Leinenkugel's Original - Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Company

herman77

Minnesota

2.55/5  rDev -13.9%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 3

A: Clear pale yellow with lots of ripping carbonation bubbles. Decent sized eggshell colored head that dies off quickly. Has a decent amount of sticky lacing actually.

S: Sweet grain and corn. Adjunct sweetness. A little bitterness too.

T: Light malt and bitter hops. Cereal grain sweetness. Finishes a little dry. Nothing special at all, but as expected. Could be a lot worse.

M/D: Light body. Pretty thin and watery. Carbonation is on the higher side. Pretty easy drinking though. Probably would be one of my top adjunct lager choices, especially being pretty local.

Serving type: can

07-07-2010 23:00:20 | More by herman77

AmberMan22

Minnesota

3.3/5  rDev +11.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Gotta admit, this or Coors takes the cake as the best Macro AAL in my book. Don't think I'd ever turn these down if offered.

The smell is slightly sweeter than most adjunct lagers, which I find enjoyable. The malt flavor just seems to present itself a bit better.

carbonation might be a little strong, but I also drank this leaning on 'too cold', so that probably didn't help. Having it slightly warmer is much more enjoyable.

Overall, this is a macro I can drink without grimacing. That's what I mean when I say best AAL.

Serving type: bottle

02-20-2010 23:30:06 | More by AmberMan22

lester619

Wisconsin

3.48/5  rDev +17.6%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

This has been my old man's brand forever. I have good memories of sneaking them from the garage fridge growing up. Pours a clear golden yellow with not any head retention to speak of. Just drink it from the can and you don't have to care what it looks like. Not much in the way of smell, some light grainy corn but not much else. Absolutly nothing great about it, but to quote Wendell "It's good honest beer." Nice crisp coarbonation, very drinkable. Just a normal yellow beer from a can. Nothing wrong with that.

Serving type: can

12-16-2009 18:13:02 | More by lester619

twiggamortis420

Texas

2.98/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5

12oz single with no freshness date. I am surprised we do not get this beer here in Tx as we get at least a half dozen other Leinie's. Pours a crystal clear light yellow color with a 2 finger bone-white head that displays average retention and no lacing.

Nose is sweet light malts, I really dont get all that much in the way of adjuncts in the smell. There is even a smidge of floral hops in here. Not bad for an AAL.

Taste is grainy malts that taste and feel a bit stale and cardboardy. Very light tasting beer and certainly corn oriented. A bit too much fruitiness shows through for a lager - green apples and grapes. Mouthfeel is a bit watery and carbonation is not that high for the style. Not too much to get excited about, but I would choose this over a bud light anyday. 12 pack for 10 bucks...I might do that every once in a while. For an adjunct lager, one could do worse.

Serving type: bottle

12-04-2009 20:25:17 | More by twiggamortis420

Wisconsin

Wisconsin

3.25/5  rDev +9.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

12 ounce can into a Leinie's pint glass

I've had this beer numerous times but have never taken the time to review it. Here goes:

A - Considering I have never poured this out of a can before I am actually somewhat impressed by how this looks. Nice golden, straw yellow, clear body that his about a finger thick head that is white and fluffy. Plenty of carbonation trickling up. Head fades to a nice lace after a couple of minutes. Pretty impressed with the appearance after having much lower expectations before pouring.

S - Here's where things start to go down hill. Plan malts, slightly sweet with maybe a hint of corn that is ever so slight. Some yeast, grains and faint hops are also present.

T - A real basic beer as one would expect. Lots of malts, grains, and a faint taste of corn. Smooth, and enjoyable throughout but nothing that blows you away.

M - Light bodied with a good amount of carbonation. Grains, slight hop body along with a light malt backbone all standout as the beer enters your mouth. Carbonation leads those aspects through and finishes very clean, crisp and smooth with a nice hint of corn.

D - I'm sure many of us from Wisconsin all have stories of wild nights drinking with this beer. In Wisconsin this has a bigger following than Miller in my opinion and it's quite enjoyable in just about any experience. The smooth, clean body makes it drinkable at just about any time or occasion.

Serving type: can

11-20-2009 06:21:32 | More by Wisconsin

woosterbill

Connecticut

3.05/5  rDev +3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

12 oz bottle into a pint glass.

A: Pours a surprisingly rich amber-gold body with tons of carbonation sustaining a two-finger head of dense white foam that sticks around seemingly forever: by far the best head I've ever seen on a beer of this style, it verges on being "rocky" - really impressive. Still, it's fizzy yellow beer, so I can't bring myself to award the 5, even though it looks amazing according to style.

