Leinenkugel's Berry Weiss - Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Company

Gambrinus1184

Connecticut

3.7/5  rDev +29.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 12-ounce bottle into a Mickey's pint glass.

A: Poured a deep tinted purple/reddish amber color with a chilled haze and a frothy head of whitish foam.

S: A full bouquet of berries rises without even having to put your nose to it. A potent mixture of fresh berries which is quite pleasing.

T: Holy white zinfandel, Batman! It's got that distinct, vinous alcohol flavor mixed with a mouthfull of blackberries, raspberries, and blueberries. There's no hop taste that I can find, and the sweetness of the berries negates any real malted beer taste to it.

M: Mouthfeel is fizzy, because despite being sticky sweet at times, this brew is well carbonated.

D: As drinkable as say, Harpoon Raspberry UFO, except the lack of hops or other malt flavors impedes the drinkability a tad. It's a whole lot of fruit flavoring, and is tailor-made for summer.

For what it is, it's a very fruity beer with natural flavoring, as opposed to a Miller Chill or Bud Lime. It's better than some other fruit beers, but it's no lambic. If you love berries, be my guest. I'll pass from now on.

Serving type: bottle

05-30-2008 19:37:28 | More by Gambrinus1184

gskitt

New York

3.7/5  rDev +29.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Sounded interesting in the store. Waited for a hot day for with this beer it seemed fitting. Yikes, wine cooler. Effervescent pour, clear gold with little or no head. Smelled of berries but not fresh, artificial. Tasted very crisp and refreshing, but to much and very much like a wine cooler. It was tart and fruity and really was not bad. Drinkable? Yes, no doubt. Wait for a sultry summer day.

Serving type: bottle

01-13-2011 01:31:39 | More by gskitt

BEERchitect

Kentucky

3.65/5  rDev +28.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Quite interesting and pleasant. Though there are some criticisms, it's still quite drinkable. The berry presence is noticed immediately with its bright ruby color and vibrant carbonation. Not so good on the head retention or body, but the flavors are nice. Tastes and smells of mildly tart and mostly sweet raspberries, blackberries, cranberries, and grapes. Along with that carbonation, the beer becomes very wine-cooler-ish. Fizzy feel on the toung and sweet berry-like in the finish. A sticky-sweetness lingers for too long. A total chick beer.

Serving type: bottle

06-16-2006 01:46:33 | More by BEERchitect

BDIMike

Ohio

3.65/5  rDev +28.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Appearance is a cloudy, purple color. There is a lot of fizz and a very thin head that goes away immediately.
Nice smell to this beer. Smells strongly of blackberry with a touch of honey in the smell as well.
The taste is nice with a good berry taste. Does not have much to the taste besides blackberries, but a touch of wheat and malts can be detected as well. A little bit of a strange aftertaste.
Mouthfeel is nice and sharp, but slightly smooth as well.
Good drinkability for a fruit beer.

Serving type: bottle

03-01-2008 22:48:50 | More by BDIMike

coldmeat23

Oklahoma

3.65/5  rDev +28.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

GLASS: Imperial Pint Glass
TEMP: Chilled to approx. 45 degrees

Pours a nice clear amber with a definite pink hue to it. Nice 1 - 2 finger pinkish head with good retention and nice lacing.

The smell is very nice, indeed. Very fruity. Raspberries and blackberries stand out above all else. Not unlike a Lambic, as far as the smell goes.

Raspberries hit the tongue first, followed by a little bit of blackberries and maybe some cherries on the end. Cherry could be something else, I'm not 100% sure. A little bit of malt down deep and a touch of honey. There's no hint of alcohol in the taste, just a little tiny bit of warmth in the belly.

Feels very smooth in the mouth. A little lighter than expected, but this works to it's advantage.

Very easy to drink as long as you don't mind the sweetness. Would be a great beer on a hot summer day.

Serving type: bottle

06-09-2008 20:24:58 | More by coldmeat23

NHGrafx

Massachusetts

3.65/5  rDev +28.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 12 oz brown bottle.

Pours a reddish color with a very light pinkish colored fluffy head. The head does not last very long. There is decent lacing on the glass.

Aroma is quite fruity and sweet. Aroma of raspberries, blackberries, strawberries. Smells almost like a fruit soda. There is also some malty aromas too, but they somewhat hidden by the berries.

