Leinenkugel's Lemon Berry Shandy - Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Company

hackmann

Michigan

2.66/5  rDev -12.8%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Appearance: rosy peach fuzz with a thin white head that leaves some lacing behind

Aroma: berry soda, more like strawberry-raspberry than blackberry, undertone of lemon, very fresh

Flavors: berry bowl, tart blackberry, a faint lemon note floats around, undertone of wheat … maybe. Add some more carbonation and you have a rose’ champagne.

Mouthfeel: mild-moderate carbonation, fresh and crisp, light lingering berry note – artificial like, the touch of lemon controls the sweetness.

To the Point: I was not looking forward to doing this beer but, I think I like it. As for a beer … forget it … it’s a berry cooler. I was planning to take a few sips and write a review and then hand it off to the wife to finish but, I think I’ll light up a cigar. Okay, halfway through I have had enough. It would have to be one hot day to finish this beer.

Serving type: bottle

01-27-2013 23:20:29 | More by hackmann

MadWolf

Ohio

3.75/5  rDev +23%

05-24-2013 20:11:57 | More by MadWolf

nheinzie57

Illinois

2.75/5  rDev -9.8%

05-24-2013 02:25:10 | More by nheinzie57

woodychandler

Pennsylvania

2.9/5  rDev -4.9%
look: 5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

All it took was a recent visit to Al's of Hampden in Enola to find the CAN that I coveted. Now all that remains is a review in support of The CANQuest (TM).

From the CAN: "The pride of Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin since 1867."; "A crisp and refreshing Shandy style beer perfect for any occasion".

One of my colleagues recently had a fundraiser that involved a cotton candy machine. The momentary two fingers of fizzy pink head following the Crack and Glug reminded me of cotton candy. Color was a hazy pink and I was beginning to question my manhood. Nose was really sweet with an unnatural citrus-berry scent. They may claim "... blackberry juice and natural flavors" all they want, but I remain dubious. Mouthfeel was rather thin with an immediate lemony tang on the tongue, followed by a pleasant sweetness, but I could not specifically identify it as blackberry. Finish was semi-sweet and I felt like I had been drinking a cooler. It was not bad on a humid evening, but I would be embarrassed to drink it outside of my house and no matter what, a couple would be plenty. Read into that what you will. I'm keeping my original numbers.

The below is from my original bottle review, dtd 10-30-2012 w/a:5; s: 2.5; t: 3; m: 3; o: 2.5

It is amazing what I have found in my refrigerator over these last few days of Frankenstorm 2012! It is even more amazing that this comes in a CAN and I am reviewing it from a bottle. Will wonders never cease?

The pour was somehow shocking to me as I did not expect it to be pink! Well, I should have known - it is the end of October and this is Breast Cancer Awareness Month with its signature color of pink. Think Pink, baby! Even the finger of foamy head with its moderate retention was a light shade of pink. I'm calling the Pink Panther for some help with this one. Color was a hazy pink, like freshly-squeezed pink grapefruit juice. Nose smelled like kiddie candy! Lemon, yes, along with a generic berry sweetness. My Old Lady would scoff at this stuff. Mouthfeel was medium and it had a greater tartness than I was expecting from the super-sweet nose. That is not to suggest that I found it to be terribly enjoyable, however. The label read "Weiss Beer with Blackberry Juice and Natural Flavors", but it seemed like a lot of the esters were chemically produced. It simply did not have a natural taste to me. Warming, I was getting more and more tartness and the label indicates red raspberries also, which can impart tartness. Maybe there was truth in advertising here, but it still seems a bit feminine for this bearded weirdo. I have a reputation to uphold, after all. This just struck me as something to foist off on those annoying chicks who still claim that they don't like beer. Baby, with the plethora of solid craft beers available today, how can you still not find something to your liking?!? Have one of these while the Old Lady and I do our thing.

Serving type: can

05-23-2013 01:40:25 | More by woodychandler

1mrbeer

Ohio

3.25/5  rDev +6.6%

05-22-2013 14:39:48 | More by 1mrbeer

taez555

Massachusetts

3/5  rDev -1.6%

05-19-2013 21:30:47 | More by taez555

LeahM

New York

3.25/5  rDev +6.6%

05-19-2013 03:58:46 | More by LeahM

-ronin-

Florida

2.5/5  rDev -18%

05-19-2013 02:51:40 | More by -ronin-

Darkmagus82

Montana

3.11/5  rDev +2%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Poured from can into a pint glass

Appearance – Pours a very hazy-murky pinkish orange colored brew. Upon poring there is a big billowy pinkish tinted head that fades rather fast and leave a decent level of lace on the sides of the glass.

