Leinenkugel's Summer Shandy - Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Company

guinness33

New Jersey

2.45/5  rDev -21.7%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

Pours a cloudy piss yellow colour that essentially looks like, well, a bit darker version of your typical lemonade. Eh.

The aroma is overpowered by an abundance of lemon. It's all lemon all the time. I got nothing else.

The flavour is more of the same: it's basically like drinking a glass of lemonade. I don't detect any hops, malt, wheat, etc. Just a lot of lemonade. This is a beer, isn't it? Mouthfeel is light, crisp and refreshing, but not very beer-like.

If I wanted a damn lemonade I'd drink one. I wanted and was expecting a beer, and that's not what I got. I assume this is what those Hard Lemonade things taste like, and if so I don't know how people can consistently drink them. I enjoy the Leine Sunset Wheat. I was not at all happy with this one. Don't bother.

Serving type: bottle

04-02-2008 04:07:41 | More by guinness33

babaracas

Florida

2.5/5  rDev -20.1%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Pours a cloudy yellow with dense fast fading white head and spotty lacing. Smell: lemonade. Taste: highly carbonated lemonade with a touch of wheat. Mouthfeel: carbonated lemonade. There's not much here to suggest that this is a beer rather than a less sweet malternative. Doesn't stand up to other pale wheats I've tried, even though this is certainly refreshing.

Serving type: bottle

04-02-2008 03:20:28 | More by babaracas

lordofthewiens

Maine

3.35/5  rDev +7%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A pale, anemic-looking yellow color with a medium-sized white head. It had a citrus aroma, which seemed mainly lemon. Definite lemon taste, tiny bit sour. Fairly pleasant. I might have liked it more if I had been drinking it on a hot summer day, rather than the cold gray day that was present at the time.

Serving type: bottle

03-26-2008 15:02:54 | More by lordofthewiens

nrpellegrini

Maryland

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

Bottle to plastic cup.

A: cloudy yellow color, swirls of thin white head on the top
S: lemonade, alcohol
T: watery lemonade with a weird alcohol taste
M: great, no bite or blandness, different aftertaste, kind of weird
D: so-so, it was a cold night but I could bet that if it were a hot day it would go down so smooth

Serving type: bottle

03-22-2008 18:14:25 | More by nrpellegrini

JamesS

Indiana

4.1/5  rDev +31%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

Pours a great golden straw color, with a nice bit of head and great lacing for a wheat beer. Wonderful scent, a nice wheat/straw aroma with a strong lemon/lemonade scent (the lemon is a bit too strong, I wish the wheat came out just a little more). It has a great mixed flavor, a nice wheat beer with a huge lemonade hit (again, just a bit less lemon and a bit more wheat would've been excellent). It goes down exceptionally smooth, it would be horribly easy to drink a few of these while mowing the yard. A nice shandy. It's not a great pale wheat ale, but it is a great wheat ale with lemon/lemonade.

Serving type: bottle

03-11-2008 22:10:36 | More by JamesS

Brad007

Vermont

2.4/5  rDev -23.3%
look: 2 | smell: 4 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

I've got mixed feelings about this.

Color: Whitish, pale color, much like the color of lemonade.

Aroma: Strong but nice lemon wheat aroma. Seems more like carbonated lemonade than beer.

Taste: Lemon upfront that fades to a bitter wheat taste. Very much like bitter, unsweetened lemonade. Light. Somewhat refreshing.

Mouthfeel: Dry and sour at the same time. Unappealing.

Verdict: I really don't like this much. The aroma was nice but it goes downwards after that.

Serving type: bottle

03-02-2008 23:29:48 | More by Brad007

Riverwarrior

Texas

3.93/5  rDev +25.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

S = This had the aroma of a box of "Lemon Heads" candy.

T = The taste was more restrained than the smell. It actually tasted as if I'd eaten a lemon biscuit. There was no bitterness at all and the finish, again, left a lemon bread taste.

