Leinenkugel's Summer Shandy - Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Company

cdkrenz

Wisconsin

2.73/5  rDev -12.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

A - The pour from the bottle actually looks like lemonade. Once in the pint it has a yellow haze and a nice glow. The head is white and loudly fades away fast.

S - The aroma is filled with malt and lemon. The scent begs to be consumed.

T - The flavor starts with a kick of lemon. It moves on to a malty middle and finishes with an odd mix of the two.

M - The feel is coarse and abrasive. Partially because of the temperature and also because of the high carbonation in the brew. I don't think the feel adds much to the beer other than a refreshment factor because it is quenching my thirst.

~ In my humble opinion I'm not to impressed with the Summer Shandy. I will say though, I think the brewers succeeding in what they were attempting to accomplish. This is a beer and not a wine cooler. It does a good job satisfying thirst and can likely be consumed in large quantities. It is not something I'd purchase necessarily but it does have it's place among beers.

Serving type: bottle

05-11-2008 02:49:02 | More by cdkrenz

MrHurmateeowish

New Hampshire

3.45/5  rDev +10.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 4.5

12oz brown bottle. Pours a murky light yellow with a quarter inch of off-white head. Smells intensely sweet and lemony - almost like fake lemonade. Tastes very citrusy and somewhat pithy, though the flavor isn't as intense as the aroma is. On the lighter side of medium-bodied with a small amount of carbonation. Not bad, very easy-drinking and refreshing, and i can definitely see putting back a couple of these after a long hot day. That said, it seems less beery and more like an alco-pop, though it beats the heck out of Mike's or the like.

Serving type: bottle

05-11-2008 01:55:26 | More by MrHurmateeowish

BEERchitect

Kentucky

2.98/5  rDev -4.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Caught somewhere between lemonade and an American Wheat, the beer is both appetizing and distracting at the same time. The aroma opens with a burst of lemons with a confectionate counterpart that takes the acidity off of the nose. A wheat malt balance attempts to balance out the lemonade character, but falls a bit short. Looks timid on the wheat with a slight haze, fizzy head formation and low retention levels. Straw colored and over-carbonated; quite spritz-y. Flavors are dominated by the lemonade sweetness and tartness with, again, lacking wheat beer flavors. Lightly bready, underhopped, and a timid barley / wheat base malt flavor keeps the beer acidic and one-dimentional. Textures are light, crisp, and a bit thin, but certainly refreshing and thirst quenching. Finishes, well, lemony with that mild bread base. Palate cleansing and ready for the next sip. The beer is pleasant enough, despite the lack of 'beer' qualities.

Serving type: bottle

05-07-2008 13:48:47 | More by BEERchitect

jenbys2001

Florida

1.68/5  rDev -46.3%
look: 2 | smell: 2 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 1

Unfortunately, in spite of my love for Leine's Sunset Wheat, I have yet to enjoy any of their other varieties. Although not as sickening as the Berry Weiss, this beer is no exception. It smells and tastes exactly like watered down lemonade. It reminds of Mike's Hard Lemonade, which I dislike, as it tastes nothing like beer. I imagine Leinenkugel is attempting to copy Radler (A combination of beer and Sprite), as this made me think of the Radler I drank in Germany. However, there is not enough beer flavor to this brew to make it enjoyable. I couldn't finish even one bottle.

Serving type: bottle

05-05-2008 14:48:41 | More by jenbys2001

Brencr

Maryland

3.7/5  rDev +18.2%
look: 3 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

The aroma is great. The color when poured gives the appearance of an unfiltered beer. The first taste leaves you in confusion as to what type of beverage you are drinking. Overall, this is a good summer drink. It is light, fruity, and quite tastey once you adjust to it.