S: Thoroughly boring adjunct aroma of thin grain and mild hops. Nothing off, but nothing exciting.

T: A little short of boring. Absolutely nothing worth talking about - grains, some adjunct funk, and just enough hops to dry out the palate. No finish to speak of. The most positive word to describe this might be inoffensive; the worst might be mind-numbing.

M: Nothing to comment on - fizzy and thin, just as one would expect.

D: Not as watery as some other examples of the style, which I suppose works against it in this category. It is pretty refreshing, though, so no complaints about drinkability.

Notes: Leinie's will always have a place in my heart, as it's the beer my dad has always had in the fridge (and therefore the first I ever had a sip of); it's a very respectable adjunct lager, but it's still exactly that. Classic, refreshing, and a great looking beer for its style, Leinie's deserves respect - but respect doesn't mean I'll be buying it myself now or ever.

Cheers!

Serving type: bottle

09-19-2009 17:52:51 | More by woosterbill

kimcgolf

Georgia

3.03/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5

Not much to this one. As much as I had heard profess to liking "Leiny", I was expecting more from this. Pours a pale yellow with little white head and not much lacing. Aroma is muted and what is present is grainy hops. Mouthfeel is pretty lackluster and the taste follows the nose. Short, dry finish rounds out this ho-hum beer.

Serving type: bottle

09-09-2009 16:12:20 | More by kimcgolf

Strix

Wisconsin

3.25/5  rDev +9.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

I'm sort of amazed I've never reviewed this.

Poured golden yellow.

Smells sweet, slightly malty. The optimist in me smells toasted bread crust and the pessimist smells sulphur.

Taste is relatively clean, some cereal grains, and a hint of hops. Sweet malty character is evident, though so is corn. I wonder what the Miller merger has done to the taste of this, I'm not old enough to remember the old days.

Mouthfeel adequate.

This beer has a devout following in WI, so I won't be too harsh. Suffice to say my relatively experienced palate is not impressed as it once was. This is a macro lager with more taste than some. If cold, it's alright.

Leine's, if you're reading this, please make less of this, and more Big Eddy RIS. PLEASE. I'm begging you. You have proven you can make phenomenal beers -- If you want to.

Serving type: bottle

08-24-2009 04:27:40 | More by Strix

CHSLBrew

Minnesota

3.05/5  rDev +3%
look: 2 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Poured into a pint glass.

A-Crystal-clear light-yellow beer, topped with a pale, large-bubbled white head. Pretty low head retention, resulting in a less-than-attractive beer, looking more like stale yellow water.

S-Grain, slightly corny. A hint of spicy hops, and a little bit of sweet.

T-Semi-sweet grainy malts, dry, with a subtle hop bitterness. Hop character also seems to be present in some nuance of spice, hay. Finishes semi-dry and bitter.

M-Light body, as expected for this style of beer. Carbonation was pleasantly lower than expected (still medium-high), which allowed the subtler flavor to fully play.

D-Appropriate for enjoyment while in the northwoods, as all of their ads now display. Leinie's is an odd duck. Original is a classic "dad's beer" in the region, holding a pretty loyal following of life-long Leinenkugel fans. The company seems to be somewhat straying from this thread (possibly under the influence of MillerSAB, 49% owner of the company), but while they continue to make Original, I'll continue to drink it.

Serving type: can

08-13-2009 19:51:55 | More by CHSLBrew

kbeals

Florida

3.08/5  rDev +4.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A- Pours a pale straw yellow with about a finger of head. Some head retention and lacing, but not much.

S- A faint malty smell, along with just a touch of hops. Als detect a hint of something citrusy or like bananas, possibly from the grain.

T- Taste follows along the same lines as the smell. Still picking up a banana-like taste, not great but not totally offensive.

M- Light-bodied with plenty of carbonation, the bubbles were streaming up from the bottom continuously.

D- It could be pretty easy to drink this stuff, the ABV is relatively low and it's not an overall bad beer. I probably wouldn't buy it again however.

Serving type: bottle

07-30-2009 01:18:30 | More by kbeals

WakeandBake

Michigan

3.65/5  rDev +23.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A pale golden yellow color with a fizzy white head, high carbonation. Aroma is slightly grainy and hoppy for a pale lager. Flavor is crisp , and again quite hoppy fore a pale Lager , nice crisp mouthfeel , light body and quite refreshing , very sessionable , I might buy this again for company

Serving type: bottle

07-11-2009 16:48:30 | More by WakeandBake

BeerFMAndy

Wisconsin

3.15/5  rDev +6.4%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

12 oz can poured into a Nonic. Markings but no date.