MF = There was moderate carbonation, but I felt it was a little thin.

Overall, I enjoyed this beer. It would make a great summer grass cutting brew.

Serving type: bottle

02-29-2008 18:54:40 | More by Riverwarrior

MTNboy

Missouri

3.38/5  rDev +8%
look: 2.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Appearance-It is a very bright shade of yellow but at the time the body is cloudy. A thin head formed with a lace that was spread out.

Smell- It smelled of lemon soda. As it should if it is to be like a real shandy.

Taste- I personally would have liked a little more beer taste than this shandy had. It still wasn't bad

Mouthfeel- Thin.

Drinkability- A good mixed crowd party beer.

Serving type: bottle

02-22-2008 10:12:07 | More by MTNboy

JDV

Texas

2.42/5  rDev -22.7%
look: 2 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Smells like the bottled lemon juice that comes in the yellow bottles in the grocery store, or in other words, kind of artificial, and not like beer at all. It also looks pale and sickly, like watery lemonade. Taste is very much lemonade like, and more so than beer. Granted this is not a good beer, nor , but it is easy to drink and summery.

Serving type: bottle

02-22-2008 05:20:12 | More by JDV

champ103

Texas

2.33/5  rDev -25.6%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 3.5

A: A very odd, cloudy yellow with almost no head and no lace.
S: Take lemonade and add some beer. That is just what this beer smells like.
T: There is not much here but a lemonade zest and alcohol.
M/D: Light, watery and over carbonated. Easy drinking summer beer.

This is an odd beer. It is more like Mikes Hard Lemonade than a beer. Not something I will ever get again.

Serving type: bottle

12-20-2007 20:25:21 | More by champ103

Strix

Wisconsin

3.15/5  rDev +0.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Pours a darkish cloudy yellow, which doesn't look that appealing, with decent head

Smells pretty much exactly like Country Time Lemonade

Tastes predominately like Country Time Lemonade as well, then kind of fades to a Honey Weiss-like vague beer flavor. Lacking complexity.

Mouthfeel is incredibly light. Which is all right, considering what this beer is trying to be I guess.

I guess I have mixed feelings about this one. This is drinkable, but not very beerlike. More like Smirnoff Ice or Mike's Hard Lemonade. I think this succeeds in being what it is, although I can see how many people here could be turned off. A glass of half lemonade and half Honey Weiss could quite probably produce a similar product.

In the Leine's fruity beer category, I still prefer the Sunset Wheat.

Serving type: bottle

12-12-2007 03:07:37 | More by Strix

Pegasus

Texas

3.35/5  rDev +7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Appearance: hazy pale yellow color, reminiscent of pear juice, with a small white head, and thin, glass-coating lace.

Aroma: Sharply tart lemon aroma, like unsweetened lemonade, or freshly cut, juicy lemon rind, an aroma so tangible, it seems to be felt as well as smelled.

Taste: Opens with a sharp lemon rind note, and some spicy wheat notes. Midway through the taste, a fairly sharp bitterness appears. Finishes with a lingering bitter lemon note.

Mouth feel: Aggressive, stinging carbonation, and a fairly full body.

Drinkability/notes: Refreshing, but seems like a malternative masquerading as a beer. Still, quite refreshing on a scorching summer day, and could be used to pique the interest of a macro beer drinker.

Presentation: Packaged in a twelve-ounce brown glass longneck bottle with a twist-off crown, served in a standard pint tap glass.

Serving type: bottle

11-04-2007 16:01:45 | More by Pegasus

jeonseh

Indiana

2.4/5  rDev -23.3%
look: 2 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

color looks like lemonade mixed with ice tea; sort of a golden hue with a brown tint to it..not particularly appetizing; has a nice crisp and fresh lemony smell but more like a lemonade smell than something i would associate with a beer; sort of tastes like a mike's lemonade but with less carbonation; yet i still think that is over carbonated; because of the carbonation it also has an odd feel in the mouth; very acidic and can really feel the bubbles on your tongue; almost like if you were to drink a soda...overall not too bad yet nothing special; i could see this as a beer to bring out at a summer party as it is not too complex, would probably be appeasing to most people and a little different than the normal macro brews

Serving type: bottle

10-20-2007 16:31:42 | More by jeonseh

KI9A

Illinois

2.15/5  rDev -31.3%
look: 4 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

Ugh.