Serving type: bottle

05-04-2008 14:07:54 | More by Brencr

Portertime

Florida

3.55/5  rDev +13.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Just picked this one up and I am enjoying it chilled in my Samuel Smith pub glass. Pours a very cloudy pale sulfur color with an enormous white headthat stays up for ever and leaves great lacing. Smells very delightful, just like fresh lemonade. The taste is a little disappointing, it is pretty much like lemon water and nothing much more. Smooth at first and then a sting at the back of the tongue before a wet lemony finish. Pretty good beer but needs more flavor!

Serving type: bottle

04-29-2008 22:41:58 | More by Portertime

Straz85

Massachusetts

4.03/5  rDev +28.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 4.5

I had this beer for the first time this weekend. It was one of the most refreshing beers I've ever had. Not for the beer drinker who doesn't like a light, summery beer. I expected it to be lemony since it says on the bottle that it's "lemonade beer", and it definitely was. I couldn't taste much wheat, but there were very vague traces. I don't think Leinenkugel was going for a beer that should be sipped, and has many different tastes, and I don't think they had the beer aficionado in mind when brewing it. But they succeeded at what they were going for.

Serving type: bottle

04-29-2008 06:30:17 | More by Straz85

marcpal

New Jersey

2.98/5  rDev -4.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

12oz bottle poured into thin tube kolsch glass.

Clearly not my style of beer, didnt enjoy it, but one of my wife's new favorites so Im sure it will be on my next shopping list when I hit the beer stores.

A: Light yellow with a thick head and considerable lacing. Wheaty color and bubbles, plenty o fizz.

S: Lots of lemon. Nothing else, not much wheat, malt or much else.

T: Powerful lemon hits you, lemonade flavored beer. Didnt taste painfully sweet but just not my thing. Flavor wasnt fake but just too tart, almost like it had a lemon slice added.

M: Lots of fizz and carbonation. Needs some more wheatiness and breadiness.

D: I guess its drinkable for the summer if I was sitting by a pool in the mood for a lemonade. Refreshing characteristics, Ill give it that.

Serving type: bottle

04-28-2008 23:48:41 | More by marcpal

jaredeppy

Nevada

4.28/5  rDev +36.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Had this at a beer dinner that paired the Summer Shandy as well as the Sunset Wheat from Leinenkugel with an orange creme brule. The two paired amazingly with notes of lemon throughout the Shandy. Character that holds strong to both the Lemonade as well as the Wheat flavors that this beer is designed around. Keep this in the fridge for the ladies this summer!!!

Serving type: bottle

04-28-2008 21:38:39 | More by jaredeppy

pabstsmear

New Hampshire

1.23/5  rDev -60.7%
look: 2.5 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 1 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 1

I purchased this beer in a limited edition case of their seasonal beers. This brew looks like lemonade when poured into a glass with a trace of carbonation. It smells like lemonade, but tastes like lemon furniture polish. I'll save the rest for my brother in-law when he visits...he'll drink anything

Serving type: bottle

04-28-2008 21:17:26 | More by pabstsmear

drizzam

Wisconsin

3.65/5  rDev +16.6%
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

larsee01

Illinois

4.18/5  rDev +33.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured from 12oz bottle into pint glass.

A--Cloudy, straw pour with moderate, creamy head. Most of head doesn't stick around too long.

S--Smells a lot like lemonade...maybe even an Arnold Palmer. Not artificial nor overwhelming. Some malty dryness to balance. Very nice.

T--How do I put this? It tastes like beer and lemonade. I've never bothered with anything like this, but the Leinie Boys do a nice job here. Not sweet, not overly lemony nor artificial. Malty, dry character to the "beer" part of the taste, with a slight bittering balance at the finish. Quite good. Doesn't taste like it has much alcohol, and at 4.2 ABV, it doesn't. Nothing to get really excited about, but aren't you just chilling out on a hot day with this one?

M--Not syrupy nor acidic, which was a prejudicial concern. Balanced body and feel. Not overly crisp nor dry either. A lot of things could have gone wrong in making this beer, but it hasn't.

