Orange Shandy
Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Company

beerguy04 from Illinois

3.25/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25

Pours a golden orange with a small head. Smell is similar to a citrus lemonade. Taste is the same. Mouthfeel is light and easy to drink. Overall, it’s orange flavored lemonade, what you’d expect from a shandy. Good for summer.

Jun 15, 2020

maddogruss from New Jersey

3.11/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Based on a review from October 2013. Had this in a bottle.
A: pours a hazy, orange body with a small white head with little retention or lacing
S: sweet, orange smell; pretty sweet smelling beer, like an orange juice Popsicle
T: sweet, orange juice tasting beer; sweet, slightly watered down aftertaste
M: light bodied mad fairly crisp; fairly refreshing
D: nice mouthfeel and taste combo; pretty good warm weather drinking beer

Dec 21, 2019

22Blue from Kansas

3.15/5  rDev -0.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

12 ounce bottle. Pours a somewhat cloudy golden orange with a decent white head. Aroma of orange. Taste is orange, sweet orange, citrus, and malt. Very sweet in my opinion. Needs ice cubes.

Jul 26, 2019

Grounder from Illinois

2.6/5  rDev -18%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Imagine Fanta with beer aftertaste. That's exactly how this one feels. It's not bad at all on a hot summer day, but I generally prefer something more reserved.

Jun 25, 2019

JimboBrews54 from Michigan

5/5  rDev +57.7%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Whoa. Does this one have some sweetness to it. I do usually like the Shandy category of beer, this one makes it sweet and almost to a point where it does not taste like beer, it kind of tastes like a bite into a Orange, this is sweet but it does have some beer flavoring to it. My second favorite one of the shandy category!

Oct 10, 2018

gatornation from Minnesota

3.34/5  rDev +5.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.25

Pours a hazy sunset golden color. Smell was tropical oranges. Taste was very citrus with oranges and tangerine. Mouth feel soft but had an artificial fruit finish. In the summer at a cookout this brew is not bad.

Jun 10, 2018

BeerBobber from Nevada

3.89/5  rDev +22.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Cloudy gold color with a foamy white head of about finger tallness. Head goes away quickly but leaves some lacing on the glass.

Smell is sweet malty tangerine and orange.Seems like a bit of lemon on the smell as well. Very pleasent aroma!

Taste is heavy on the malts with the orange citrus coming in as a second flavor.

Mouth is a bit chewy with a lot of melt presence. The finish however is fairly crisp and breaks off nicely.

If you take a sniff as you take a sip the smell helps your palate in following the flavor. This can only be be done with the appropriate glass. You really need to get the aroma with the sip. This really brings out that tangerine, orange flavor. Definitely gauranteed orange flavored burps as well thanks to the carbonation. Overall I like this shandy but would rather stick with the lemon shandy for my hot vegas days/nights.

May 12, 2018

superspak from Ohio

3.93/5  rDev +24%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

12 ounce bottle into pint glass, best before 6/11/2018. Pours opaquely hazy golden orange color with a 1-2 finger dense and rocky white head with awesome retention, that reduces to a nice cap that lasts. Nice dense soapy lacing clings on the glass, with a moderate amount of streaming carbonation retaining the cap. Fantastic appearance. Aromas of tangerine, orange juice, lemon, peach, melon, citrus peel/zest, light pepper/clove, wheat, cracker, biscuit, herbal, grass, and yeast earthiness. Very nice aromas with good balance and complexity of oranges, fruity/spicy yeast, and bready malt notes; with good strength. Taste of big tangerine, orange juice, lemon, peach, melon, citrus peel/zest, light pepper/clove, wheat, cracker, biscuit, herbal, grass, and yeast earthiness. Light-moderate herbal/grassy bitterness, peppery yeast spiciness; and light citrus tang/tartness on the finish. Lingering notes of tangerine, orange juice, lemon, peach, melon, citrus peel/zest, pepper, clove, wheat, cracker, biscuit, herbal, grass, and yeast earthiness on the finish for a good bit. Very nice complexity, robustness, and balance of oranges, fruity/spicy yeast, and bready malt flavors; with a great malt/bitter/tart/spiciness balance, and zero cloying flavors after the finish. Light-moderate increasing dryness from bitter/spiciness and carbonation. Medium-high carbonation and medium body; with a very smooth, moderately crisp, creamy/bready/grainy, and lightly sticky/tangy/acidic mouthfeel that is great. Zero warming alcohol as expected of 4.2%. Overall this is a delicious shandy! All around nice complexity, robustness, and balance of oranges, fruity/spicy yeast, and bready malt flavors; very smooth, crisp, and refreshing to drink. Very flavorful for the low ABV. Perfectly balanced wheat beer and orange juice flavors. Surprising amount of yeast presence as well. A very enjoyable offering, and spot on style example.

