If it’s a Thursday night and you’re looking for me? Try Taco Mac in Canton. Chances are very good that you’ll find me here, because it’s pint glass night, and the purchase of a beer of the month will get you a free logo glass, while supplies last. For May of 2016 the featured brewery is Wisconsin’s Leinenkugel’s, and tonight I’m enjoying a mug of Leinenkugel’s Grapefruit Shandy.
I’ll be blunt: Leinenkugel’s Grapefruit Shandy has two strikes against it from the get go with a lot of today’s beer geeks. It’s a fruit beer/radler/shandy first off, and it’s made by Leinenkugel, a division of Miller. Neither of these things is a problem for me, and you should know (if you don’t already) that the Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Company was founded in 1867 in Chippewa Falls Wisconsin. They’re no Johnny come lately to the beer business, were not invented by a large brewer to tap into the craft beer trend, and I’ve been enjoying their beer as long as I’ve been drinking beer. Which has been a while.
Here’s what they say on their website about their Grapefruit Shandy:
A traditional shandy is beer mixed with a little something extra, like lemonade, soda or ginger ale. Leinenkugel's® Grapefruit Shandy is our take on this tradition. Each batch begins with our traditional weiss beer. We then combine it with natural white grapefruit flavor that adds a note of fresh-cut citrus, because here refreshment is our greatest natural resource.
Generally, a shandy or radler is juice or soda mixed with lager, but I find the use of wheat beer here interesting. I’m also a grapefruit fanatic, so this beer was made for me, and I think it makes a wonderfully refreshing drink.
From the brewery website:
A traditional shandy is beer mixed with a little something extra, like lemonade, soda or ginger ale. Leinenkugel's® Grapefruit Shandy is our take on this tradition. Each batch begins with our traditional weiss beer. We then combine it with natural white grapefruit flavor that adds a note of fresh-cut citrus, because here refreshment is our greatest natural resource.
Leinenkugel’s Grapefruit Shandy has an alcohol content of 4.2% by volume with just 11 IBUs. I paid $5 for a full mug at Taco Mac, and it runs about $7.59 a six-pack here in Georgia. This is a year-round offering, but I think it works best in warm and hot weather.
My mug of Leinenkugel’s Grapefruit Shandy arrived a hazy yellow whiteish color with a moderate head of short-lived fizzy foam and a nose that simply explodes with pulpy grapefruit aromas. Taking a sip, I get crackery wheat at first in the palate then robust fresh grapefruit flavor all leading into a tart, quenching finish.
I love it! Look, accept this beer for the style its intended for and as a satisfying brew with a moderate alcohol content and you’ll see why I rate it so highly. If you can’t, then don’t buy it. But oh the delicious refreshment you’ll be missing out on if you don’t….
And remember, try a new beer today, and drink outside the box.
*Pricing data accurate at time of review or latest update. For reference only, based on actual price paid by reviewer.
(B)=Bottled
(D)=Draft