | More by BierStein711

TheQuietMan22

Iowa

3/5  rDev -11%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Serving type: 12-ounce bottle. The freshness date printed on the neck is “APR0113.”

Appearance: Poured into a pint glass. The color is mahogany. Two fingers of light tan head dissipated to leave a spotted lacing and ring around the edge.

Smell: Mostly malty and nutty. The aroma is relatively light but it does offer a nice complexity. Toasted malts, caramel, cocoa, a little dark chocolate, toffee, molasses, maple syrup, and a general nuttiness. As it warms, it develops that hairspray aroma. It must be a Minnesota thing.

Taste: The mouthfeel is pretty thin. Toasted malts, roasted malts (which slowly emerge as the beer warms), caramel, and cocoa. It also offers the nuttiness from the smell, as well as the maple syrup and toffee.

Drinkability: Meh. It does not get me excited but I suppose it is a decent beer. It is not over the top but does provide nice flavor.

Serving type: bottle

01-02-2013 05:23:46 | More by TheQuietMan22

Dave128

Kentucky

3.6/5  rDev +6.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 12oz twist-off bottle from winter sampler into a frosty pint glass.

A - A moderate pour yields a 1 finger tan head that dissipates pretty quickly. Lacing is pretty low but is present. Color is dark with ruby highlights.

S - Smells of dark roasted malt, but a little grainy and skunky.

T - Sweet and smoky up front with a nice hop bitterness. Leaves a bit of a bad taste in my mouth though.

M - Light bodied and highly overcarbonated.

O - The flavors in this beer are pretty nice. I didn't expect that much of a hop presence in this beer but I was pleasantly surprised.

Serving type: bottle

12-26-2012 19:32:19 | More by Dave128

metter98

New York

2.98/5  rDev -11.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

A: The beer appears near black in color but is clear dark amber when held up to a bright light, exhibiting no visible carbonation. It poured with a thin creamy light beige head that left a bit of bubbles on the surface and a thin ring around the edge of the glass.
S: There are light aromas of dark and chocolate malts in the nose along with some hints of roasted malts.
T: The taste is similar to the smell, except that the hints of roasted malts are absent from the flavors. No bitterness is detectable.
M: It feels light- to medium-bodied and somewhat thin and watery on the palate with a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: This beer is easy to drink but does not have any interesting flavors and seems a little too watery on the palate.

Serving type: bottle

12-26-2012 01:27:40 | More by metter98

barczar

Kentucky

3.38/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a clear deep brown with amber highlights and a half inch khaki head that dissipates slowly.

Aroma is dominated by roasted malt, toasted breadcrust and toffee, with a touch of coffee at the finish. There's a hint of molasses sweetness.

Flavor reveals a lot of diacetyl. Acrid roast malt and cola sweetness along with nutty toffee comprise the flavor profile, which finishes a little peppery. There are underlying flavors if dark fruit esters, though not the quality kind.

Body is a touch watery, with moderately high carbonation.

Overall, a decent beer, drinkable, but nothing exceptional. The estery character and cola flavor are a bit offputting.

Serving type: bottle

12-14-2012 07:43:25 | More by barczar

hackmann

Michigan

2.55/5  rDev -24.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Appearance: deep dark cola like body with a tan head that does not stay around for the party.

Aroma: light roasted grains, very faint nose

Flavors: moderately roasted malts, tobacco, faint hops to help keep the malts in balance. Rather simple in taste.

Mouthfeel: spritzy feel from the carbonation, I wish there was a ‘creamy’ feel, mild-medium mouthfeel, crisp and easy to drink dark lager, thin aftertaste

To the Point: typical easy drinking Leinenkugel, not big in flavor, but if you want to drink a few and sit around the campfire during the winter … this should do the trick (that is the only reason I pick it up).

Serving type: bottle

12-07-2012 03:25:22 | More by hackmann

SometimesIfart

Michigan

3.53/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A - Pours a very dark amber with a two finger off white head. No lacing.

