Try?
Re-buy?
Here’s a new take on the pumpkin craze that seems to grip America every fall: Leinenkugel’s Harvest Patch Shandy. Pumpkins end up in everything this time of year, but most importantly for me, they’re used to make beer. Leinenkugel takes a different approach, and introduces us to a pumpkin-spiced shandy. Or so they say. Shandy, if you don’t know already, is generally a mix of lager and soda, usually lemon soda.
I’m not so sure, though, that Leinenkugel’s Harvest Patch Shandy qualifies as such, since it’s a wheat beer really (not a lager) and it doesn’t really have pumpkin in it either. Just pumpkin spices. To be fair, lots of other pumpkin beers go that route too, though lots more don’t and include pumpkin as an ingredient.
Here’s what Leinie says about this beer on their website:
Bring out the best of the season with our Leinenkugel’s® Harvest Patch® Shandy. It’s our traditional Weiss beer that we blend with natural pumpkin spice flavor to give you notes of nutmeg, allspice and clove for a refreshing fall seasonal. It’s crisp and smooth, just like a perfect fall day Out Here.
Ingredients, also from the website:
Malts: Pale and Wheat
Hops: Cluster
Other: Natural Pumpkin Spice Flavor
Leinenkugel’s Harvest Patch Shandy has an alcohol content of 4.2% by volume with 11 IBUs. You can’t argue with the price: $12.99 for a twelve pack or just $4.50 for a full mug at Taco Mac. This is how I tried the beer of course, on tap.
My mug of Leinenkugel’s Harvest Patch Shandy arrived a cloudy orange color with almost no head formation and a buttery nose with notes of cinnamon and nutmeg. Taking a sip, the beer has a creamy and crackery palate with light spice of cinnamon and nutmeg. An overly sweet finish is a downer here; more spice would have attenuated that.
Leinenkugel’s Harvest Patch Shandy is too sweet for me but it is drinkable and served to refresh on a warm late October afternoon. Still, there are many other pumpkin beers I much prefer, and given the overly sweet character, I’m glad I tried Harvest Patch Shandy, but I would not rebuy it.
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
