Beer & Lemonade. And the Kool-Aid Man.

Beer #118 Summer Shandy / Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Company, Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin

On the heels of a good day yesterday, today brought more of the same.  Had the day off so I ran some errands and we took the dogs to the park.  However, I was trapped inside the house for a fair part of the afternoon, as Generose Manor is in the midst of a construction project to build a new 22,000 sq ft addition, erect an 10 car garage, dig a moat, and refurbish the helicopter landing pad to re-do the siding.  These guys are coming up on a 12 hour work day right now.  Definitely makes me feel bad, as I'm sitting inside drinking a beer, while they're still hammering away out there.  At times, the racket from their hammering/sawing gets so loud it feels like the Kool-Aid Man is about to smash through the wall and shout, "OH YEAH!"

OH YEAH!!  Wait, what the......?

Anyway, I mentioned I was drinking a beer - it's the Summer Shandy from Leinenkugel.  Apparently, we've skipped right past all of the spring beers, and we're officially ready for summer with this one.  For those not in the know, a shandy is a mixture of beer and a non-alcoholic drink, such as soda or juice.  Or, in this beer, lemonade.  I don't know about you, but that sounds delicious and refreshing to me!  In the glass, this beer has a hazy, pale yellow appearance with a fluffy head that lingers.  The aroma, to no one's surprise, is of lemons.  The taste is a refreshing mix of lemon and wheat.  Not a very complex beer, but definitely one to consider as the weather keeps getting warmer.  Keep this in mind for a tailgate before a concert or baseball game.

OH YEAH!!!!

The brewery dates back to 1867, so they've been at this game for quite some time.  For better or for worse, Miller Brewing (now SABMiller) purchased this company back in 1988.  The family still manages the brewery, and I can drink this beer in Pennsylvania, so I guess the marriage is working.

Thing to Think About Today:
All of you who are home owners out there know and deeply appreciate the joys of home ownership.  And by joys, I mean the constant need to fix something, upgrade something, or... do something.  We've been on a tear lately, as it was a new roof last month and new siding this month.  Wonder what May will bring?

When I think of owning a home, I think of this hilarious movie - The Money Pit.  Starring Tom Hanks and Shelley Long (and Commissioner Burrell from The Wire as one of the construction workers), this movie definitely makes me feel much, much better about our home improvement projects!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pmDX0tgONFs

Beer 118: Leinenkugel’s Summer Shandy

I could not have asked for a better birthday.  Big ups to Gary for putting together a food and beer filled adventure.  (Small deduction on execution for making me walk ten blocks in very high heels after running around in that same pair of shoes for five hours at a work event.)  We hit Amada for a ten course chef’s tasting lunch and a pitcher of sangria.  Then we were off to The Boilermaker (sorry no website that I could find) where we made friends with the bartender Matt -- great guy who knows his beer.  The Boilermaker -- typically a light beer and a complimentary shot -- is a new (only open two weeks) craft beer bar.  Forty drafts (twenty-eight downstairs and twelve upstairs) and I think there were around ten different boilermakers.  I couldn’t resist - I had the California.  Quite tasty!  I have two new beers to review as a result of that trip.  The Boilermaker is from the same group that brought us The Farmers Cabinet, which if you're reading this blog...you know I love!

A third beer was had but it was Jolly Pumpkin’s Fuego del Otono, which translates to Autumn Fire.  Kudos to Gary for translating before seeing the bottle.  It caught our eye with its description of being a biere de garde brewed with chestnuts.  It was indeed nutty and spicy and quite delicious.  I didn’t take notes on it because I knew it was out of the running for a review.  I crossed Jolly Pumpkin off the list when I reviewed the Madrugada Obscura several weeks back.

***

Tonight is a summer beer kind of night -- Leinenkugel’s Summer Shandy is the drink of choice.  It pours a bright, hazy and appropriately lemony yellow with a small head.  It smells strongly of lemons and tastes like lemonade and a light wheat beer had babies.  It’s not going to challenge you but it will refresh you.

Leinenkugel’s website describes it as their take on a traditional German radler.  A radler?  Prepare for some knowledge.  A radler is a traditional German beverage that pretty evenly blends beer and German-style lemonade.  Check out the wikipedia page for more information than you’ll ever need on radlers and shandies.

And on that note I’m off to break into my growler of Alla Spina from Victory Brewing.  So far year 37 is treating me quite well.  Cheers!