Apr 28, 2018

EMV from Pennsylvania

3.33/5  rDev +5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25

Poured from a 12 oz bottle into a pint glass.

Cloudy golden orange pour. Fizzy white head leaves solid lacing. Smells... like orange juice. Strong citrus/orange on the nose. Not much else. Flavor follows suit. Mild wheat beer... mostly orange juice/citrus. Light bodied... fizzy... easy drinking but not much there. Simple... good for the summer/poolside etc. Not a lot to recommend it otherwise. Certainly not one I'd sit and drink if I wanted to enjoy a beer.

Mar 03, 2018

dacrza1 from New Jersey

2.86/5  rDev -9.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 2.25 | overall: 3

DATE: August 17, 2017... OCCASION: Stage One of prepping for the roommates' Saturday get-together completed... GLASSWARE: Brew at the Zoo pint... pours a hazy, opaque, tangerine yellow body whose effervescence is impossible to discern... a mountain of alpine white foam thickens, then crags above... orange peel, lemon zest, vanilla cream, and almond milk set off the initial aroma... aided by its prodigious foam, the first sip is creamy, tangy, thirst-quenching and lively... the back-end is biscuity and buttery, belying a slight maltiness... as the glass drains, uneven smears of froth pool in odd patterns... the flavor is decidedly orange creamsicle, with soft vanilla, nutty almond, lemon zest, and cracker malts... refreshing, with the only imperfections being its slightly cloying finish and that the style would benefit from more fruit or fervency... easily my favorite Leinenkugel's shandy, this can finished well before my intention--a compliment to the brewer... tough to rate higher, however, as the lack of depth in its flavor profile restricts its versatility... as summer drinks go, the best in its mix and a refresher for sure....

Aug 17, 2017

secondtooth from Indiana

3.25/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Appearance: Pours a cloudy orange, with a huge and foamy head yet no lace.

Aroma: Distinctly orange, for sure. Like orange candy or something, though. Not bad.

Taste: Refreshing and orange-tasting, almost like an Orange Crush mixed with beer. Not a bad flavor profile, but feels artificial somehow.

Aug 12, 2017

DenverHopHead from Colorado

3.18/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25

Poured from a 12oz can with a best by date of 10/23/17; into a pint glass.
Appearance- pours a cloudy, purée orange that is semi-thick, but some bubbles are noticeable. Head is a medium thick, pillow white. Nice latticework lacing.
Smell - straight orange creamesicle
Taste - the creamsicle isn't as profound in the flavor profile and the children's vitamin chalkiness that many orange flavored beers have isn't strong here either. Regardless, it's an orange flavored beer and it just isn't my scene.
Feel - light, tangy, and refreshing
Overall - it's fine, but I'd most likely never give this one another look.

Aug 04, 2017

mynie from Maryland

2.4/5  rDev -24.3%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.25 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

I could tick off every variety in this mix shandy pack, but that would feel like cheating. Instead, I am reviewing the best (Grapefruit), and the worst (this one).

It's not completely hideous. I drank two of them. But someone who is less of an alcoholic pig might be turned off by the ersatz weirdness of the oranges. The other flavors more or less resemble the actual fruits after which they are modeled, but this more resembles orange Tic Tacs.

That sounds kind of pleasant, I'll admit. But the liquid candy flavor gets real cloying, real fast, and sends me back over to the cooler searching for the relatively balanced flavor of a Zima.

Aug 03, 2017

Squire from Mississippi

3.39/5  rDev +6.9%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

I'm almost disappointed the color isn't more orange. It does have the appearance of light, hazy orange juice.

Aroma is distinctly orange. Not a bitter orange like Bergamot, rather a sweet orange like Valencia. I don't detect hops or grain but what I can smell is nice.

