Summer Shandy
Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Company

Summer ShandySummer Shandy
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From:
Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Company
 
Wisconsin, United States
Style:
Fruit and Field Beer
Ranked #382
ABV:
4.2%
Score:
73
Ranked #27,696
Avg:
3.19 | pDev: 22.88%
Reviews:
717
Ratings:
3,952
Status:
Active
Rated:
Dec 28, 2023
Added:
Mar 23, 2007
Wants:
  80
Gots:
  1,277
Our own unique take on Franz Kugler’s original Munich tavern tradition. Leinenkugel’s® Summer Shandy® is our traditional weiss beer with refreshing natural lemonade flavor that makes it the perfect summer beer.

11 IBU
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by BuckeyeNation:
Photo of BuckeyeNation
Reviewed by BuckeyeNation from Iowa

3.25/5  rDev +1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3
Murky pastel lemon that looks as much like lemonade as it does like beer. Up top is a frothily creamy head of cumulus cloud white that sets off the color of the liquid beautifully. It doesn't hurt that the cap looks as good and leaves as much lace as your average hefe weizen. No matter what Summer Shandy tastes like, Leinenkugel has nailed the look.

Here's where it gets tough. Do I look at this beverage through my usual beer lens or through a shandy lens? The obvious answer is through a shandy lens. The nose is wonderful. It smells like lemon tart filling with a hint of wheatiness in the background. I'm going to check my beer geek bona fides at the door and say that this is just about the best smelling shandy that I can imagine.

If only Summer Shandy tasted as good as it smells, it would have been accorded legendary status among the Leinenkugel lineup, at least as far as I'm concerned. Damn, why couldn't they have figured out flavor as thoroughly as they figured out aroma?

I think the problem is that there's too much lackluster American pale wheat ale and not enough lemonade. I wouldn't mind if the base beer was of higher quality, but it's grainy and bland and doesn't hold up its end of the bargain. I'm sure most people will slam this beverage for being insufficiently beer-like, but given the various flavors at play, I'd like to see as much sweet lemon zestiness as is present in the nose.

The mouthfeel has been designed for maximum drinkability. Unfortunately, it's a little too light, bordering on frankly watery on the swallow. I liked the gentle carbonation initially. However, by the bottom of the bottle, it makes Summer Shandy feel blah.

I think it's pretty obvious that the determining factor in the quality of any given shandy is the quality of the beer (all lemonade uses a pretty standard recipe, after all). I hate to say it, but this brewery isn't known for the quality of its beer... which necessarily limits the quality of any shandy that they could produce. If Leinenkugel has determined that this stuff will increase their sales, more power to them.
May 27, 2007
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 3.58 by Rktect1 from Illinois

Dec 28, 2023
Photo of MetalRugMan
Rated by MetalRugMan from Kansas

5/5  rDev +56.7%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
the perfect beer on a hot summers day. I have turned multiple people onto this brew.
Dec 09, 2023
 
Rated: 3.4 by HS676 from Pennsylvania

Dec 06, 2023
Photo of JohnniEMc
Reviewed by JohnniEMc from Pennsylvania

3.48/5  rDev +9.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5
Two brown twelve ounce bottles were emptied into a clear glass liter mug. The pours produced a modest stark white head on top of dull and largely opaque yellow-amber liquid. It smells of lemon, but without any citrusy edge, as it's dampened by the wheat. The taste is much closer to undersweetened lemonade, as it presents a little more citrus. There's a bit of a wheat beer character here, but it's mostly as a light and thin body. This is a case of it is what it is, meant to be liked by people that don't really like the taste of beers. Any hopping at all is hard to find. But, it delivers what's expected about as well as could be. It's a beer, albeit a wheat beer and that makes it better than almost any lemon flavored seltzer. The fruit masks one of the faults of wheat beers, that annoying sort of metallic reference during the finish. It's there, but mostly masked. This is neither too sweet, nor too sour. The head was not maintained, nor was there much lacing in the glass. Recommended? Not really, unless this is a style you really like. Then, it is what it is.
Nov 26, 2023
Photo of LeinenkugelDrinker
Reviewed by LeinenkugelDrinker from Nevada

4.36/5  rDev +36.7%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
One of my absolute favorite beers (hence the nickname). Not an ordinary tasting beer, and a lot of people claim it has too light a taste. However, it’s a Weiss beer and is supposed to be crisp and refreshing. Samuel Adams Porch Rocker has a little more lemon flavor in it, but I feel that the Summer Shandy has better drink-ability. Great way to change things up when regular beers just aren’t cutting it.
Nov 04, 2023
 
Rated: 3.8 by bbstan from Pennsylvania

Oct 07, 2023
 
Rated: 3.47 by Evinyme from Colorado

Oct 02, 2023
 
Rated: 3.5 by imperialking from Illinois

Sep 28, 2023
 
Rated: 3.81 by Iggy88 from Ohio

Sep 18, 2023
 
 
Rated: 3.41 by kds2437 from Texas

Sep 05, 2023
Photo of Death_Adder
Reviewed by Death_Adder from South Carolina

3/5  rDev -6%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
Having really enjoyed the Samuel Adams Porch Rocker of a similar style, and really enjoying that, I was very let down by this beer. It tasted like Lemonheads candy that had been shaken up in a water bottle and then poured into a lager. Very watery and artificial tasting.

Style: Fruit Beer | Tap/Can/Bottle: Bottle | Abv: 4.2% | Rating: 3
Sep 04, 2023
 
Rated: 3.52 by SharPei19 from Ohio

Sep 01, 2023
 
Photo of datstankadank
Reviewed by datstankadank from New Jersey

3.14/5  rDev -1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3
Was looking for something akin to cider, only one, and after work, and it's a very rare urge for me. Didn't see anything that matched so i went with a 24 oz of this. Havent had it in years, last i recall was a very artificial pine sol after taste. Seems to be gone in the smell, pours a hazy big lasting head, good retention and lace. Tastes sweet with lemon zest i assume to balance on the finish. Decent enough.
Aug 15, 2023
Photo of ramseye4
Reviewed by ramseye4 from Virginia

3.17/5  rDev -0.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
Lemon mixed with a faint Weiss beer. Good mouthfeel weak smell. Overall it’s sippable but not stellar. Old Lemonade is the most prominent taste. Not bad on a hot day though
Aug 07, 2023
 
Rated: 2.7 by BlueTrain

Jul 30, 2023
 
Rated: 4 by Zachboyd3334 from Indiana

Jul 29, 2023
Photo of KP7
Reviewed by KP7 from Massachusetts

3.39/5  rDev +6.3%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5
This is a situational beer. Tons of lemon and lemon zest for aroma and taste. Nice smooth feel. This shandy is something I'd be pleased to find at an outdoor party with it is 85+ out, or in the fridge after doing yard work. However, other than those times when you need something really refreshing (and maybe should be hydrating with something other than a beer anyway), the lemon would probably be too much.
Jul 04, 2023
Summer Shandy from Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Company
Beer rating: 73 out of 100 with 3952 ratings