Leinenkugel's Summer Shandy - Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Company

Puddleglum

Ohio

3.68/5  rDev +17.2%
look: 2 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Hmm? I liked this but it is certainly a departure. Some people may spit this out confusing it with a lemonade. You can smell the terpenes before you even get this to your face. The head was almost non-existent which could have been operator error on the part of the kids bartending. But all in all it was refreshing on a warm day which is its intention. It wasn't overly sweet even though it was incredibly flavorful and it didn't have the astringency usually associated with poorer versions. This one falls into the lawnmowers or daygame category alongside Samual Adams Summer Ale.

Serving type: on-tap

05-09-2007 15:01:20 | More by Puddleglum

BDIMike

Ohio

3.68/5  rDev +17.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Nice golden color to the pour. Very cloudy with a nice white head...just what I like for a wheat ale.
Good wheat smell along with a lemon smell as well.
Taste is first of wheat taste. Followed up by a nice lemon zing. The first sip you think the lemon may be too much, but it gets more mellow after each sip.
The mouthfeel is great for what it is. It is nice and smooth with a an okay feel to it.
Drinkabilty is very good. I don't care what the usual "Beer Advocate" users think of this beer, but on a warm summer day I could drink a lot of these....

Serving type: bottle

04-06-2008 02:48:01 | More by BDIMike

EnojysAnyBeer

Colorado

3.68/5  rDev +17.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Bottle from a 6-pack with 07218 mark (best by July, 21, 2008)

A- Looks like a very sweet lemonade. Transluscent, but I can't see through it. Fizzy head with soda bubbles.

S- Smells like a hard lemonade. I was expecting beer, but all liquor is good.

T- Not enough lemon flavor to be hard lemonade and not enough beer flavor to be a beer. Nothing offensive, but nothing impressive.

M&D- Feels light bodied and watery which is what I like. Easy to pound down when well refrigerated. Goes down like a nice glass of mineral water.

Overall- I will drink this when I want a light, refreshing, non-filling alcoholic beverage. Which is not often.

P.S.- This does not taste like other American Pale Wheat Ales. More like a Fruit/Vegetable beer if even a beer.

Serving type: bottle

05-14-2008 04:15:29 | More by EnojysAnyBeer

hdofu

Maryland

3.68/5  rDev +17.2%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A fairly light beer but pleasant. The beer smells like lemon zest. Taste is of a light wheat beer with a strong lemon finish. It has a light crisp feel to the tongue. It would be quite refreshing making it a perfect beer to drink after a long hot day.

Serving type: bottle

05-24-2010 02:39:05 | More by hdofu

drizzam

Wisconsin

3.65/5  rDev +16.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I bought this beer last Summer and still had some in my fridge the Spring after so I thought "What the heck...let's see if it still tastes as dandy as it did last Summer."

Well, it did.

This beer pours with a foamy white head and a cloudy pale straw yellow body. The head faded rather quickly and didn't leave much of a lace on the side of the glass.

I found the mouthfeel of this beer to be terrific. Light on the palate and no lingering aftertaste. The taste is that of a decent wheat beer with a slight lemonade tang in the background.

This is an excellent session brew for a hot sunny day (or a cold spring day during the NFL draft)! Very light and drinkable...a brew that doesn't get old after a few bottles. This is a beer I'll continue to keep picking up in the future.

Serving type: bottle

04-27-2008 19:02:19 | More by drizzam

BeerCon5

Pennsylvania

3.65/5  rDev +16.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Pours a murky, light yellow color with very thin fluffy head that dissipates quickly.

It has a very strong lemon hopp scent.

Also a strong lemony taste, tastes more like lemonade than beer. Slightly bitter finish, pretty refreshing.

Very light-bodied, crisp mouthfeel with fizzy carbonation.

Very drinkable beer. This is a very refreshing beer and very light, so it would be easy to drink quite a few.