S - Slight caramel malt, popcorn, toffee.

T - Medium roasted malt, toffee, dark coffee, dark chocolate finish. Nice, especially for a Leine.

M - Medium body with medium carbonation.

O - Overall, this was exceptional for the company. The flavors meld nicely. Compares to some good stout's in my opinion.

Serving type: bottle

12-03-2012 04:50:37 | More by SometimesIfart

kangarooAdam59

Wyoming

3.9/5  rDev +15.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Into a pint glass:

A: pitch dark black colored body with just a touch of a cap of an off-white head appeared and lasted for a good thirty seconds and slowly died. The body was too dark for any carbonation to be seen rising. No lacing was left.

S: light sweet malts up front with a gentle "creaminess" of sorts going on.

T: pretty much the same.

M: light to medium with a very steep creaminess hitting the tongue hard (it lives up to its name). This was a very drinkable beer.

O: its pretty much how I remembered it, probably the best Leinenkugel's puts out (at least of what I've had). I'm glad to see that nothing has changed since I've had it last.

Serving type: bottle

10-06-2012 13:01:37 | More by kangarooAdam59

DisasterDave

3.75/5  rDev +11.3%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

The smell of this beer is rich and sweet and as creamy as you would hope from a bottle with creamy in it's title. It is smooth and easy to drink but the finish of the taste does not maintain the high standard set by the aroma. The hops are not over powering but still leave more after taste than my personal preference.

Serving type: bottle

10-05-2012 03:15:57 | More by DisasterDave

Onenote81

North Carolina

3.6/5  rDev +6.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

12oz bottle poured into a mug. Pours a slightly transparent dark black/brown with a thin beige head. No lace. The aroma is sweet with fresh-baked cookies, bread, toffee, sweet malts. A moderately crisp body deepens the the feel of this lager, but there's a slickness to it on the finish that weakens it for me. The sweetness carries over as this beer is like fresh warm bread with sugar on top. Light chocolate malt notes round out, and there's just a kiss of alcohol on the finish. This is an easy drinker, though a bit middle-of-the-road, that I would like to have on hand time and again.

Serving type: bottle

08-20-2012 00:07:26 | More by Onenote81

Moontang

Ontario (Canada)

3.33/5  rDev -1.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured into my trusty highball from the bottle with dinner.

Appearance: Practically no head, not that I'm bothered by it. It's only a few ticks short of pitch black.

Smell: Sweet and crisp, not bad.

Moutfeel: rather thick, not a lot of fizz, great.

Taste: very smoky, with a clear, mild malt finish. A bit lackluster, to be honest.

Drinkability: refreshing, but otherwise unremarkable

Serving type: bottle

07-15-2012 21:33:54 | More by Moontang

jmarsh123

Indiana

3.55/5  rDev +5.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Pours black with a minimal white head and a touch of lacing.

Aroma smells like roasted malts added to some cheap grains.

Flavor is very malty. A touch of roasted malt and some sweetness. Again the cheap grain flavor permeates, but it isn't horrible.

Lighter on the mouthfeel with medium carbonation.

For what this is, it's fairly solid. Certainly not something I'd go for all the time, but when the only options are BMC this is a cut above.

Serving type: bottle

05-23-2012 01:30:31 | More by jmarsh123

vette2006c5r

Wisconsin

3.5/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Creamy Dark pours an almost black, dark color, with a tan head that disapated quickly. There was a bit of smokey aroma to it, but overall was weak. The taste was a little creamy, a bit smokey, and had a decent sweet malty backbone to it, but was a bit watery. Overall a decent dark beer, its enjoyable but could have been better.

Serving type: on-tap

05-15-2012 23:22:55 | More by vette2006c5r

tone77

Pennsylvania

3.3/5  rDev -2.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a brown 12 oz. bottle. Has a very dark brown color with a 1 inch head. Smell is mild, some malts and smoke. Taste is smoke up front, some malts, a hint of charcoal. Different and unexpected flavor profile. Feels medium bodied in the mouth and overall is a decent brew.