Taste is quite nice. It has a tartness too it, not overly sweet. The berry flavors are the same as the aromas, and taste natural. There are some malty flavors that seem to balance it out for me. Finish is a bit malty with some very slight bitterness. Mouthfeel is good, kind of smooth with moderate carbonation. Drinkability is very good too.

Overall, one of the better fruit beers I have had. Does not taste artificial. Will definitely have this one again.

Serving type: bottle

10-25-2008 21:41:30 | More by NHGrafx

ndekke39

Ohio

3.63/5  rDev +27.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Drank a 12 oz. bottle of this with no freshness date. Pours a hazy bright pink, with a white, foamy head at first. Very little retention. Smell is completely dominated by sweet berries. Taste is dominated of it, too, although there's a decent malty finish. Good mouthfeel to it. Overall, not a bad beer. Not terribly complex, but it's up front about being a fruit beer, and it does a good job of fulfilling it.

Serving type: bottle

02-26-2007 18:31:32 | More by ndekke39

DavidSeanNJ

New Jersey

3.63/5  rDev +27.4%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

A- A bright glowing pink purple color emerges after the pour. This looks more like a wine cooler than a beer. small soapy head.

S- Straight up swwet black raspberry, honey; and maybe even some apple.

T- This is a beer for non-beer drinkers. This beer was sampled and enjoyed by beer haters such as my mother and girlfriend. Sweet and sour berry flavors most notably strawberry and raspberry. There was no wheat flavor at all,. I could not even tell this was a beer.

M- light and airy. This went down easily similar to a fruity juice drink.

D- too swwet to drink all night. this is enjoyable if I was craving for a soda not a beer.

Serving type: bottle

02-09-2008 15:53:27 | More by DavidSeanNJ

Chrissybeer

Massachusetts

3.63/5  rDev +27.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

There was an immediate aroma of berries as the beer was opened. The beer poured a light purple color and was cloudy in appearance. There was about a 2 1/2 finger head in the glass after being poured.

The first sip was pretty sweet with strong berry flavor. There was some tart to the beer, but left a very sweet after taste in your mouth.

Light lacing left in the glass while drinking.

Worth trying, but not recommended for an everyday drink...

Serving type: bottle

06-20-2008 20:28:34 | More by Chrissybeer

Mosstrooper

California

3.63/5  rDev +27.4%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4.5

This is going to be a very short and sweet review without all the technicalities.

Basically, I was in the store looking for a refreshing beer after a hard game of dodgeball, and that's what I got in this. Very sweet and fruity, as previous reviewers said- but that's what I expected when I bought it. This isn't a beer that I could have more than, maybe, two or three consecutively- but it is what it is and it makes an excellent brew for quick refreshment.

To sum it up, if you want something refreshing, this does its job quite well. If you're looking for something else, though, don't drink it.

Serving type: bottle

11-04-2008 04:20:30 | More by Mosstrooper

Onibubba

Kentucky

3.6/5  rDev +26.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours pink with a short lived pink head. Big berry smell that promises uncomprimising sweetness. Taste delivers on that note, although not near as cloying as I expected. Crisp, dare I say refreshing. Good pop like carbonation. Very soda like in character. As such, drinkability is high, but couldn't see myself drinking more than a couple in a setting.

Serving type: bottle

03-05-2007 18:11:35 | More by Onibubba

brentk56

North Carolina

3.6/5  rDev +26.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Appearance: Pours a hazy pink lemonade color with a forthy head that shows great retention and lacing

Smell: A big whiff of raspberry/blackberry

Taste: Opens with a sweet/tart berry flavor, with the sweeter elements winning the battle both before and after the swallow

Mouthfeel: Light bodied and effervescent

Drinkability: Not a bad fruit beer but just not my type of fruit beer

Serving type: bottle

10-21-2007 23:08:25 | More by brentk56

biggmike

Mississippi

3.6/5  rDev +26.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured a color that was attractive and reminiscent of pink grapefruit juice or pink lemonade only a little darker. Upon opening of the bottle, your nose is overwhelmed by the smell of berries. The aroma to me was very much like wine. The taste was also of berries, a balanced convergence of sweet and tart flavors. The mouthfeel was very pleasant and nicely carbonated. I thought this was very refreshing. I could not session it, but its a nice refresher.

