Leinenkugel

If you’re from the Upper Midwest, you’ve probably heard of The Jacob Leinenkugel brewing company. Like so many smaller breweries, they’ve traded their originality and warmth (”Come out to Leinie Lodge and have a few!”) for stability and profit: Leinenkugel’s is now owned by Miller.

But that hasn’t stopped them from making decent beers, and in the past few years they’ve won an impressive array of awards at the American Beer Fest, including golds for their Creamy Dark and Berry Weiss flavors.

But the beer on trial is not one of Leinenkugel’s newfangled attempts to maintain their image as a unique brewery despite the Miller label. This is the original Leinenkugel, all the way back from 1867–before Leinenkugel Red was the keg of choice for Wisconsin parties (a status it held for decades, until very recently), and before you brought a case of Berry Weiss to a summer barbecue for the ladies. This is the recipe Jacob Leinenkugel himself brought over from Germany.

TASTE:

The most common complaint about Leinenkugel’s Original is the strong metallic taste, and I have to agree with that.

The first time I tasted Leinenkugel, I thought I’d broken off a piece of the bottle cap and it had fallen into the beer. Especially if you pour it into a glass (which always brings out the subtler flavors, for better or for worse) Leinenkugel can taste a bit like chewing on tin foil.

Beneath that there’s a not-quite-sweet taste which almost reminds me of white wine–true beer connoisseurs call this taste “corn,” although corn is not actually used in the brewing process.

IMPRESSIONS:

Leinenkugel now has 14 different flavors, and of those “Original” is one of the most rarely consumed (Sunset Wheat is the most popular). And while Leinenkugel’s Original isn’t a terrible beer, I can see why it’s not really anyone’s first choice either.

It’s definitely not a cheap party beer, but it’s not the best American Lager you could buy either. And it’s not as interesting as Leinenkugel’s other flavors.

Try it once to say you did, and then go back to Leinenkugel’s “Summer Shandy”–even if it does sound a little fruity.

Party Value: 2/5

Class Value: 3/5

Taste Value: 2/5

---

Related stuff:

1. Miller Lite Review
Expert Rating: 2.5/5     At four of the last five beer world cups, Miller Lite has received the Gold Award for best American-Style Light Lager. Which begs...
2. Pabst Blue Ribbon
Some of us understand that there are different cheap beers for different times and purposes. For example: for big parties and endless games of beer pong, Miller Lite is the...
3. Miller High Life
It takes a certain amount of nerve to declare yourself "the champagne of beer, "but Miller High Life pretty much pulls it off. Just like champagne, this beer says fun with an...