DRAFT Magazine

We’re waiting for the summer’s first sip of Leinie’s Summer Shandy; perhaps that explains our ambivalence about this brewery’s amber. The aroma has a nice weight to it; caramelized, candy fruitiness fills the nose, but some toasty notes are detectable, too. Unfortunately, the taste doesn’t give as much as the nose promises; these’s not much malt sweetness. Hold the beer on your tongue a bit and some fruitiness emerges, but while those tastes are good, we’re left wanting that sink-into-your-tongue caramel flavor expected in the style. Ultimately, the swallow is too short; the flavor disappears quickly, then smacks back with a bitter finish. We still want our Shandy.