Leinenkugel is currently completing market research on 5 new winter seasonal beers. Not sure when or which beers might hit shelves but here is list of the beers they are testing.
Cranberry Cherry Stout
This beer was relatively thin, and lacking in any cranberry or cherry aroma and flavor.
Cinnamon, Ginger, Orange Winter Warmer
I found this to be undrinkable, the aroma was dominated by orange, the front, middle, and finish were dominated by cinnamon. It was also amber in color and thin in body.
Maple Aroma, Chocolate, Caramel, & Hazelnut Winter Warmer
This beer had minimal maple aroma, more of a nutty aroma instead. It was the color of a lighter brown ale. Taste was thin, as was the body.
Vanilla Porter
This was the best of the group. Nice and dark in color, nice sweetness and malt. Moderate vanilla flavor which slightly overpowered the malt causing the beer to feel unbalanced. Good body, heavier then the others, but not overly thick.
Black Pilsner - A pilsner brewed with roasted malts and chocolate
This beer was the darkest of all 5, which I found interesting. The beer was quite unbalanced. The roasted malts and chocolate overpower the beer, dominating the aroma, flavor, and finish. The roasted malt caused moderate astringency, which had no malt sweetness to back it. The beer was no longer crisp and clean like a pilsner should be.
Sounds pretty foul, but if you ask me, that’s about what you can expect from Leinie’s these days. Gimmicky dressed-up BMC for beer connoiseur wannabes. Maybe that’s too harsh.
Leinie’s Red was the first beer I ever got drunk on, and so it holds a special place in my heart. Still, I never really liked beer at all, until I bought my self a Leinie’s tacklebox sampler for my 22nd birthday. That was the first time I realized that beer could have distinct flavors, not just yellow fizz water. It wasn’t long after that when I started brewing.
So I guess Leinie’s is ok for being a gateway to the good stuff, if nothing else.
I don’t think they still make it but their big butt dopplebock was really good. Granted this was a few years ago when I was in my early 20s and didn’t know much about beer back then.
It’s got to be disappointing to be a brewer there, when you see what they’ve sent for you to make a beverage out of. I would still occasionally buy the original if I could still get it here in NW Indiana. Now we only get all of their “flavored” beers. The creamy stout is about the only thing I see that is close to an original beer, and I wouldn’t touch that one with your sister.