Serving type: bottle

06-26-2008 20:52:12 | More by BeerCon5

iceball585

New York

3.65/5  rDev +16.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

A- Pale yellow color, cloudy, thin white head that faded quickly to a thin ring

S- Lemon lime soda, sugary, pale malts, very sweet

T- Lemonade, syrup, tart, citrusy, light malts, wheat

M- Light body, medium/heavy carbonation, fizzy, smooth, refreshing

D- Decent for summertime

I can only picture drinking this on a very hot summer day. Not typically my favorite style of beer but I still like it.

Serving type: bottle

06-30-2008 22:10:17 | More by iceball585

DesMoinesMike

Iowa

3.65/5  rDev +16.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

I tried this one on a recommendation by a friend, it's not too...shandy.

It's a pretty opaque gold color with almost a finger of white, foamy head. The aroma has some lemon zest, not overpowering like some bad fruit beers I've tried, it's suttle and pleasant. Taste wise it's rather pleasant, like a bit of lemonade was added. Body wise it's about average for a wheat beer. I'd have this one again.

Serving type: bottle

05-12-2009 02:59:35 | More by DesMoinesMike

hosehead83

Ohio

3.65/5  rDev +16.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Poured into a standard pint glass
Cloudy lemonade color
Aroma-- Faint wheat and lemon zest
Taste--Let me preface this by saying that this beer was consumed after working in the yard on a 95-degree day. Tasted of subtle wheat and definite lemon. Light-bodied and very drinkable and refreshing.(Would have gone great over ice)
Let's face it, this is not a hard-core "big character" beer, but at 4.2ABV on a super hot day you can't go wrong with the "refreshment" aspect and "sessionability" of this beer. Pairs well with extreme humidity and thirst.

Serving type: bottle

08-24-2009 20:53:03 | More by hosehead83

matty

Pennsylvania

3.65/5  rDev +16.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Cloudy light gold colored beer with a rapidly fading head.Aroma is citrusy lemon.Taste is lemon,wheat,and a touch of honey.A great beer for summer outings.Refreshing and pretty smooth.I would recommend and purchase again in the warm weather months!!!

Serving type: bottle

07-21-2010 14:13:17 | More by matty

StoutishDan

Georgia

3.65/5  rDev +16.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Pours a hazy yellow color with a finger thick head that fades relatively quickly.

S - Lemon note is strong. But there are other citrus notes such as orange and even cloves.

T - Lemon peel is strong upfront, and follows you all the way until you swallow. Yeasty finish that would come close to making up for a person's dislike for the lemonness.

O - I can imagine after mowing the lawn or running pouring one of these and enjoying it greatly. Lemons are a little too strong for my liking. It's close to leaving the beer category and entering the fruity fun drink category, which is fine, but this is a BEER.

Depite this I cannot deny that it is a good tasting beer. I liked it and I will no doubt be drinking this again.

Serving type: bottle

08-02-2011 18:22:56 | More by StoutishDan

SaintLouisBeerDrinker

Missouri

3.65/5  rDev +16.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A: Decently colored with yellowish hues overall, 2 fingers of head faded shortly

S: Smells delicious, with scents of lemon and wheat.

T: taste has a slight wheat base with the lemons definitely abrupt.

M: Easily drinkable, mouth feel has mild carbonation.

Overall: A summer brew, most definitely.

Serving type: bottle

05-09-2012 00:59:12 | More by SaintLouisBeerDrinker

Kooz

New York

3.65/5  rDev +16.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Tried this at a Mets game; had it again last night so I could rate it.

Pours to a nice cloudy straw color. Love unfiltered beers and love how they look--no exception here--can't wait to dig in.

Smells slightly sweet--lemon and wheat.

Tastes really good. It's slightly sweet, but it has a shandy taste. I clearly taste lemonade as though mixed with a good wheat beer.

Mouothfeel is nothing exceptional, but not bad. There's no bite, but there's not much body either.

Overall, it's an enjoyable, refreshing beer and nice for a hot night outside.

Serving type: on-tap

06-25-2012 03:58:32 | More by Kooz

Shumista

Ohio

3.63/5  rDev +15.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

12 oz. bottle into a freshly rinsed pint glass.