A - Poured a nice clear golden yellow with a sudsy and loose white head. Decent retention and some sticky lacing on the glass.

S - Sweet roasted corn, light malts, and a touch of dry straw. A very light hop aroma on the nose as well.

T - Starts with a sweet corn and light malt flavor and turns quickly to dry straw and light hops. There is a mineral water and slight metallic taste being imparted that I don't ever remember in this beer. Possibly the can on this one.

M - Light bodied, crisp, and refreshing, it's got a small carbonation bite to the finish.

D - It's beer. Not fantastic and definitely not bad for a lawnmower brew. I enjoy it from time to time and would never pass up the opportunity to consume one...especially for free.

Serving type: can

06-29-2009 18:29:32 | More by BeerFMAndy

ChainGangGuy

Georgia

2.68/5  rDev -9.5%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Appearance: Pours a clear, yellow body with a ½ inch of humble white foam.

Smell: Lightly sweet-scented, lightly grainy maltiness, with little else to show for the aroma. Inoffensive, but certainly an underperformer.

Taste: Light pale malts with touches of grain and imparted sweetness. Faint, vague hop character and bitterness. Things slough along until the drying, clean, but, let's face it, pretty empty finish.

Mouthfeel: Light-bodied. Medium carbonation.

Drinkability: A simple, easy-drinking lager that, while dull, thankfully doesn't come across as packed to the hilt with adjuncts as many others do.

Serving type: bottle

06-11-2009 21:09:13 | More by ChainGangGuy

hardy008

Minnesota

2.6/5  rDev -12.2%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Appearance - pours a light golden color with a small foamy head which disappears quickly.

Smell - typical adjunct smell of corn. Also some malt and hops present.

Taste - Corn flavor with some malt and hops. Not bad.

Mouthfeel - lightbodied, thin, decent carbonation.

Drinkability - decent drinkability. Not bad at all.

Serving type: can

06-02-2009 03:25:44 | More by hardy008

Thorpe429

Illinois

2.23/5  rDev -24.7%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

G: Poured into an Arrogant Bastard pint glass.

A: Very light in color, nearly transparent. Pours with a decent, though quickly-receding, head and plenty of visible carbonation bubbles.

S: Smells like the typical adjunct. Minimal amounts of malt and pretty much zero hops.

T: Taste isn't terrible. Poured out of a bottle, although it has a mildy-metallic taste. Other than that, plenty of adjunct and slightly bitter.

M: Slightly creamy. Light mouthfeel with a decent amount of carbonation.

D: Good amount of carbonation and the right mouthfeel, though not much in the way of taste. Although I'm not a big fan of Leinie's to start with, this definitely is not one of their better offerings.

Serving type: bottle

04-06-2009 21:31:19 | More by Thorpe429

WJVII

Wisconsin

2.6/5  rDev -12.2%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Poured from a can into a pint glass this brew is a light straw color with minimal head. The aroma is mild with hints of corn, malt, and some alcohol. The taste is a little metallic, and the carbonation is a little much for the light flavor. For a "local" competitor to the Miller empire it is a good beer, but doesn't strike me as impressive on the whole.

Serving type: can

03-31-2009 23:19:26 | More by WJVII

beeragent

Texas

2.48/5  rDev -16.2%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

Poured into a pint glass from a 12oz bottle.

A - The beer poured a light straw color, forming a white 1/4 inch head that quickly faded. Very minimal lacing on the glass.

S - Strong odor of grain/corn in the nose. I cant really detect any hops or malts in the aroma.

T - Same as the smell. Very grainy taste with a equally strong corn flavor throughout. Very light hops in the finish.

M - Light bodied with a clean finish. Good carbonation.

D - Very light flavor and clean finish. Definitely a summer beer, but the lack of flavor will keep me from returning to this. I know its an adjunct lager, but IMO there are other adjunct lagers out there with more flavor than this one.

Serving type: bottle

02-24-2009 23:16:20 | More by beeragent

AdmiralDiaz

Minnesota

3.4/5  rDev +14.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Poured from 12oz can to pint glass.

A: Pours a transparent golden body with great streams of bubble under a large white head that stayed composed after exceeding the rim of the glass. The frothy head becomes very rocky as it dissipates. leave a bit of sticky lacing.

S: Typical adjunct smell. Light hops and malts with a small corn scent. Couldn't tell the difference between this and most adjuncts.

T: Malty with a bit of a hop and corn bite to it. Not amazing but better than most of the style.

M: Average, well carbonated.

D: Good taste and easily drinkable, great go to beer.

