All too often, I find that brewers like to hide the style of beer that they use. This is especially true in something like a Shandy where it theoretically doesn't matter as much. After all, you just want the essence of the beer mixed in with some lemon and sugar. In this case, however, we are told that this is a wheat ale. It seems to me that a wheat would actually be the perfect kind of beer to mix with lemonade. Often, a wheat is accompanied by a lemon wedge or an orange wedge or something similar when you get one at a bar. If the wheat ale needs lemon, adding lemonade might really make a good beverage. I applaud Goose Island for making this choice. And I say that before I even try this damn beer.
One of the downsides of shandies is their nature of looking like dirty dishwater. This one is not any different than the others in that regard. This will produces a little more head than others of its ilk, and it retains at least some head around the sides of the glass with a bare center. The aroma is, as you might expect, grains mixed with lemons. It's a lot heavier in lemons than a normal beer would be, but this is really supposed to be lemony, isn't it? So, let's get to sippin'.First sip reminds me of what I do and do not like about shandies. This has a sweet lemony taste mixed with a nice, solid grain. I like that quite a bit. And then there's the aftertaste. It's all wheat husks and tart mixed with unwarranted bitterness. I can only assume, based on my very few tested shandies, that these things are really intended to be drunk with spirit. I haven't tried one of these that I thought was good sipping. This one is no exception.
Tip-in is sweetness with lemons quietly in tow - if it weren't for the carbonation just hanging at the edges, I wouldn't know this was anything other than lemonade. The center of the beer is unpleasant; the grains are not mixing well with the sugar, and the lemon is just annoying as it clings on. The finish doesn't improve things very much, but at least it's not as bad as it was in the sip.
Bottom Line: I'm not a fan. Not even on a hot day.
0.75/5