Leinenkugels' Summer Shandy
Weiss
I saw this at World Market the other day. I had never heard of it and figured it either must be something new or something that had never taken off. In either case, I obviously had to get it. Turns out it is something new, and available only for the summer.
A real Shandy is lemonade mixed with beer, apparently a childrens drink. Leinie’s Summer Shandy is a full strength beer at 4.2% alcohol, I’m not sure I’d recommend it for kids, but they would probably enjoy it. It has a nice aroma of lemons, goes down smooth with a cool lemon aftertaste that isn’t overpowering. It still tastes like beer, unlike Berry Weiss, which is one step away from a wine cooler. This beer has a slight bite that is enhanced by the lemon flavor. It’s almost as if Leinie’s captured the flavor of the first sip of their Honey Weiss after you jammed a lemon wedge down into the bottle neck.
I really enjoyed this beer and will be buying more of it this summer as it’s great for sipping in the hot afternoons of the Wisconsin summer.
Score: 7.5 out of 10
Posted 441 days ago by Matt | Comments [6]
Honey Brown
Lager
I’ve long been a fan of J.W. Dundee’s Original Honey Brown beer. It’s a nice beer and almost always available at a low price. This beer is brewed by High Falls Brewery and their website has this to say about Honey Brown:
JW Dundee’s Honey Brown is the Original Honey Brown lager. First brewed in 1994, Honey Brown satisfies consumers looking for a fuller flavored but easy to drink beer with a crisp clean finish.
In brewing Honey Brown, we use a dark pilsner style lager and add just the right amount of Manitoba Wildflower Honey. This creates a smooth Honey flavor that fades to a crisp dry finish. We use just enough hops to dry out the honey’s sweetness without lending any unpleasant bitterness to the finish.
I’d have to say I pretty much agree with their description. The beer is extremely easy to drink, not that this is a beer made for chugging, on the contrary. There are a plethora of flavors in this beer worth savoring. It is very smooth and not very bitter; so if you’re a big fan of uber-bitter IPA’s this isn’t the beer for you, Dan. There are, however, enough hops to keep this beer from becoming a girly beer (aka Berry Weiss).
Overall this is a great beer and I’d recommend it to anyone. It’s enjoyable to drink. This is the kind of beer one desires after a long day of working hard out in the heat. Then, when you’ve got it in your tired fist it more than lives up to your expectations.
9 out of 10
Posted 518 days ago by Matt | Comments [5]
Frugal Joe's Ordinary Beer
beer
This beer came from Trader Joe’s and I had to buy it simply for the name. I’m really not quite sure what kind (pilsner, ale, lager, etc.) of beer this is. It doesn’t say anywhere on the packaging and it basically tases like any of the large macro brews (Coors, Miller, Bud, etc..). Not that that is a bad thing. The beer tastes fine for a cheap beer, I think it was like $4 something for the six pack of bottles.
I don’t think I’d buy this beer again since if I ever have a hankering for a cheap macro brew I can get High Life for less than this. But overall it was a decent ordinary beer.
5 out of 10
Posted 573 days ago by Matt | Comments
New Glarus Fat Squirrel
Ale
I’ve been meaning to write about this beer for a little while now. Luckily I still have one left and am drinking it as I write. This is a Nut-Brown Ale with a complex flavour and a slight bite. It’s very malty with a smooth finish despite the bite. The label has this to say about the flavour:
100% Wisconsin malt of six different varieties impart the natural toasted color to this bottle conditioned unfiltered ale. Clean hazelnut notes result from these carefully chosen barley malts. Hops from Slovenia, Bavaria and the Pacific Northwest give Fat Squirrel its backbone.
I thought this beer was okay. I’m not a huge fan of brown ales, in fact I dislike Newcastle, which I think tastes like nasty coffee. This was far better than Newcastle, thankfully.