Tastes like low acid, somewhat weak orange juice from the second half of a bottle that's been opened then set in back of the fridge for awhile. As in the aroma, I don't get any flavor of hops or malt/grain, rather a mild orange. If not for the carbonation it could be confused with orange juice.

It does have a creamy smooth texture in the medium range.

One of the four flavors in the Leinenkugel's Shandy Sampler I picked up today. I don't buy a Shandy expecting to get anything other than a relatively low ABV (this one's 4.2) wheat brew largely flavored with what's described on the label. Of course these things have a place. Final exams for the semester are tomorrow so I expect a raft of college students around the place this weekend and this Shandy stuff is just the ticket.

May 04, 2017

Libeertarian from Montana

3.93/5  rDev +24%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 4

From notes taken 04/26/16:

Honey-amber but very opaque. Since this is based on a Weiss, and since Leinie’s Honey Weiss is a Kristalweizen, I am guessing the murkiness indicates particulates from the other ingredients (honey, orange to name the ones I am aware of) and/or a different variety of Weiss beer. Head is white, fine, foamy, almost creamy, film-forming, with moderate retention. Sweet orange aroma, both fruit and oily rindy, minimal wheat character. To the palate, exactly as expected, like carbonated, thinned down orange juice, with some rich sweetness along the lines of honey. Not too rindy or too sweet, perfect amount of tang. Delicious, very refreshing, easy to drink. Medium-bodied, certainly thicker than the Summer Shandy. Medium amount of fine tingly then creamy carbonation, mild citric acid aftereffects on tongue and teeth. Probably my favorite offering from Leinenkugel over the years, besides their Big Eddy series. Not a particularly beer-like beer, but my mouth thanks me nonetheless. I am certainly biased towards it (but my review shall compensate for those biased against it). Orange juice has long been my favorite juice. I can’t help but be slightly offended both by the relatively mediocre ratings as well as the negative comments, even if just in comparison to Leinie’s other shandy varieties. This one is far afield of all of them, even the Grapefruit Shandy, which I feel could have done a better job on the flavor. Search your feelings. You know it to be true. Honestly, though, I had initially rated this higher, but then I checked myself.

May 18, 2016

Urk1127 from New Jersey

3.9/5  rDev +23%
look: 3.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5

Cloudy orange. White head.
Smell of orange drink. Like Hi-C orange. Slight funk in the grain. Taste is the same as the smell. Feel is light yet syrupy. Sweet

Mar 07, 2016

yuenglingfan101 from Ohio

2.5/5  rDev -21.1%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

just disappointed in this shandy because i thought this one would be phenominal but instead it was almost like oranges that have seriously gone bad:((

Mar 02, 2016

q33jeff from New Jersey

2.28/5  rDev -28.1%
look: 1.75 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.25 | feel: 2.25 | overall: 2.25

**
06/17/2015

Least of the 4 shandys in the variety pack...though still refreshing.Sticky. Would probably be better over ice, though that is probably against some law somewhere.Not bad as you might think.
**

Nov 28, 2015

Hilljack51 from South Carolina

3.44/5  rDev +8.5%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

Typical Lienkugal Shandy, and like the rest of them it's a little too sweet to really enjoy. It's a good starter beer for those who may normally shy away from a brew. Overall it is a solid shandy, with a very good taste.

Sep 27, 2015

Czequershuus from Minnesota

2.8/5  rDev -11.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.75

This beer pours a hazy yellow. The nose is reminiscent of orange soda. The flavor is also orange soda like. Maybe is is due to the fact that while I like orange juice, orange soda is a bit less appealing, but I don't find this beer pleasant. The flavors are too artificial, the beer base comes through in an intrusive way, fighting the the other flavors. Just not an integrated brew.

Aug 30, 2015

Damian from Massachusetts

3.76/5  rDev +18.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 3.75

Drank from a 12 fl. oz. (0.355 L) can
Jun 0115
Served in a pint glass
Thanks to my dad for hooking me up with a bunch of the beers from Leinenkugel's Shandy Sampler Beer Variety Pack.

Super opaque, pale straw yellow appearance. This looked striking similar to orange juice. The liquid was topped by a small frothy cap that quickly dropped to a medium sized ring of foam. A few streaks of lacing trickled along the glass.