Pours cloudy, attractive yellow, with a nice white head.

Hmm, smells OK, lemon, of course.

Taste, well, nothing but lemon pledge, or lemon cleaner. Just about the most discusting beer I have had in a long time. Can't find anything good except it poured down the drain, making it smell nice.

Serving type: bottle

10-11-2007 03:28:21 | More by KI9A

meechum

Georgia

3.13/5  rDev 0%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

I was stuck at a wedding and many receptions and parties and stopped and got some of this at the grocery store because it looked to be a decent alternitave to lagers, I was disappointed. This was to much like a malternative to me. The hallmark banana flavor was overpowering and overall the beer just didn't have much balance between the fruitiness of the wheat and hops to cut the sweets..It was ok but I only had two bottles and switched to Yeugnling.

Serving type: bottle

09-16-2007 20:28:04 | More by meechum

WesWes

New York

3.13/5  rDev 0%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

The beer pours a cloudy pale gold color with a thick frothy white head that quickly fades to lacing. The aroma is decent. It has a light pale wheat scent along with a citrusy lemon zest. The taste is average. It has a very light wheat flavor. It's a bit watery and is covered up with a lame lemon essence. The lemon flavor is weak and doesn't lend itself well to the rest of the palate. The mouthfeel is average as well. It is a low bodied beer with good carbonation. This is not a very good seasonal at all. It should have more lemon flavor as well as more malt content. This comes across as a weak wheat ale with an even weaker lemon content.

Serving type: bottle

09-15-2007 21:16:10 | More by WesWes

HardTarget

Texas

2.53/5  rDev -19.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

Bottle Inspection: Weiss beer with lemon, 4.2% abv.

Aroma: Lemon pulp, bright and fresh, and a candy soda like Sprite. Lemon is really nice, and a mineral water background.

Appearance: Very hazy yellow glass with a thin frothy white head that gives loopy lace.

Flavor: What should be a refreshing light lemon drink quickly turns over to a worty sweet flavor with a white doughy bread yeast finish that tastes like Bud.

Mouthfeel: Light body, heavy carbonation, clean finish, not rough like wheat normally is.

Overall Impression: Be a malternative already! I love lemon and this just doesn’t work. I don’t like everything that’s not lemon in this beer. Maybe a different beer base would help, the Weiss isn’t doing it.

Thanks to Pegasus for the sample

Serving type: bottle

09-09-2007 19:48:11 | More by HardTarget

franksnbeans

Ohio

2.25/5  rDev -28.1%
look: 2 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Thanks to genog for this gem of a bonus. Pours a cloudy and murky light urine color with a slight head that dies quick and doesnt lace. Smells of a lemon cough lozenge. Tastes like the powdered vitamin pack Emergen-C in tap water. Tangy, highly carbonated but doesnt hide a thing. Light in the mouth. Tastes between lemonade and theraflu. Had to choke this down but should have poured it out. If you like lemon jolly ranchers in zima, this is your brew.

Serving type: bottle

09-08-2007 04:50:30 | More by franksnbeans

genog

Ohio

2.3/5  rDev -26.5%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

This 12 oz bottle pours a cloudy yellow color that is clear visibility through it. Smell is weak in every aroma. I can smell a bit of lemon, and a small bit of the weiss part of spices. Taste is at first a carbonated weiss beer with lemon, and spices but then the faint, watered down taste of lemonade pops into the senses. Not really a very welcome taste when I am trying to drink a hefeweizen. I will say the crisp carbonation is refreshing on a hot day, but the beer is not my favorite. Weak in all aspects except the crisp refreshing carbonation.