A- Pours a hazy yellow with more head than I expected.
S- Lemon, that's about it.
T- The taste is strongly dominated by sweet lemon. Really this beer just tastes like Leine's Honey Weiss with a bunch of lemonade dumped in.
M- Thin with moderate carbonation.
D- If I didn't know this was beer before tasting I might mistake it for something else. That said, these are great on a hot summer day at the beach, playing golf, etc, and when appreciated for what it is can definitely be enjoyed.

Serving type: bottle

08-11-2008 03:40:27 | More by Shumista

BiomedHawk

Illinois

3.63/5  rDev +15.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Appearance - It looks like its about half lemonade. Otherwise golden light, skinny foam head.

Smell - Smells entirely like well spiced lemonade. There's a pinch of beer smell in there but you can hardly tell over all that damn lemonade.

Taste - Tastes like....lemonade. Its a cool taste. Really different. Probably couldn't drink a ton of them.

Mouthfeel - Smooth, almost like....lemonade. But it goes down easy. Its refreshing and totally hits the spot on a 90+ degree day.

Overall - It tastes totally unique. Its enjoyable but after about 3 you are definitely ready for something new.

Serving type: can

07-02-2011 02:57:47 | More by BiomedHawk

mattgreger

Pennsylvania

3.63/5  rDev +15.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

The brew poured a very cloudy yellow color, not allowing very much light to shine through. It had a bit of a small white head on top, that faded quickly. This brew didn't have much lacing at all.

The beer had a nice strong lemon aroma. Very much like lemons that have been sitting in the sun. Its dumb, its like sunshine in a bottle, the aroma makes you think summer right away. It has a great smell of a wonderfully cold lemonade. It seems to be holding true to the style.

Its apparent in the flavor of this beer that they have gone for. Its very much like the Sunset Wheat. It has a great lemon flavor that goes well with the carbonation levels of the brew. Its actually helps give this brew a great balance. Its a bit tart and sweet at the same time, making it very good.

The mouthful onl this brew is pretty good. I am not oen to drink a lot of vegetable/fruit beers, but this is a great one for the summer. Its has a thirst quenching aspect that is great. I would surely reach for this again.

Its a very drinkable brew, with a nice carbonation that goes with the lemon flavors. It goes down easy, with a bit of a tingle on the tongue. I will surely reach for it again.

Serving type: bottle

07-11-2011 20:12:57 | More by mattgreger

DocJitsu

California

3.63/5  rDev +15.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours an opaque melon amber color with an off-white head. The beer has a vibrant appearance, despite it's opaqueness. It has constant effervescence at the top, which gives the beer life. Lemony gewürztraminer nose. The mouthfeel is nearly perfect for any ale, particularly this style. Very soft and wet, with just a hint of carbonation. The taste is light and is comprised of lemon, honey, and melon. Not overdone on the fruitiness like the vulgar Magic Hat #9. I'm enjoying this beer by the pool in Las Vegas, which is how it was meant. The low reviews this beer is getting, I regret, are from folks who are too serious and not regardig the context in which they make their reviews. Lighten up a little. Get it? Enjoy this delight in the 100 degree desert like me and you'll see what I mean.

Serving type: on-tap

09-18-2012 22:40:29 | More by DocJitsu

VaTechHopHead

California

3.6/5  rDev +14.6%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Quite surprised by this one...always heard of shandy style beer and I was not let down. Very sour/fruit smell and a taste to follow. Low on head and carbonation but I don't believe a large head is necessary on this beer. Definitely represents the Leinenkugel family well with the fruit theme and very drinkable. Would recommend it during the summer due to the lemonade mixed with beer...makes a very interesting/exotic summer drink.

Serving type: bottle

04-09-2008 03:03:04 | More by VaTechHopHead

generallee

New York

3.6/5  rDev +14.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Presentation: Poured from a 12oz brown bottle into a pint glass.

Appearance: It has a very cloudy pale lemonade color with a fluffy white head that quickly fades to a thin minimal covering. Lacing is minimal as well and slowly slides down the sides of the glass.

Smell: The aroma has a heavy lemon concentrate scent with a hit of wheat malt.