Smell – The aroma is very sweet with a big aroma of lemonade. Mixed with these smells are some lighter aromas of a blueberry and raspberry smell.

Taste – The taste begins with a strong lemonade sweetness mixed with a little bit of a malt taste. The sweeter lemonade flavor remains rather constant throughout the taste and is joined more toward the middle by some flavors of a nondescript candy like berry. A light amount of a musky and floral flavors come to the tongue at the end leaving an overall sweet lemonade flavor to linger on the tongue.

Mouthfeel –The body of the brew was very thin in creaminess and thickness with a carbonation level that was on the more average side. Both are good for the sweet and fruity flavors for the brew and make for an easy drinker.

Overall – Well not really anything all that amazing. Like a hard lemonade light beer blend. It may be good for a hot summer day after mowing the lawn, but otherwise nothing I would really go for on any real occasion.

Serving type: can

05-19-2013 00:48:46 | More by Darkmagus82

ZombiesAteMyDog

Indiana

2.75/5  rDev -9.8%

05-18-2013 23:34:16 | More by ZombiesAteMyDog

iHeartMNBeer

Minnesota

2.5/5  rDev -18%

05-18-2013 03:15:03 | More by iHeartMNBeer

williamjbauer

West Virginia

2.75/5  rDev -9.8%

05-16-2013 11:14:44 | More by williamjbauer

calcnerd

Pennsylvania

3/5  rDev -1.6%

05-16-2013 01:22:19 | More by calcnerd

smartassboiler

Illinois

3/5  rDev -1.6%

05-15-2013 01:58:44 | More by smartassboiler

brandon911

Texas

3/5  rDev -1.6%

05-12-2013 20:22:26 | More by brandon911

hinemk76

Pennsylvania

2.5/5  rDev -18%

05-11-2013 17:33:00 | More by hinemk76

Slay40

Michigan

3/5  rDev -1.6%

05-11-2013 03:08:08 | More by Slay40

Kooz

New York

3.25/5  rDev +6.6%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25

Nice look to it--somewhat opaque, decent head when poured un-aggressively into a pint glass. smells sweet--mostly lemon. Almost smells like lemon-scented floor cleaner. It's nice, but unsettling. Tastes pretty good--it's sweet, even for a shandy, so it's a bit out of balance. But overall, it's refreshing and pleasant. I could have a few before the sweetness gets to me. Decent body, not too full, but okay. I'd like it to be slightly crisper, but it's good.

Overall, this is an above-average beer. It's a nice alternative on a hot summer's day to a Bud Lime or Miller Chill. It doesn't rate with better beers, and really isn't what I expect from Leinenkugel's, but it's not bad by any stretch. You can't go wrong bringing 12 of these to your next summer BBQ.

I just read a few reviews, and it's been said this tastes more like a "malt beverage" than a beer. That's fair to a certain extent--the sweetness is similar to what you get in those types of beverages. That said, this is a decent offering. (FYI, I did not change my rating.)

Serving type: bottle

05-10-2013 21:37:46 | More by Kooz

ajtorres311

Florida

3/5  rDev -1.6%

05-10-2013 17:02:05 | More by ajtorres311

apasternak

Ohio

3/5  rDev -1.6%

05-08-2013 22:07:59 | More by apasternak

HideYaBeer

Florida

4.5/5  rDev +47.5%

05-05-2013 20:06:25 | More by HideYaBeer

bnes09

Illinois

2.08/5  rDev -31.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 2.25 | taste: 1.75 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

Nice orange color and somewhat hazy. Descent head on the pour with solid retention and a few lace blotches.

Smells like berries and lemons, sweet overall.

Can't taste the malt underneath the overly sweet and mildly tart blackberries and lemon. No hop character to speak of.

Light bodied. Well carbonated but the sugar makes it slick and sticky on the tongue.

As a refreshing summer drink, its ok but as a beer, well, I don't think I can call it beer at all. Tastes more like lemonade to me. I'll pass.

Serving type: bottle

05-04-2013 04:48:55 | More by bnes09

twkirkby

Michigan

3.75/5  rDev +23%

04-25-2013 00:41:17 | More by twkirkby

Rupert50

Ohio

4/5  rDev +31.1%

04-21-2013 02:19:45 | More by Rupert50

loose5682

Illinois

3.25/5  rDev +6.6%

04-19-2013 04:14:05 | More by loose5682