Serving type: can

02-23-2009 19:03:33 | More by AdmiralDiaz

Frosty80

Michigan

3.35/5  rDev +13.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 4.5

Color: pours and sits golden straw

Smell: very thin presence of malt and adjunct grains. no noticable hop presence. not much aroma at all

Taste: it does have this slight metalic presence, though brief. nothing else really stands out. just a tiny bit of everything in balance i guess. some adjuncts like corn in the finish.

Mouthfeel: light body with moderate carbonation

Notes: not that familiar with adjunct beers. probly would go cheaper for a big name lager than drink this. i appreciate what its trying to accomplish, but if the name on the label says anything to me, there are much better adjunt lagers out there

Serving type: bottle

02-13-2009 04:15:57 | More by Frosty80

AccidentalKate

Washington

2.8/5  rDev -5.4%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Appearance: Light yellow to straw colored. Sort of an average look. Head quickly dissolved into near nothingness.

Smell: There's a slight malty aroma, but you have to look for it. Barely noticable.

Taste: Sharp, nearly acrid taste of the hops hits the palate first, Very sharp, and then just as quickly gone to a just perceptible malt/hop taste.

Mouthfeel:Eh. Not memorable. Not bad enough to warrant anything below a 2.5, not good enough to warrant anything above a 3.5. 3 it is then. Slight carbonation, but barely tickles the back of the tongue.

Drinkability: It's not horrible, but it's not all that great either. Perhaps my standards are too high? When I think lager, I think a crisp, memorable flash of a moment. What I get here is a brief walk-by. Better than some beers, but worse than those beers I respect.

Serving type: bottle

02-13-2009 03:28:28 | More by AccidentalKate

association330

Michigan

3.35/5  rDev +13.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A - Pours a healthy straw color with a big, soapy head. Decent retention for the style, eventually fades to a thin cap with some surprising bits of lacing. Large numbers of bubbles rise to the surface, like a glass of champagne.

S - Sweet malted grains, corn, honey, and a metallic effervescence which calls the brewer's knowledge of hop usage into question. It is, however, inoffensive, which is a good start for this style of brew.

T - Sweet grains, sparkly citrus, and hints of corn. Finishes with a misused, coppery kiss of hops, but that's par for the course. Overall, the flavor is definitely above average for the style.

M - Extremely crisp. Carbonation is heavy and contributes to a somewhat creamy character and a body somewhere in-between light and medium. Quenches thirst well.

D - It's a Wisconsin staple and comes in at a step above BMC. You really can't go wrong with this as a lawnmower beer, or to wash down some summer food.

Serving type: can

02-11-2009 23:23:30 | More by association330

solargoat

Wisconsin

3.4/5  rDev +14.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 5

My first Review so I thought I would do a local Classic.
Poured a original Leinie's into a pint glass. It's Light, golden, lagerish.
A Nice Retention for a lager. Slightly metalic(It was a Can). It is a very drinkable beer, cant beat the price in NW Wisconsin (>14 for case). A lot of bashers on this beer, but it seems that most are lager haters, For the most part I dont like them, but this a better example than most.

Serving type: can

01-29-2009 00:28:12 | More by solargoat

kmeves

Wisconsin

2.9/5  rDev -2%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Pours a sparkling clear, straw-colored lager with a small, frothy, white head. Good retention and decent lacing. Malty and citrusy aroma and flavor. Well-balanced. A whisper of canned corn in the flavor. Medium-bodied with a creamy mouthfeel and fizzy carbonation. Short, crisp, clean finish. Pretty much a staple in northern Wisconsin.

Serving type: bottle

01-14-2009 19:40:02 | More by kmeves

tempest

Pennsylvania

3.15/5  rDev +6.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Thanks to my cousin Pete for bringing a 6er of this Midwest classic for Christmas. First off this beer gets an A for appearance. It's about the only macro lager I've found that actually has head retention and lacing. The aroma and flavor have a clean, cooked corn/DMS character with toasted grains. Smooth, only a slight barley aftertaste, very drinkable. This beer is to the American adjunct lager, what Sierra Nevada Pale Ale is to American pale ales.

Serving type: bottle

12-26-2008 02:41:17 | More by tempest

Blakaeris

Iowa

3.23/5  rDev +9.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Pours very pale clear golden yellow. Mild head dissipates quickly to nothing.

Aroma is sweet with tons of honey.

Taste is crisp with a definite honey presence. Hints of lemon grass and the slightest touch of noble hops.

Mouthfeel is light bodied.

Not bad for the style. A macro lager with a surprising amount of honey. More hops would be appreciated in the finish.

Serving type: bottle

12-22-2008 22:56:46 | More by Blakaeris