4 out of 10
Posted 657 days ago by Matt | Comments [2]
New Glarus Spotted Cow
Ale
This is one of my all-time favourite beers and I’ve been meaning to review it on this site for a while now. This is what beer should be; if you were to go into a tavern and simply order ‘a beer’ this is what you should expect to get. It has a full body and a slightly fruity hint to it. New Glarus describes it thus:
Cask conditioned ale has been the popular choice among brews since long before prohibition. We continue this pioneer spirit with our Wisconsin farmhouse ale. Brewed with flaked barley and the finest Wisconsin malts. We even give a nod to our farmers with a little hint of corn.
Naturally cloudy we allow the yeast to remain in the bottle to enhance fullness of flavors, which can not be duplicated otherwise.
Expect this Ale to be fun, fruity and satisfying. You know you’re in Wisconsin when you see the Spotted Cow.
I give it a 10 out of 10
Posted 711 days ago by Matt | Comments [7]
Beamish Genuine Irish Stout
Stout
I got this beer on sale. It was a four pack (of pints) for 3.99. How could I pass it up? I’m glad I didn’t because this is a very good stout. This is a beer in the same style as Guinness. You could say it is a Guinness knock off but according to their website they’ve been a brewery for at least as long as Guinness, if not longer. Anne says she thinks it’s a bit more bitter than Guinness. In any case it has a nice dark color and is nice and creamy. I highly recommend it, especially at this price.
8 out of 10
Posted 735 days ago by Matt | Comments
Coors Light
Lager
This was the beer that was in the keg at Nick’s bachelor party in the Dells. I’ve got to say, I didn’t care much for this beer. Of course you can’t expect it to be especially tasty since the point of this kind of beer is to be able to drink a lot of it and get wasted. But I’d have to say I like this less than Miller Lite, which is okay. My choice of beers in the cheap and light category is probably High Life Light.
I give Coors Light a 4 out of 10.
Posted 758 days ago by Matt | Comment Spam
BluCreek Blueberry Ale
Ale
I picked this up because it looked kinda interesting. I was expecting a blueberry version of Leinie’s Berry Weiss but that’s not what this turned out to be. It’s much more beer tasting. It certainly has a strong aroma of blueberries and you can taste their influence in the beer but nowhere near as stong as the scent.
This is a decent beer and I’d probably buy it again. Blueberries are supposed to be great anti-oxidants or something too right?
6 out of 10
Posted 803 days ago by Matt | Comment Spam
New Glarus Totally Naked
Lager
I picked this up the other day and have been meaning to write about it. This beer has a very light flavour. It’s not bitter at all. It’s quite crisp and refreshing, which is very nice for the hot weather. Overall it’s pretty nice, though maybe laking somewhat in body. I like a slightly thinker beer.
6 out of 10
Posted 821 days ago by Matt | Comment Spam [1]
New Glarus Yokel
Lager
I picked this up this morning when I was out. The description sold me. It reads as follows: 
Savor this creamy headed pint at your favorite escape. Here’s to cards on the table, a juke box chewing coins, chalk on your cue, and your favorite brew washing down the perfect burger.
This is a whole beer straight from the tanks smooth unfiltered and without pretense. Wisconsin, German and England barleys and the finest Bavarian hops combine in classsic German brewing methods. You are holding the freshest possible Wisconsin beer.
Expect this beer to be comfortable, crisp and slightly cloudy. Enjoy our salute to every guy who finished his game and left the kids quarters on the table. Remember Buy Local, Drink Yokel.
It has a nice creamy texture and a cloudy appearance. The bottle claims it is a “Wisconsin Lager with Yeast” It’s reminisciant of Spotted Cow but it’s definately not Spotted Cow. It has a very full beer flavour to it. It’s creamy and smooth and quite good tasting. It also came with a free bumper sticker which declares: “Buy Local Drink Yokel”
I give it an 8 out of 10.
Posted 837 days ago by Matt | Comment Spam [2]
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