D--Certainly drinkable and sessionable. Refreshing. Bring a twacker in the rowboat as you jig for crappie!

Serving type: bottle

04-26-2008 01:39:29 | More by larsee01

gpogo

California

3.2/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

A- Hazy straw with off-white head.

A- Lemonade

T- Wheat ale mixed with lemonade. Sort of reminds me of a radler a friend of mine introduced me to in Germany.

M- Medium body with moderate carbonation.

D- Very refreshing, I'd think you could make your own radlers just as easy(mixing beer with lemonade). I'd gladly drink this on a hot day, or any day for that matter.

Serving type: bottle

04-25-2008 01:28:12 | More by gpogo

MayorAdamWest

Illinois

3.08/5  rDev -1.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

A - Straw yellow with a three finger head even with a gentle pour. The head quickly dissipates to lacing around just around the rim of the glass.

S - Strong lemon with a nice soft wheat backing. A small amount of breadiness.

T - Strong lemon... Citrus... Slight coriander. A lot like the aroma. Dry sour dough bread finish.

M - Moderately high carbonation. Nice thick wheat coating.

D - For only having average taste and mouthfeel... I find myself picking this up regularly. It is really nice on a warm summer day with while burgers are on the grill or while sitting out on the porch watching the wind blow the leaves in the trees.

Serving type: bottle

04-23-2008 23:05:08 | More by MayorAdamWest

jdhilt

New Hampshire

2.28/5  rDev -27.2%
look: 1.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Pours a five finger white head that fades quickly to ring and leaves some lace. Murky pale amber color. Medium carbonation and light-medium bodied. Lemonade nose. Flavor is like slightly fizzy, sweet lemonade with vague hints of hops way in the background not at all like an English shandy. $1.50 for a 12oz bottle from Capitol Convenience Concord, NH.

Serving type: bottle

04-23-2008 22:55:48 | More by jdhilt

dsa7783

New Jersey

3.55/5  rDev +13.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Single, 12 oz bottle purchased from Total Wine and More in West Orange for $1.59...
Leinenkugel's Sunset Wheat happened to be one of my all-time favorite light beers, so I usually eagerly anticipate sampling a new one from this brewery whenever I can...
"Beer with natural lemonade flavor" on the yellow front logo sticker...
Pours a cloudy, murky, straw-colored, light yellow appearance that really did mimic a hazy lemonade...
A distinct aroma of fresh lemons is immediately noticeable, along with a suggestion of other citrus and wheat...
Taste strongly complemented the aroma, with a burst of spiked lemon, citrus, wheat, and slight coriander, perhaps...
Light, watery mouthfeel, not too rich or thick, but certainly very drinkable and would do well on a hot, summer day...
Decent stuff, and an interesting take...

Serving type: bottle

04-18-2008 20:31:24 | More by dsa7783

Gehrig

Illinois

3.1/5  rDev -1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

On the first really warm day of Spring thus far, Summer Shandy sounded good at the store. A pale wheat, hopefully hopped, light and flavorful, the remaining four of this sixer might sit awhile.

Really nice look, with two fingers of white froth resting atop a very light lemon-off white body. If it were any lighter, I feared the beer would be clear. But it's good-looking. Not a bad aroma, full of lemon and some malt. The taste begins the drop-off for me. The blend of lemonade and hops operate at cross purposes. At times, the lemonade is overwhelming and sour; other times, the hops tamped down the rest of the flavors. The taste was confused, and quite simply not that good.

The mouthfeel was worse--too sour, a bit flat, and thin. Unpleasant on the whole. What started with some promise ended with a whimper. Not a horrible beer, and it does beat back the heat a bit, but not one I'll grab again. Mediocre.

Serving type: bottle

04-18-2008 04:41:13 | More by Gehrig

Redrover

Illinois

3.38/5  rDev +8%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

After a surprisingly warm (+70 degree) April day spent fishing for walleyes, I was talked into trying this beer. It greatly exceeded my expectations.