Taste/Mouth feel: It has big lemonade flavor that's not to sweet and not to tart with just a hint at wheat malt flavor. The body is light with a smooth slick mouth feel and lively carbonation.

Notes: Overall it's a refreshing summery beer that is very drinkable although it leans more towards a Mike's Hard Lemonade malt beverage than beer.

Serving type: bottle

06-21-2008 19:42:00 | More by generallee

mead4me

Pennsylvania

3.6/5  rDev +14.6%
look: 2 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

This beer is a great session beer, sitting out back or by the pool on a hot day. This is by far one of the better summer shandy's out there. I really prefer this on a hot day then my go to paulander heifer. A wheat beer on a hot summer day or night is what I look forward to after a long day at work. If you like wheat beers then this is a good one. Not for everyone but for me it just fine. Going in to get my third one now.

Serving type: bottle

07-22-2011 22:07:33 | More by mead4me

IronCitySteve

Pennsylvania

3.6/5  rDev +14.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A: Pours a hazy deep yellow color with a small white foam head. There is some lacing left behind.

S: Was quite clean on the nose. Ample amounts of vibrant lemon zest, oranges, limes, wheat and white bread.

T: A step below the smell, but starts off with a tart lemon taste. In the middle there is some more lemon, but the white bread, wheat and oranges come through. On the back end the lemonade taste comes back to the forefront.

M: Very clean and refreshing. Leaves a tart lemon taste on the palate. Could use a little more carbonation.

O: I was a little surprised by this brew. A 'lemonade' beer is not something I normally would drink but found this quite refreshing. Not sure how many I could have in a sitting, but on a hot humid day doing yard work, this would be a good choice.

Serving type: bottle

08-14-2011 21:36:32 | More by IronCitySteve

jsisko01

Michigan

3.6/5  rDev +14.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Appearance - Pours an extremely pale, straw yellow color with a centimeter thick head that dissipates instantly. Has very nice lacing..

Smell - Strong scent of lemon zest and lemonade. The wheat is feint.

Taste - Lemon zest, lemonade, and citrus. The beer is very watered down.. I don't even really taste any wheat or grains.

Mouthfeel - Light bodied with high carbonation.

Overall - This beer is pretty good.. Although I can't drink this because it's a killer for people with acid reflux.

Serving type: bottle

05-20-2012 04:00:12 | More by jsisko01

Signal1

3.6/5  rDev +14.6%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

For me it has nice carbonation. The fragrance below average, it should have a much stronger fragrance of lemon since its lemon the beer touts as one of the selling points. Needs a stronger lemon up front not just the hint on the after taste. An above average summer cook out beer.

Serving type: bottle

07-26-2012 04:12:45 | More by Signal1

garcia2a

Pennsylvania

3.58/5  rDev +14%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

This is a great summer beer. It pours out a straw yellow and clear. The beer has a moderate head that quickly dissipates. The bouquet was slightly heavy on the lemon side. The citrus component keeps that alcohol in check, leaving a pleasant scent on the mind.

The taste was lemonadey, the body was light with nice mouthfeel. Easy drinkin', refreshing on the hot dog days of a PA august.

Serving type: bottle

08-12-2007 04:14:53 | More by garcia2a

Duhast500

Massachusetts

3.58/5  rDev +14%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Poured from a 12oz. bottle into a frosty mug.

The color of this beer is a foggy yellow that does not allow you to see to the other side. Some foamy white head on top and some little lacing left on the glass.

The smell is really strong with a citrus flavor. Lemon comes right out and announces itself with a nice bit of wheat flavor. Nice and crisp from the nose.

The taste is really lemon flavored at first and really seem to hold back anything else from being noticed. Just as you think it will be all lemon, some bitter hop comes in ever so slightly so as not to go by without a hint. From there it's a slight wheat feel and then the lemon kisses the end of the beer as it goes down.

The feel of this beer is light and goes down really well so long as the strong lemon flavor does not overpower you and turn you off. I liked this beer a bit but I realize that it was helped a bit from the beach being only feet away as I review this. That being said, a really good summer beer but really only a summer beer.

Serving type: bottle

07-21-2010 03:43:16 | More by Duhast500