Summer Shandy

I am just getting started with home brewing and I am hoping to brew a couple of good summer brews. I am looking for suggestions for good summer beers as well as help finding a recipe for making a Leinnies Summer Shandy clone. Any help is greatly appreciated!

Cheers

oze152,
This is whaty I came up with for an extract version of the Shandy. I plan on brewing it this weekend.

Adirondack Lake Wheat
Style: American Wheat OG: 1.044
Type: Extract FG: 1.011
Rating: 4.0 ABV: 4.32 %
Calories: 144 IBU's: 13.27
Efficiency: 70 % Boil Size: 5.57 Gal
Color: 4.9 SRM Batch Size: 5.00 Gal
Boil Time: 60 minutes
________________________________________

Fermentation Steps
Name Days / Temp
Primary 14 days @ 67.0°F
Bottle/Keg 14 days @ 67.0°F

Grains & Adjuncts
Amount Percentage Name Time Gravity
2.00 lbs 33.33 % Wheat Dry Extract 60 mins 1.044
3.00 lbs 50.00 % Pilsner Liquid Extract 60 mins 1.036
1.00 lbs 16.67 % Pale Malt (2 Row) US 60 mins 1.036 Steep for 20 MIN

Hops
Amount IBU's Name Time AA %
0.50 ozs 13.27 Cluster 60 mins 7.00

Yeasts
Amount Name Laboratory / ID
1.00 pkg American Wheat Ale Wyeast Labs 1010

Additions
Amount Name Time Stage
1.00 oz Lemon Peel 15 mins Boil
1.00 oz Orange/Peel 15 mins Boil
3.00 lb Lemons 01 weeks Keg
__________________
Drink Beer and Be Happy

Primary: Donkey Breath IPA
Secondary: Caribou Slobber
Kegeace Coffee Stout Porter

Thanks Basset,

That looks very similar to a recipe I had found earlier for a honey-weiss, with the addition of the orange and lemon zest. I think I will give that one a try.

I made one this winter using about 6 pounds of wheat extract. I also used the cluster hops but added sorachi ace at flame out for the lemon aroma. I split it between 1010 and 1056. 1056 is closer now that I have compared it to a real summer shandy. And the key for me was adding lemonade kool aid mix to taste once fermentation slows.

Isn't Shandy blended with carbonated lemonade at bottling rather than adding the flavor during fermentation?

Yes it is but they are also using filtered beer. If you were to add straight lemonade to an unfiltered beer the yeast would eat up the sugars changing the profile.

I was thinking about using a lager yeast since I know that is what Leinekugels uses. I have the capability to ferment at 40-55 degrees for the next month or so. Any thoughts on using the lager yeast over the American Ale yeast (1056)....

Update: I bottled the shandy on Friday 4/27 and at bottling, it was VERY sour! The lemonade was overpowering, I may have used too much during secondary fermentation. Hoping it will mellow during carbonation and further lagering.

Time heals all wounds when it comes to beer. I've done a few beers and a mead with Orange/Lemon and it takes quite a while for citrus to mellow out. You may want to consider brewing another batch and blend.

You can always add real lemonade to kegged beer once you have cold crashed it then carbonate together... If bottling you may want to let it ferment for just 2-3 days and then cold crash to stop fermenting and carbing... Leiny's Summer Shandy is not very carbonated...

stbnj said:

Yes it is but they are also using filtered beer. If you were to add straight lemonade to an unfiltered beer the yeast would eat up the sugars changing the profile.

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Here's the key. But as someone pointed out, you could add carbonated lemonade prior to kegging and refridgerate. I want to try this next spring as my wife and especially sister in law in TX are big fans. I was thinking 4 gallons of plain jane wheat beer with 1 gallon of carbonated lemondade. If someone figures out the best ratio beforehand that would be ideal. Mini batches could allow it to be tested with different ratios.

I have a Sunset Wheat clone thats about ready to be tapped also. It tasted okay when I racked to the keg with blueberry extract, but it's not quite the same. Remember that Leinies uses a lager yeast strain in all of their wheat beers, so you will get a different taste profile. I used a german wheat strain which gives it a much more tart finish.

solbes said:

Here's the key. But as someone pointed out, you could add carbonated lemonade prior to kegging and refridgerate. I want to try this next spring as my wife and especially sister in law in TX are big fans. I was thinking 4 gallons of plain jane wheat beer with 1 gallon of carbonated lemondade. If someone figures out the best ratio beforehand that would be ideal. Mini batches could allow it to be tested with different ratios.

