Leinenkugel's Summer Shandy

For the 6th sampling, Two Guys tried a Weiss bier.  This sounds suspiciously like a German word and with our amazing ninja-like research skills we were able to confirm this.  It means wheat beer. What exactly is a wheat beer?  Beer is traditionally made with malted barley and hops. The barley is what gives beer its kick (or as Two Guys like to say—gives us the power to dance at weddings).  Hops are what give beer its bitter taste.  Wheat beer uses a mixture of wheat and barley.  The wheat makes the beer lighter in color and less bitter. It is normally used as a spring or summer beer since fruit is often used as flavoring. Now onto the beer.

Joe: For this sampling we tried a beer from the Jacob Leinenkugel brewery located in the great beer state of Wisconsin. It was the Summer Shandy which, as mentioned above, is a wheat beer. As with most wheat beers, it has a golden cloudy color with high carbonation. The beer is advertised as being  flavored with lemonade. This is in no way an exaggeration. There is a strong lemon smell and taste to the beer. The hops bitterness that is in most beers is very light. This beer is perfect to drink on a hot summer night which was the exact conditions that Justin and I drank this beer. Under those conditions I give this beer 3.5 stars.

Don't be fooled, we really did drink these outside!

Justin: For our non-local readers I would like to point out that we have been experiencing a drought along with a massive heat wave this summer. Myself and Joe were able to find an evening where it was actually tolerable to sit outside(in the shade) and enjoy a sampling. Leinenkugel's Summer Shandy is brewed for just such an occasion.  (I assume it would be equally enjoyable while tending to burgers on the grill or while laying on the beach of some tropical paradise.) A shandy is beer mixed with another beverage. In this case it is mixed with lemonade. The lemonade flavor was stronger than expected but I think it paired nicely with the wheat beer. I actually prefer it to the more popular lime beers. The leinies were iced down perfectly which made for a very smooth and refreshing taste. I give it 3 stars.