Serving type: bottle

09-03-2007 15:25:25 | More by genog

Mitchster

Michigan

3.75/5  rDev +19.8%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

$1.70 for a 12oz bottle at Jack's. Pours out to a cloudy pale yellow, forming a soapy white head with poor retention and no lacing. Carbonation is moderate. The aroma is invigorating with a crisp nose of lemonade which is Pavlovian in it's saliva-inducing ability. Mouthfeel is ffizy, crisp and thin with a light body. The taste is actually pretty dang good, as far as shandies go. Lemonade up front with a continental macro-wheat middle and finish. Seeing as how the other Leinie's are ridiciously sweet, this isn't so, and is actually quite palatable. Slight degree of lemon-bitterness with a cracker finish. No off-putting yeast.

Not a very good beer, but as far as shandie's are concerned, this is pretty damn tasty. I could kick back a few of these on a hot summer day.

Serving type: bottle

08-20-2007 21:48:27 | More by Mitchster

garcia2a

Pennsylvania

3.58/5  rDev +14.4%
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

MDekker

Michigan

3.38/5  rDev +8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

I went into this just hoping that the Summer Shandy would be better than the disastrous Sunset Wheat. Here goes:

The appearance of this one is so different from everything else - it's incredibly opaque and pale colored, like a butterscotch lollipop. The head is white and foamy. In the nose you can easily notice wheat, and the zesty, sugary lemonade. That's what you taste, too - lots of citrus, and enough lemonade to be pretty refreshing. In the mouth it's OK, a little dry. Overall, it's not what a serious beer drinker wants, but it does the job it's set for, and it goes down really easy. Maybe you wouldn't want more because it's not very interesting.

Serving type: bottle

08-10-2007 03:07:12 | More by MDekker

BigBry

Alberta (Canada)

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

12 oz bottle (as pictured above): part of the "Summer Beers - International Collection/Beers from Around the World". Thanks to Brandy for bringing this up with her. The label describes it as "weiss beer with lemonade" and that's what it is.
Pours a slightly cloudy yellow color, with a very thin and soapy looking white head. Strong smell of lemonade - as a shandy should smell I suppose. Not much flavor in the beer itself, as the lemonade is the dominate taste. Some wheat flavor, especially in the aftertaste.
Light and easy to drink, nothing too overpowering. A bit watery without much body, but that it how it is meant to be. Light, refreshing, designed for a hot summer day. Intersting and decent, not great and not terrible either.

Serving type: bottle

08-05-2007 13:34:20 | More by BigBry

RushLimbmalt

Minnesota

4.4/5  rDev +40.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 5

After drinking a Dubbel this certainly goes down like water. It is pretty pale looking and has a weak head and is not very cloudy for a wheat beer, but it is made by Leinenkugel :) Ok, well they still make some ok beers.

It smells very lemony and refreshing. Maybe it is a bit like household cleaners, but it sure smells good!

It has a very lemony flavor... Intense, but very clean finishing. I hate to say that I really like it. It is almost an alcopop, but the nice wheat beer finish saves it from being too sweet and girly.

It is light bodied beer that is super refreshing in my opinion. I could drink these all day long on a hot day.

Serving type: bottle

08-04-2007 03:44:39 | More by RushLimbmalt

santafr0g

Illinois

3.15/5  rDev +0.6%
look: 4 | smell: 2 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Glass – Pint

A – Pours a pale, cloud yellow color that looks more like murky yellow-chalk water than a pale wheat shandygaff. Head is soapy in appearance and a slight off white color (may be my lighting?)

S – Smells like lemonade with a hint of alcohol.

T / M – Tastes off-wheat with carbonated sour lemonade. The mouthfeel is crisp and light.

D – Not my style, but could easily kick a few of these back, especially on a hot day.

Serving type: bottle

08-04-2007 00:50:26 | More by santafr0g