Leinenkugel’s Summer Shandy- Beer Review
Do you love beer? Cold. refreshing, crisp cold beer. Do you love….lemon? How about lemonade? Have you ever thought of….a cold beer with just the right splash of lemonade? Sounds crazy. But that’s exactly what this beer is. And it’s the best damn beer you can get at a grocery store in 48 states.
Here’s a blurb. As a history guy, I love a nice blurb.
“While the Leinenkugel Brewing Company was founded in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin in 1867, the inspiration for their popular Summer Shandy can be traced back to Munich, Germany.
The story behind the shandy (also known as a radler in Germany) is attributed to a Bavarian tavern owner named Franz Xaver Kugler in 1922. Legend says he mixed his beer with lemon soda to stretch his supplies during a sudden influx of thirsty cyclists, and the beverage caught on.”
That’s a beautiful story. Or at least it makes perfect sense, is quirky and probably did happen. I don’t judge. Either way, it’s a beautiful story to put on the back of a beer can. Especially a beer can as gorgeous as this one.
Ever since my college days, there’s something idyllic about this drink. I first encountered them when a guy in my frat was drinking at like 10 in the morning on a Thursday and he talked about it like it was more than a beer. So I got some and I was hooked.
It used to scream “Summer” sure, but now that it’s year round, it’s transcended that. Now it feels like it’s just a perfect, mid brow vibes beer. I pick this up when I’m looking to relax, not when I’m trying to drink like it’s a job. You sit in the sun with a Summer Shandy, the sunlight glancing warmly off that All American, Rockefeller-esque artwork. It’s a perfect time, just a man and his drink.
But enough pontificating, how does it taste?
EXCELLENT.
The lemon cuts through in just the right amount to make it crisp and refreshing. It’s not overly sweet, it’s subtle but present. It feels like they put in more “natural” lemonade, derived from the actual flavors of the lemon as opposed to the sugary stuff (which is good) we’ve been conditioned to expect. The result is a beer that tastes better than maybe it sounds at first. And once you taste it, you’ll realize this whole thing is a simple but genius idea.
And this beer is reasonably affordable. It’s probably gonna run you $3-$4 more than your normal middle shelf beer but that’s not really bad for the quality of these and they make an excellent sipping beer. One of these after work, or cutting the grass or just a boring day, can make it better.
Hell, I’ll be more blunt than that. This is my favorite beer. Of all the food and beverage products I’ve written about on this site, this one is probably the nearest and dearest to my heart. I think everyone should try this beer.