Serving type: bottle

04-30-2012 21:17:08 | More by tone77

DrDemento456

Pennsylvania

3.25/5  rDev -3.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A - Looses point on being dark it's just a brown ale with a pretty sticky opaque colored head.

S - Smell is kind of diluted but I get some sweet malts and a touch of roast.

T - Again sweet malts and a touch of roast. It's kind of bitter and skunky but it goes down rather smooth.

M - Well it's dark but only light bodied. Not bad.

Overall I kind of purchased this as a novelty idea for 1 dollar but it ended up being as good as said price. Not something to seek out but never really worth turning away.

Serving type: bottle

04-08-2012 05:52:50 | More by DrDemento456

Pintofbrown

Iowa

3.35/5  rDev -0.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

I had this Euro Dark Lager in a nonic pint.

Appearance- The filmy tan foam musters a finger of width and falls to just cover the cap. The body has a very dark-brown body with a few slants of ruby highlights.

Smell- I can certainly smell the dark malts. They are not so much roasted as they are sweet. I will say that the flavors are more generic, "just" a sweet malt base. There is also an earthy, nutty flavor in the beer below the sweetness that I do not think fits this profile well.

Taste- A hop tingle and a grassy roast hit the palate pretty quickly. A roasted, nutty flavor then takes over on the palate. The finish is roasted and sweet from the caramel malt. It is a fine set of flavors, if not a bit watered down and simple.

Mouth feel- The body is thinner and definitely feels watery. I am surprised that the finish can go on for so long. The roasted aspect of the beer does not mesh with this light of a body.

Overall- This Euro Dark Lager has more positive points than negative. It would just be nice if they were more pronounced and given a body that had more heft.

Serving type: bottle

04-05-2012 02:45:50 | More by Pintofbrown

NiceTaps

New Jersey

3.5/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

On tap in a room-temp pint glass.

A- A good looking dark brown black beer with a slight head. There is decent lacing and carbonation. It also has the mocha brown top ring that is characteristic of very dark beers.

S-roasted malts are strong with a hint of sweetness from some toffe or caramel.

T-very malty, but with a bit of bitterness from all the roasting. Not a hint of hops.

M-good carbonation holds some body, keeping this a notch above the thin watery varieties.

O-I like it. Easy drinking, good flavor, just the right abv. A good dark lager.

Serving type: on-tap

03-30-2012 00:50:28 | More by NiceTaps

Blueribbon666

Ohio

3.23/5  rDev -4.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Review from notes
Pours into pint glass a dark mahogany with no head to speak of but with decent carbonation.
Smells of malt and a kiss of hops in the mix as well
Taste/Mouthfeel smooth from the get go, yes, creamy not so much. Crispness of the hops gives way to a dull malty finish that's not watery so much as unremarkable. Overall, still on the hunt for a dark/black lager that I would buy again this seems like a poor man's bock.

Serving type: bottle

03-25-2012 11:01:19 | More by Blueribbon666

Jadjunk

Georgia

3.35/5  rDev -0.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

On Tap at Taco Mac Metropolis December 28, 2011. 16 Ounce Pour.

(Appearance) Dark Brown but translucent. Light surface cover. decent appearance, but lighter than expected. Abundant carbonation. 3.5

(Smell) Dark caramel, bitter chocolate and a hint of roasted nuts. Sweet, mildly buttery in flavor. 3.5

(Taste) bitter smoky flavor and a hint of toffee. Very tart introduction and the burned tones are most prevalent in the finish, with a toasty tone. Finish is likely most disappointing, with taste falling short in this moment the most. 3.5

(Mouthfeel) slick, thin, not very creamy, save for a minor froth in the finish. Alcohol concealed well, light/medium body. 3

(Overall) one of the better Leinenkugel beers available, but not too innovative by any means. 3

Serving type: on-tap

03-20-2012 00:13:11 | More by Jadjunk