Lady Love for Leinenkugel's

Leinenkugel’s is currently my favorite brewing company (please take note of my ability to persuade mike into getting Leinenkugel’s Lager for National Lager Day). I find their beers to be approachable, yet it has a name that makes my other friends who aren’t big craft beer drinkers say “oh Leinenkugel’s, that sounds fancy”. Last night, while on a girl date with Maggie, I decided Leinenkugel’s Honey Weiss would be appropriate for a girls’ night out and my first beer review. With a 4.9% ABV, it’s light, crisp, and refreshing with a touch of sweetness from real Wisconsin honey. I’ve been informed that next time I should try adding a lemon wedge to balance some of the sweetness. Since this is my very first time reviewing a beer I wanted to take it seriously, so, rather than drinking it out of the bottle like I normally do, I asked for a glass. Of course it was just my luck that the only real glasses this place had was wine glasses. The Honey Weiss had a nice pale golden hue that reminded me of a nice chardonnay in the wine glass. Maggie advised me that I should be paying attention to the head and lacing of the beer (which thankfully she explained to me before I had to secretly Google it), both of which seemed average to me. Hopefully I’ll be able to have more educated opinions on the subject as I grow as a beer drinker/reviewer. The aroma was earthy with notes of honey (for obvious reasons). It wasn’t too thick or carbonated, which made it easy to sit back, relax, and enjoy. All in all, I know that that Honey Weiss won’t be the popular pick for the more experienced craft beer drinker, but I find it to be a great beer to start with for someone who is trying to expand their beer drinking horizons.

While I’m on the subject of Leinenkugel’s, I also want to recommend Berry Weiss to my fellow girly beer drinkers. I’ve found that most “berry” beers I’ve tried have tasted like beer, with a touch of berry. In my opinion, Berry Weiss tastes like berry with a touch of beer. It is extremely sweet, which makes it the perfect option for someone who normally drinks cider, wine coolers, or other fruity malt beverages. It also has a 4.7% ABV, which is nice for new beer drinkers who don’t like/can’t handle a craft beer with a much higher alcohol content. My favorite thing about Berry Weiss is that it’s purple in color, which I learned while being forced to pour it into a clear plastic cup by the New York City Police in the parking lot at Citi Field. (Side note, Leinenkugel’s is also fun to try to spell to the cops while they write you a drinking in public ticket.)

I hope that beer rookies and experienced craft beer drinkers alike will give Leinenkugel’s Brewing Company a shot. It’s not the fanciest beer you’ll ever try, but I think you may just enjoy it as a nice, easy, everyday beer option.

Lager... I Hardly Knew Her

In the spirit of National Lager Day, Marissa and I went to the liquor store to pick out a nice 'merican lager. Nothing really caught my eye at first until I noticed they had a beer I've had before and certainly enjoyed; Creamy Dark by the Leinenkugel's Brewing Company. With Leinenkugel's being a brewery in Marissa's comfort zone we both knew this was going to be the beer for us that evening. (Marissa's Note - Translation: I chickened out of trying anything I hadn't heard of before.)


The first beer out of the 6 pack gave me this incredible head (not pictured) that remained through the entire beer. Every other beer I've poured has had a much smaller head that has dissipated rather quickly. The aroma of this beer is incredibly strong once you pop the cap, and stays true for the initial sips. As you can see this beer in very dark, and has almost no transparency. For being such a dark beer you figure it would leave that Guinness-like heavy feeling in your mouth but the beer is incredibly smooth. It leaves a creamy (Creamy Dark... makes sense) feeling that falls somewhere between a light beer and a Guinness. (Marissa's note: While I normally steer clear of thick, dark beers, I surprisingly appreciated this one. It gave me that overall fullness feeling I expected, but was still smooth and satisfying enough to enjoyed without feeling like I'm going to end up with a giant beer belly.)

This beer is brewed with a blend of 7 malts, and 3 different hops. This produces a crisp nutty taste, with notes of coffee and caramel. It is a very drinkable beer that is good for a cold winter night.

All and all I'm not a huge Leinenkugel's person but this beer is probably my favorite from their line. Try it out if you're into dark lagers. (Marissa's note: Then go read my post about how much I DO enjoy Leinenkugel's and try them all.)



... Also if you hate on the Jets pint glass, you can suck it.