I have a Sunset Wheat clone thats about ready to be tapped also. It tasted okay when I racked to the keg with blueberry extract, but it's not quite the same. Remember that Leinies uses a lager yeast strain in all of their wheat beers, so you will get a different taste profile. I used a german wheat strain which gives it a much more tart finish.

Click to expand...

I would love to have the sunset wheat clone if you could send that to me. I did use lager yeast and cluster hops which i was told lenies uses. The lemony flavor has mellowed some but there is hardly any carbonation at this point. Hoping it will carb up some with a little more time. I used lemon flavored kool aid packets in my secondary and by the time it has finished i think it will be pretty good. It has taken much longer than i hoped however.

Cool, anxious to hear how it turns out. The sunset wheat beer could be good or bomb. If it works I'll send the recipe off to you. I also used cluster hops, but I think a whole oz spread out over FWH, 60 min, and 45 minute addition was still too much. Won't know for sure until we try the chilled and carbonated version which should be late next week.

I did a "clone" of their honeyweiss as well and used an ounce of cluster with pretty good results I thought.

Well that's reassuring, no way to remove bitterness once its brewed. My wife and I did not kick the Irish Red keg last night, so there will be a little delay in getting the Sunset Wheat tapped. I feel like such a failure. It was a keg that kept on giving.

Might want a honeyweiss recipe too. What lager strain are you using?

Not running out of beer in your keg is never a bad thing! I can get you the honeyweiss recipe later today I think. I used WYeast 2112, California Lager, at the recommendation of my LHBS.

Here is the honeyweiss recipe I used. It was a 10 gallon batch with a 5 gallon boil.

7 lbs. Wheat LME
7 lbs. Pilsen LME
2 oz. Cluster for 60 minutes
2 lbs. Honey at flameout
WYeast 2112

I fermented at 56* for 19 days then transferred to secondary and lagered at about 38* for 18 days before 48 hour diacetyl rest at 68* then bottled.

I thought Berryweiss, Honeyweiss and Summer Shandy are all the same base beer with flavoring additives added in the secondary fermentation. I don't remember who I heard it from, but it was a credible source. I think it may have been one of the leine brewers.

jusware said:

I thought Berryweiss, Honeyweiss and Summer Shandy are all the same base beer with flavoring additives added in the secondary fermentation. I don't remember who I heard it from, but it was a credible source. I think it may have been one of the leine brewers.

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I believe you are right. I brewed the honeyweiss and summer shandy with the same base recipe. Added lemonade flavored kool aid to the secondary on the shandy.

Sorry, got to say it; you cannot brew a shandy.
It's no go. As another member pointed out, it is a mix of lemonade and beer.
If you arder it in a pub in the UK it will be about 50/50. OR you can even buy cans of shandy in local corner shops called "Shandy Bass" which surprisingly enough are cans of small amounts of Bass and lots of pop, at about 1% alch. Kids can buy it.

To the OP - you may want to do some searching for Steigl Radler clones as well - those are a bit more internationally widespread, and are the inspiration for leine's shandy... IMHO, they are more refreshing, too

Oze,

I had promised earlier to give you the Sunset Wheat recipe I used. We tapped it last night and it was a big hit with the wife. I thought it was a pretty good beer to drink after mowing the lawn too. The hops were perfect, the blueberry and corriander/orange flavors were spot on. The issues were the color (very pale pink) and the extra tartness from the WY3333 German Wheat yeast. A neutral ale yeast fermented cool, Kolsch, or lager yeast might be a little closer to the real deal.

Recipe is for a 5.75 gallon batch that racked ~5 gallons to a keg. 1.044 OG, 1.005 FG, 5.3%:

4.5 lbs Red malted wheat
4.3 lbs Rahr 2 Row barley
1/4 lb Carapils
0.5 oz Crushed Corriander
1 orange peel with pith removed (zested)
1 lb frozen blueberries
2 oz blueberry extract

.6 oz Cluster (6.8% AAU) First Wort Hop
.2 oz Cluster 60 min
.2 oz Cluster 45 min (Est 17 IBU)

I threw the orange peel into the boil in the last 5 minutes. Corriander went into the boil with 1 minute left. I primaried for a week (most of the fermentation had completed) before adding crushed frozen blueberries. Primaried for another week and racked into keg. Added priming sugar and the 2 oz of blueberry extract.

mwdoher said:

To the OP - you may want to do some searching for Steigl Radler clones as well - those are a bit more internationally widespread, and are the inspiration for leine's shandy... IMHO, they are more refreshing, too

Click to expand...

Just had Sam Adams version of the radler called porch rocker, pretty good and IMHO better than leine's shandy. As a side note I used to love sunset wheat till somebody told me it taste like fruity pebbles, now I just can't get that out of my head while drinking it.

