RIP Leinenkugel factory

baller21

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Mar 15, 2009
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There was a time when I looked forward to the release of Leinies shandy every year, it’s crazy how much more variety we have in Iowa now compared to ten years ago.
 
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VeloClone

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Jan 19, 2010
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Summer Shandy itself makes up more than half of Leinie's sales. They just made it a year-round beer, and honestly it's a little surprising it took this long.

There are several of their beers I will take over their shandy. But to each their own...
 

cycub51

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The stuff they have at the lodge is great and it was disappointing to me they don't sell it a lot of other places. I believe they had a lemon IPA that was mixed with the berryweiss and it was one of the best tasting things I've ever had.
 

ackatch

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The stuff they have at the lodge is great and it was disappointing to me they don't sell it a lot of other places. I believe they had a lemon IPA that was mixed with the berryweiss and it was one of the best tasting things I've ever had.
The Lemon Haze IPA?

I'm 98% sure I saw that at the Wall to Wall in West Des Moines, which should also have Berryweiss.

A few years back at Costco in MN they have a "mixology" 24 pack of stuff (6 each of Honeweiss, Berryweiss, Dark Lager, and Chocolate Stout?) - found out that mixing Honey and Berry is DELICIOUS. Also enjoyed anything with the chocolate.
 

andybernard

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Oct 22, 2009
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I'm not too proud to admit that I prefer the fruit shandies more than I probably should. A while back (5?10 years?) they had a cranberry ginger shandy in the winter months that was one of my favorites.
 

Cyclonsin

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I consider them one of the countries first microbrews.. Sad day :-(
Sure, but they've been owned by Miller literally my entire life and I'm 36.

I love almost everything about the Leinie's brand, but they haven't been a microbrewery in a long long long time, if technically ever.
 

fsanford

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Sure, but they've been owned by Miller literally my entire life and I'm 36.

I love almost everything about the Leinie's brand, but they haven't been a microbrewery in a long long long time, if technically ever.
Read my post one of the first...didn't say they are now youngster.

I was drinking it in 70's they were a very regional beer. And had varieties back then
 
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Cyclonsin

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Read my post one of the first...didn't say they are now youngster
Right, I was just saying the time for mourning that facet of their story should have been done decades ago. Although my hunch is they were never technically a microbrewery, but I'm too lazy to look up their historical production volumes right now.
 

fsanford

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Right, I was just saying the time for mourning that facet of their story should have been done decades ago. Although my hunch is they were never technically a microbrewery, but I'm too lazy to look up their historical production volumes right now.
Their market in the late 70's early 80's was pretty much a 50 mile ,radius . Limited supply and production.

They did not sell on a larger scale like other breweries in the area such as Old Style or Schmidt.

Maybe not a microbrew persay but they were very small scale.

For awhile their beer did not use any preservatives, only brewery in the country I believe so that alone limited production
 
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Cyclonsin

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Their market in the late 70's early 80's was pretty much a 50 mile ,radius . Limited supply and production.

They did not sell on a larger scale like other breweries in the area such as Old Style or Schmidt.
I knew they were never on the same scale as Old Style, the larger Milwaukee brands, and even pre-prohibition brands like Peerless or the original Heileman.

But I didn't know they were THAT small around that time. I did find they were producing about 80,000 BBLs per year in the mid-80s when they began considering a sale, which is well over the 15k microbrewery definition, but ultimately it's just semantics.
 
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dmclone

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Oct 20, 2006
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I've had 2,962 unique beers in my life and I've yet to try anything from Leinenkugels. I'm not sure why.

Scratch that, 11 years ago I had a summer shandy. It was listed under Jacob Leinenkugel.
 

Frog

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I love their summer shandy for go-to beer in the thick of summer, and their oktoberfest in fall. Still will next year.
 
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Cyclonsin

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I've had 2,962 unique beers in my life and I've yet to try anything from Leinenkugels. I'm not sure why.

Scratch that, 11 years ago I had a summer shandy. It was listed under Jacob Leinenkugel.
I assume you're using Untappd? If so, feel free to add me. I'm still fairly active on there, although I don't pursue craft beer as much as I did 5+ years ago.

Anyone else interested, consider this an open invite to connect on there. My username is DasBierChef
 
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NickTheGreat

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I'm in my early 40's, and I've never thought of Leinie's as a "real brewery." I always thought it of it as one of the early sell-outs that had the name kept for marketing purposes.

Maybe I was wrong, but I've probably drank 10 of their beers in my life.
 
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