It is a slightly hazy gold/yellow with a fluffy but quickly collapsing white head.

He aroma is of lemons backed with some grains.

The taste tracks very close to the smell. Lots of lemon, but is held in check by underlying beer. The malts are more prominent as you work through the beer and the lemon favor recedes slightly.

The mouth is a bit slick and seems to have low carbonation. Not a bad summer beer. I could see myself having this about three times a year, but some folks may really like it.

Oh and yes, we caught walleyes while fishing on the Fox River just south of the Buffalo Lake Dam.

Serving type: bottle

04-17-2008 18:16:45 | More by Redrover

VaTechHopHead

California

3.6/5  rDev +15%
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

Walsar

Pennsylvania

3.55/5  rDev +13.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Overall a nice summer thirst quencher

Beery lemonade -- if you like the other offerings from Leinenkugels this will be up your alley

Tart slightly artificial lemonade flavor

One is enough in a sitting - although I look forward to one on a 90 degree August afternoon

Serving type: bottle

04-09-2008 00:16:42 | More by Walsar

botham

Illinois

2.2/5  rDev -29.7%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2

12 oz bottle poured into a weizen glass. pours a hazy lemon yellow with a single finger of off-white head that dissipates quickly.

aroma is distinctly of lemonade, with a bit of pale and wheat malt mixed in. the fruit overpowers any other aromas (if there are any), much like a berry weiss.

taste is of lemon and wheat malt. the lemons taste rather bland, without much character, along with residual wheat malt that lightens the body but adds nothing to the profile. not impressive.

mouthfeel is light bodied and watery, with a clean finish of only a touch of residual lemon.

drinkability is not good. this is reminiscent of under-sweetened, overwatered lemonade. aside from that, the malts just get in the way of the lemon flavor, making this one easily passed up.

Serving type: bottle

04-08-2008 00:07:47 | More by botham

Cyberkedi

Georgia

3.55/5  rDev +13.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

This beer is a cloudy amber rather like a good wheat beer. Aroma is strongly lemony and wheaty, more the former. Flavor is typical of a wheat beer but with a much stronger citrus component, suggesting a blend of beer and lemonade, i.e., shandy. A smooth, refreshing drink for a warm sunny day - or to bring sunshine into a dreary day.

Serving type: bottle

04-06-2008 22:30:36 | More by Cyberkedi

BDIMike

Ohio

3.68/5  rDev +17.6%
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

Overlord

California

1.18/5  rDev -62.3%
look: 1.5 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 1 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 1

This. was. terrible.

Beer shouldn't taste like lemonade. I'm not even going to bother with the five classic categories, as I'm not convinced this is beer and deserves that level of respect. It smells of lemons, it tastes like lemons, and it's like drinking carbonated lemonaid. Bad lemonaid.

At some point in the brewing process, didn't someone raise their hand and say: "this is a bad, bad product"?

Serving type: bottle

04-05-2008 09:12:11 | More by Overlord

guthrie

Wisconsin

3.48/5  rDev +11.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

OK, call me a girl (I am)...but this is actually ok for hot summer nights. It's got a relatively low alcohol content (4.2%) so it's also a nice session beer for tailgating a Brewers game and grilling out, when you're going to be drinking beer for a while, but don't want your head to explode the next morning. It goes down a little too easily. A little bland with the carbonation. Overly-homogeneous look.
It does have a very overwhelming "artificial flavor" taste and smell to it. I believe what this is based on is a German tradition of spiking a weissbier with lemonade during the dog-days of summer.
I was really into this beer last summer, but now that I've been trying so many new good beers as well as eating more organic and non-artificial foods, I'm kinda over it. I'll just get a good weiss and put some lemonade in it if I want to experience the "real thing".
I'd say try it for sh!ts and giggles, but if you insist on really substantial beers, this won't be your cup of tea. At all.

Serving type: bottle

04-04-2008 07:33:48 | More by guthrie