Serving type: bottle

10-25-2007 19:22:08 | More by biggmike

tjsdomer2

Illinois

3.6/5  rDev +26.3%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance: Think raspberry ice tea out of a drink fountain at McDonald's.

Smell: Extremely fruity. Raspberries and blackberries especially. Not a bad smell, but not a beer smell. I like it.

Taste/Mouthfeel: Ok, this stuff is not necessarily biter but, but fairly sour. Tastes like fruit punch and raspberry ice tea (see above). If you love berries, you might like this. Supreme smoothness and suprisingly thick...leaves a sugary residue in your mouth.

Drinkability: Considering it does not taste like alcohol at all, you can chug this stuff with no problem. (I did.)

Overall: Refreshing on cool to warm spring/fall afternoon. Definitely fits into Leinie's fruit obsession.

Serving type: bottle

04-10-2010 20:02:49 | More by tjsdomer2

VaTechHopHead

California

3.58/5  rDev +25.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

I've always known about Leinenkugel's beers and I finally bought a sampler pack. I first tried the berry weiss and I was kind of shocked. There is a tremendous amount of berry flavor but blended quit well with the beer, and didn't drown out the beer flavor. There wasn't much carbonation but wasn't expected in a fruit beer. Overall I was very impressed and a very simple beer to drink year round I believe.

Serving type: bottle

04-09-2008 02:56:34 | More by VaTechHopHead

williamherbert

New York

3.58/5  rDev +25.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Cloudy dark pink color with a foamy white head. Thickness of a darkly pink iced tea. Formidable!

A slightly sour, tart dark berry aroma. Combination of raspberry and maybe blueberry? The sourness keeps it from going to a too-sweet place.

First sip is a sour, puckery berry. Does have a wheaty backbone which has a good, dry counterpunch. It's got a lot of disparate flavors. Not exactly a symphony, but it's a nice selection of tastes within the beer anyhow. Gets better as it warms up.

Feels smooth and milky. Leaves a big film which remains for a while. It's a sweet drink that is much thicker than expected. Really pleasant and balanced sweetness and sour.

Serving type: bottle

04-25-2008 22:02:07 | More by williamherbert

Monsteruss

Colorado

3.58/5  rDev +25.6%
look: 5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

The foam was light wheat with a obvious reddish pink hue that dissapated quickly. The color was a apple red haze with a wheat lighlight. The smell - the 1st experience was a dominate rasberry aroma with small hints of blueberry. Couldn't really smell anything else. Taste had a somewhat dominate rasberry overtone with deep undertones of wheat, blackberry and a sharp crispness at the end. Mouthfeel - smooth, fruity and somewhat light-bodied. Drinkability - with the smoothness of the wheaty fruit, it was a good session.

Serving type: bottle

05-08-2009 23:10:59 | More by Monsteruss

RomaniIteDomum

Florida

3.58/5  rDev +25.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Ok, it could have been a trick, my imagination wandering, but I could have sworn the beer poured pink. It's a cloudy amber with tinges of red from the berry. Nice creamy head. It is a very nice looking beer.

It smells like raspberries, blueberries, and cream. Quite sweet and drinkable.

I taste bleberries, strawberries, and raspberries with a light wheat beer finish. Not bad.

The beer is quite drinkable. I'm a sucker for fruit beers, but there are some better ones on the market. I could drink a few of these under the right circumstances and would consider drinking it again. As long as it doesn't turn pink again.

Serving type: bottle

09-14-2009 02:54:19 | More by RomaniIteDomum

Hybrid3rdGen

3.58/5  rDev +25.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A really nice light fruity beer. Nothing too bad but also nothing absolutely fantastic. I picked up a six for those times when I just wanted something light and this definitely fits the bill. I didn't pour it out, so no comment on the head or the over all colour. The taste had just enough 'beer' to it to let me know it was a beer and not a wine cooler. Honestly, I think this is a beer that a lot of people (who normally wouldn't like) could come to enjoy. Will I get another six... sure, now that my girlfriend likes it and she's busting into some of my other exotic craft beers. :)

Serving type: bottle

07-09-2012 10:17:35 | More by Hybrid3rdGen

Newglarusguy

Wisconsin

3.55/5  rDev +24.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

I had a sample of this at Leinenkugels brewery, so I'm sure it tasted a little better than what you'll find in your local beer store. However, I have to review what's available to me. If Grolsch tastes bad because it sat in a container for 2 months, tough. This had a nice fruity flavor to it, very berry like (couldn't quite place which kind). Unlike a lambic, this wasn't fizzy and champagne-like. You knew you were drinking a lagered beer. This had a smooth, malty flavor that complimented the berries nicely, so while the fruit dominated, there was more substance than just the fruit. It had a great smell, too, so you get to enjoy this with a few senses

Serving type: bottle

02-14-2007 22:53:06 | More by Newglarusguy

assmasterson

Missouri

3.55/5  rDev +24.6%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Heard about this one from a guy I work with. His beer tastes are pretty close to mine, so I figured I would give it a shot.

