Apr 10, 2009

Leinenkugel Classic Amber

I think the only other time that I’ve had a Leinenkugel product in the past couple of years was at a neighbor/friend’s house for a barbeque. If my memory serves me correctly, I’m pretty sure that Sunset Wheat was the beer du jour. For some reason I’ve just never gotten into the Leinenkugel products since then (or before said gathering really). And now that I think about it, I’m not at all sure where my bias against the brewery manifested.

Whatever the reason, I’ll be sure to grab some of their beers in the future after enjoying a couple samples of Leinenkugel Classic Amber that arrived via FedEx earlier this week. This beer was a welcome surprise.

Beer Label: Leinenkugel Classic Amber

Appearance

The Classic Amber pours a pale amber in color with a decent two finger head that faded slowly.

Aroma

The brew smells clean and malty. There’s a subtle sweetness and nuttiness in there, but nothing else that really grabs your attention.

Taste

Immediately upon the first sip, I was surprised to find the beer quite malty. I guess I was expecting something a little more bland or weaker. The maltiness is backed up by a nice hop piny note and nuttiness. The beer isn’t syrupy, but does have a slight sticky sweetness to it that gives it the impression of being thicker than it really is.

Overall

Both my wife and I were pleasantly surprised by this Leinenkugel product. Like I said, we generally tend to go for other products, but I can definitely see myself sitting on the deck after mowing the yard with a couple cold bottles of the Classic Amber. It’s a well balanced, malty brew and, at 4.9% ABV, is perfect for a little sessioning.

Rating: 3.5/5

More: , ,