Believe it or not, we just officially crossed into winter last Wednesday, even though it’s felt like it for weeks.
With winter weather comes winter brews, and we were searching for one that’s kind of off the beaten path. Therefore, we went to Area 23 (254 N. State St.), which is always changing up its taps of craft libations.
Catching my eye immediately was the Leinenkugel Cranberry Ginger Shandy. I’ve always been a big Leine guy, and was excited to try something of theirs I’d never had before.
The first sip was very pleasant – light, crisp, fruity, refreshing.
It almost feels like it should be a summer beer – after all, aren’t shandys supposed to be summery? The kicker here is the cranberry, traditionally a fall/winter flavor in the Northeast.
The flavor is vibrant and definitely fruity – those who have nothing but contempt for fruity beers may not like it, but everyone else should. And although it’s a cranberry flavored beer, there’s no bitter bite that raw cranberries have.
If there is ginger in it, it’s a very slight amount – I couldn’t taste any. It’s also light on the alcohol at 4.2 percent by volume, which means it’s easy to put down a few at a time.
If you like bold flavors in the winter, you have to give this a try.