Solbes - thanks for the recipe, I am definitely going to be making this one soon as a good summer/lawnmower beer.

I will be on the lookout for Steigl Radler and Sam Adams Porch Rocker as well, I always love trying new beers, and I have never heard of either. Thanks guys!

I've never understood the Sunset Wheat ---> Fruity Pebbles reference. The two don't taste alike in my mind. Yes Sunset Wheat is a fruity wheat beer, but there are a lot of fruity wheat beers out there. Me likey.

My shandy was gone in 6 days with 4 gallons drunk by 4 guys in one sitting... I kegged 4 gallons for 2 days at 38* and then added 1 gallon of Simply Lemonade... Carbonated together and it was perfect... Better than Leinies from my report... I used Wyeast Kolsch however...

Well after 2.5 months, my shandy experiment is finally complete, and it came out pretty close to what I was looking for. Not exactly a clone of Leinies, but it tasted great!

Brew day was 3/24, racked to secondary on 4/10 and lagered in the fridge until 4/25. 48 hour diacetyl rest then bottled. Took over a month to carbonate, but I tried one last night and the lemonade flavor definitely mellowed out to provide a good mix of flavors.

Sorry...I posted this on a "new" thread, but meant to post it here.


A while back I was challenged by a co-worker to make a Leinenkugel Summer Shandy clone. I did some searching on this site and found two threads that were helpful. https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f66/extract-sheries-summer-shandy-289981/
and https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f14/summer-shandy-recipe-co2-volumes-306522/

I based my recipe off of the information from those threads and I did just a 1 gallon test batch to start.

Extract
Ingredients:
1 lbs. Breiss Pilsen Light DME
4 oz. Breiss Bavarian Wheat DME
0.3 oz. Wilamette Hops (4.9%) @ 30min.
0.2 oz. Wilamette Hops (4.9%) @ 10min.
US-04 Safale Ale Yeast (5g)
OG=1.051

Added 1.25 gal to boil kettle heated it up, threw in the DME, brought to a boil and added the hops as described above. Let it sit in the fermenter for 2 weeks (watch it cause I needed a blow-off tube with the small head space in the 1 gallong jug). I bottled with 21g of table sugar and 4g of Kool-Aid lemonade mix (no sugar added). http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001IZI8FA/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20
FG=1.012
I wanted to use that TruLemon stuff, but couldn't find it anywhere.
Let it carb up for 2 weeks in the closet (over 70F). Got 9 full 12 oz bottles.

After 2 weeks I put one in the fridge for 12 hours and tried it. Very good! A little strong on the lemon flavor (will scale back the lemonade mix next time). But crisp, nicely carbed, very refreshing. Not a perfect clone of Leinenkugels, but I am very pleased with the results. The recipe is stupid easy, fast, and cheap. So mission success IMO.

Just thought I'd post this in case someone else is looking for a shandy clone.

solbes said:

I've never understood the Sunset Wheat ---> Fruity Pebbles reference. The two don't taste alike in my mind. Yes Sunset Wheat is a fruity wheat beer, but there are a lot of fruity wheat beers out there. Me likey.

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I am of the thought that it tastes exactly like fruity pebbles.

jyarby said:

My shandy was gone in 6 days with 4 gallons drunk by 4 guys in one sitting... I kegged 4 gallons for 2 days at 38* and then added 1 gallon of Simply Lemonade... Carbonated together and it was perfect... Better than Leinies from my report... I used Wyeast Kolsch however...

Click to expand...

I do something very similar, but brew 4.5 gallons and only add 2 qts of simply lemonade. I use am wheat yeast. It's a favorite amongst my friends and family and they also think it's better than leinie's.

bchurch said:

Just had Sam Adams version of the radler called porch rocker, pretty good and IMHO better than leine's shandy. As a side note I used to love sunset wheat till somebody told me it taste like fruity pebbles, now I just can't get that out of my head while drinking it.

Click to expand...

I just had the Sam Adams Porch Rocker too, and it is phenomenal. I wish I could have a never ending supply.

I refuse to drink the summer shandy, I just don't like it. But I love the Porch Rocker

I have never found a bottled shandy which was remotely as good as beer mixed with lemonade right before serving. I doubt you could brew a good shandy.

jyarby said:

My shandy was gone in 6 days with 4 gallons drunk by 4 guys in one sitting... I kegged 4 gallons for 2 days at 38* and then added 1 gallon of Simply Lemonade... Carbonated together and it was perfect... Better than Leinies from my report... I used Wyeast Kolsch however...

Click to expand...

What recipe did you use for your base beer?