Beer Revisited: Leinenkugel's Creamy Dark
I’ve tried so many beers that I sometimes buy one I’ve reviewed before. Though I have a list of every beer I’ve blogged about, it’s saved on my laptop and not readily available when I’m beer shopping. I have used my phone to search my blog before, but most the time I wing it and turn out to be okay. However, that’s not what happened this weekend.
I reviewed Creamy Dark, brewed by the Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Company of Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, over six years ago, but I thought I would revisit it since I bought it this weekend—and drank the entire six-pack in anticipation of writing about it.
The color looks black but appears to be very dark brown with caramel notes when light passes through it. A finger of light tan, bubble-spotted, buttery, dense head settles slowly and leaves a frothy collar and an even skim.
The aroma is light but has a hint of dark malt. It smells of adjunct malt, but I can’t decide if it’s corn or rice. It smells like lager but has scents of chocolate, toasted malt, caramel, and maple syrup. There may be cherry licorice in there as well.
The flavor is earthy, which is a surprise. It’s weird and hard to pin down exactly. It has a nice bitterness that lingers on the taste buds. There are flavors of milk chocolate, brown sugar, caramel, toasted malt, and a touch of molasses. It’s creamier than your average beer, but I would not call it creamy; it’s definitely not like oatmeal or nitro stout. It’s reminiscent of the schwarbiers from Einbecker and Köstritzer, though those beers have a much more pronounced dark malt character.
Comparison to my 2013 tasting
Most of my aroma and flavor notes are similar to what I wrote in 2013, but I did note a nuttiness that eluded me this time. I also noted “that hairspray aroma” and that it must be a “Minnesota thing,” despite the fact the beer is brewed in Wisconsin. Thankfully, I did not get the hairspray aroma this time. Back in 2013, the beer elicited a “meh”; “It does not get me excited but I suppose it is a decent beer. It is not over the top but does provide nice flavor.” I feel the same way now. I gave it a C+ back then, but feel this tasting deserves a C.
I reviewed Creamy Dark, brewed by the Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Company of Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, over six years ago, but I thought I would revisit it since I bought it this weekend—and drank the entire six-pack in anticipation of writing about it.
The color looks black but appears to be very dark brown with caramel notes when light passes through it. A finger of light tan, bubble-spotted, buttery, dense head settles slowly and leaves a frothy collar and an even skim.
The aroma is light but has a hint of dark malt. It smells of adjunct malt, but I can’t decide if it’s corn or rice. It smells like lager but has scents of chocolate, toasted malt, caramel, and maple syrup. There may be cherry licorice in there as well.
The flavor is earthy, which is a surprise. It’s weird and hard to pin down exactly. It has a nice bitterness that lingers on the taste buds. There are flavors of milk chocolate, brown sugar, caramel, toasted malt, and a touch of molasses. It’s creamier than your average beer, but I would not call it creamy; it’s definitely not like oatmeal or nitro stout. It’s reminiscent of the schwarbiers from Einbecker and Köstritzer, though those beers have a much more pronounced dark malt character.
Comparison to my 2013 tasting
Most of my aroma and flavor notes are similar to what I wrote in 2013, but I did note a nuttiness that eluded me this time. I also noted “that hairspray aroma” and that it must be a “Minnesota thing,” despite the fact the beer is brewed in Wisconsin. Thankfully, I did not get the hairspray aroma this time. Back in 2013, the beer elicited a “meh”; “It does not get me excited but I suppose it is a decent beer. It is not over the top but does provide nice flavor.” I feel the same way now. I gave it a C+ back then, but feel this tasting deserves a C.