A: Whoa. Doesn't even look like beer. Pours a deep pink, almost grapefruit juice color with a tall, yet very light head that leaves a good lingering lace.

S: Not exactly like a regular wheat brew, with an obvious floral/berry smell. Nothing offensive.

T: Very, very strong raspberry flavoring with the slightest hints of hops in the background. Almost tastes like a juice with a little alcohol added to it.

M: Very thin, with an energy drink feel, but without the sticky sweetness. Extremely slick.

D: I feel like a few of these could be downed in a short setting because of it's soda-like tendencies, not that that's a bad thing, because the taste in and of it's self is pretty good.

Serving type: bottle

09-19-2007 01:59:17 | More by assmasterson

beeragent

Texas

3.55/5  rDev +24.6%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

I bought a sixer of this for my girlfriend, but being curious, I had to try one (and you know you did too.) Poured from a 12oz. bottle into a pint glass. The beer pours a medium red/purple fruit punch color, forming a thin pinkish white head that quickly faded. No lacing to be seen. The aroma is completely dominated by the berry aroma. If there's anything else there, I cant smell it. The flavor is basically the same. Strong berry flavoring, with maybe a hint of wheat. In better terms, its like drinking an alcoholic fruit punch. Light and smooth mouthfeel. For a fruit beer, it drinks very well, but way too sweet to ever be a session ale. I think I would be sick if I were to drink more than one of these in one night. Overall, I suppose its not a bad beverage, but I couldnt really call this a beer IMO. Way too sweet for a beer, but maybe just right to start bringing non-beer drinkers into the field.

Serving type: bottle

02-17-2008 12:44:09 | More by beeragent

JamesS

Indiana

3.55/5  rDev +24.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Pours a very red/pinkish color, with a bit of head and a bit of lacing, not bad for a wheat. Very cider/lambic type of aroma, it has a strong berry scent (blackberry mostly), with a bit of apple and honey as well. Nice flavor, although the berry (mostly) and honey (a fair bit) overpower the wheat beer, there's still a bit of it there. It goes down very smoothly, a very refreshing beer, if you want something sweet.

Serving type: bottle

03-26-2008 21:53:47 | More by JamesS

Cyberkedi

Georgia

3.53/5  rDev +23.9%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Aroma is full and strongly of raspberry - and I love raspberry. It pours a curious pinkish amber, unusual but not unappetizing. Flavor is mainly fruity, more like a cider than a beer, but crisp and tasty - the raspberry dominates the malt. If you love raspberry, this beer should wet your whistle.

Serving type: bottle

04-06-2008 22:22:13 | More by Cyberkedi

earthboundagain

Colorado

3.53/5  rDev +23.9%
look: 2 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 4

Appearance: A thin whitish head that was gone as soon as it was there. The beer itself is a ruby reddish color, like the meat of a grapefruit.

Smell: A strong blackberry scent, but with a hint of raspberry. The smell is good kind of of like when you pull a cobbler out of the fridge.

Taste: Not much wheat in this one but you gets a great berry flavor. Has a malty flavor throughout, though it's stronger at the finish. A slight alcohol flavor, that reminds you of a hard cider.

Mouthfeel: Very carbonated and extremely thin, thinner then a cider and a little thicker then a wine cooler.

Drinkability: This is an easy drinker, and would make a good beer for that summer family reunion.

Side Notes: Ok this is a live review, I am drinking at the comp, as I type this. I really know why my girlfriend likes these now. Reminds me of a hard cider, and that's not a bad thing to say, but this is a beer we have to remember. I can see this being a great brew to cook with, and the next warm say I am going to give it a shot on the grill. This would take the place of a blackberry brandy on boneless pork chops.

Serving type: bottle

03-29-2009 16:05:21 | More by earthboundagain