Leinenkugels Special Ale

Brewed by Leinenkugel Brewing Company (MillerCoors)
Style: American Pale Ale
Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin USA

On tap at a Midway Airport bar. Pours a clear dark brown with a small white frothy head. Aroma is mostly malty and toasted bread. Kind of weird for an American Pale ale, seemed more like an amber or brown ale there. There was a small piney hop character but it was very background. Flavor had a lot of caramel and biscuit like notes, with a small but noticeable hop presence that left a lot to be desired. Finished mild and sweet with a hinting bitterness. Light to medium body and sharp carbonation. Just a bland all around beer, help quench the thirst for my Italian beef sandwich though

Coppery pour wuth off white head. Mild orange peel aroma. Some honey and hop could be detected in the taste but it was thin and bland. It was ok.

I can’t imagine this is actually a pale ale. It tasted nothing like a pale ale should. It’s more of a regular ol’ amber ale. The beer pours a dark amber color with a generous off-white head. The head leaves a decent amount of lacing around the edges of the glass. There isn’t much to write home about either the aroma or the flavors. There’s only a trace amount of bread and hops in the nose, and subtle hints of hops, grass, bread and malt in the body. There is absoutely no big hoppy profile that there should be in an APA. The finish is malty and a little sour. This is definitely more of a mediocre amber ale than an APA.

Had this on tap at a bar in Midway airport in Chicago. It was labeled as Leine’s You Special Ale on the tap handle. Deep copper/brown pour with good clarity and an off white film of head. Not much aromatics- some vague watery toasted barley and fruity esters. Light body. The flavor has a touch of metallic character, toast malt notes and some odd hefeweizen like phenols of clove. A bit buttery as well. This is a pale ale? Perhaps it’s another one of their restaurant/bar re-badges that I should be informed of.

Tap at Tag-a-Long Golf Resort in Birchwood, WI, their house beer, made by Leinies, called Tagalong Ale. Nice copper color with a decent white head. Aroma is moderately hoppy. Flavor is similar, very nice hop bite, very good.

Draught @ Cheesburger in Paradise in KC: This one poured a hazy orangish amber color. It had a bit of a white head on it that left minimal lacing. The aroma is lighter but good. Some malts, spices, maybe some orange. The taste is OK, but nothing to write home about. While it wasn’t sweet at all, it needs some more hops to really get it into the Pale Ale category. However, it was quite refreshing and worked well as to where it was sold.

Great amber ale. Asked Brass Rail owner who made it and he told me that Leinenkugles did special for them and even sent them a nice looking tap handle. Enjoyed the taste and had too many leading to a wisconsin princess(6-1, 275) taking me home. All i can say is that I loved the beer.

On Tap at Cheeseburger in Paradise - labeled as "Paradise Beach Ale". Pours a bronzy orange with a thick white head. Aroma of citrus and hop - standard run or the mill ale taste with some hops, citrus and spice - nothing spectacular but decent to wash down a burger. Had 2 of them so it must not have been awful, right?