The nose reminded me a lot of an Orange Julius or an orange creamsicle. Orange soda also came to mind. Some artificial vanilla or sweet cream notes were detectible. Subtle spices came through as well. Hint of tart wheatiness in the background.

The orange was much more subtle than in the aroma. Again, orange soda came to mind. Somewhat spicy. Clove and coriander were noticeable. A bit zesty. Tart, wheaty, lemony notes were detectible in the center. Although the orange played a much smaller role here, the wheat beer characteristics were much stronger. Like the other beers in the Shandy Sampler Beer Variety Pack, this one finished with a strange, somewhat off-putting, grainy quality.

The mouthfeel was light, frothy and fluffy. Highly effervescent. The beer turned pillowy soft on the palate.

Leinenkugel's Orange Shandy definitely pales in comparison to their original and grapefruit offerings, as the orange flavor in this beer seemed rather artificial. Nevertheless, this is a surprisingly tasty and extremely drinkable beer that would be crushable on a hot day.

Jul 01, 2015

Clockwork420 from Missouri

3.89/5  rDev +22.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

Poured a hazy gold, with wispy light 3 finger head.

Immediately I smell fruit. Oranges and citrus. A bit of grain. Mostly it smells like Summer. Like juice almost.

Taste is sweet and citrusy on the front. Recedes to a wheat, and grainy middle but the after taste is mostly grains and grass. And afterwards leaves a tangy taste along with the typical wheat finish.

Thin and slightly carbonated, but doesnt make me burp either. Very nice on a hot day I can imagine.

I think this shandy is fantastic. On a super hot day nothing would be better than coming in and getting a cold one of these or any other Leinenkugel's Summer brews. And I know some people cannot stand the thought of "fruit" in mah beer. This just works though. I really enjoyed it, and even more than I anticipated.

Highly recommend it.

Apr 22, 2015

WillWillows from Ohio

2.78/5  rDev -12.3%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.75

I really tried to like this but it tasted like fizzy bad orange soda with a very light feeling white beer. Could have done without the extra fizz and a little sweeter.

Jan 03, 2015

JohnnyI from South Carolina

3.48/5  rDev +9.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A little out of season, as this was hiding in my fridge since mid-summer, but a welcome break from the robust stouts and spiced creations of the holidays. Frothy, white, meringue-like head forms after an assertive pour in to a tall weizen glass. The 2 finger crest settles in to a thin layer of foam with little to no lacing. This brew could pass for fresh squeezed oranges, with its hazy, unfiltered appearance and juice-like color. The aroma reminds me of half time at youth soccer matches, with freshly sliced oranges taking center stage against the backdrop of a grassy pitch. The flavor is not altogether different than what is achieved by dropping a slice of orange in to (insert random American Pale Wheat Ale), although with little other pronounced flavor. The wheaty mouthfeel gives it some body, and helps add a little depth with a grain-like finish. Pleasantly refreshing. I am detecting some sour citrus notes. Lemon, pith, and sweet candied oranges. The carbonation is lively, and helps create a thirst-quenching quaff. If you are an aficianado of orange soda, then this is your beer. I'm not sure if this can really be called beer actually. But whatever you choose to call it, it's delicious and easy to drink. I am in to my second pour as I finish this review. The low ABV only adds to the refreshment. I'll be looking forward to this one each summer, and will gladly drink this over the abhorrent lemon shandy varieties that I've tried. Unlike their recipe of dumping country-time lemonade in to a cheap wheat beer, this one seems more natural and palatable. It's a one-trick pony with a pretty nice trick.

Dec 25, 2014

PhilHeinricke from Virginia

4.05/5  rDev +27.8%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

This is an outside-the-box beer produced by a brewery in Wisconsin and sold in bottles at your local brew store or supermarket. It has a very bright orange color, and it smells like orange juice. The taste itself is kind of an orange-juicy type flavor, maybe if you put two fingers of bourbon in a glass of carbonated orange juice. After the first sip, you think, "Is this really beer?" But after the second sip, you're thinking that whatever you want to call it, it's pretty darn good.

The beer's best quality has gotta be its smell. It smells like orange juice. So if you have a nagging wife or if you want to have a bottle at work, just pour it into a glass and tell people you're drinking healthy orange juice. It'll be our little secret.

Dec 22, 2014