Leinenkugel's Limited Golden Lager 6Pk

Leinenkugel's Limited Golden Lager 6Pk is a premium American lager from Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, brewed at 4.94% ABV and sold in a six-pack of 12 oz bottles. This expression earned a Gold Medal at the 1993 Great American Beer Festival in the Premium Lager category, cementing its reputation as one of the more distinguished mainstream lagers of its era. Note that this beer is a discontinued product — it was retired from regular production around 2000 and last resurfaced briefly in 2008, making any remaining stock exceptionally scarce.

Quick Facts: ABV: 4.94%  |  Origin: Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, USA  |  Style: Premium American Lager  |  Brewery: Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Company

Production & Heritage

Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Company was founded in 1867 in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, and remains one of the oldest continuously operating breweries in the United States. Limited Golden Lager was slow-brewed using a blend of four select barley malts — Caramel, Munich, Carapils, and Pale — hopped with aromatic Cluster and bittering Cascade varieties. The beer was aged longer than the majority of American lagers, a production choice that yielded a smoother, more developed malt character than typical premium lagers. In 1995, the brewery renamed the product Northwoods Lager to signal year-round availability, though it ultimately entered hibernation around 2000 before a limited 2008 revival.

Tasting Notes

Aroma: Biscuit-forward barley malt dominates the nose, supported by a gentle undercurrent of floral and grassy hop character from the Cascade addition. The overall impression is clean and inviting without excessive sweetness.

Taste: The palate opens with a surprisingly hoppy front end that lands somewhere between a standard lager and a restrained pale ale. Mid-palate, the four-malt backbone asserts itself with toasty, biscuity grain notes and a touch of caramel warmth. The blend mellows into a classic lager crispness that balances the initial hop bite.

Finish: Medium-short and clean, with a lingering trace of hop bitterness that keeps the beer from feeling flat. The overall effect is smooth and drinkable, encouraging another sip without fatigue.

How to Drink Golden Lager

Golden Lager is best served cold in a pilsner glass or standard pint, where its hazy golden color and carbonation are most visible. Its balanced malt-hop profile also makes it a capable beer for simple mixed serves. A Shandy works well here — the malt sweetness pairs naturally with fresh lemonade. A Michelada benefits from the hop backbone, which stands up to lime, hot sauce, and Worcestershire. A straightforward Boilermaker alongside a pour of bourbon highlights the shared caramel grain notes between beer and whiskey.

Best For

• Collectors seeking discontinued regional American lagers
• Pairing with summer cookouts and smoked meats
• Sharing with craft beer enthusiasts interested in 1990s brewing history
• Exploring the Leinenkugel's back catalog beyond their current seasonal lineup

Frequently Asked Questions

What does Golden Lager taste like? Leinenkugel's Golden Lager has a hoppy front end that mellows into a biscuity, toasty malt body before finishing clean and crisp. It drinks like a cross between a standard premium lager and a restrained American pale ale.

How does Golden Lager compare to other Leinenkugel's beers? Golden Lager was hoppier and more malt-complex than the brewery's flagship Original, owing to its four-malt bill and extended aging process. It occupied a premium tier closer to craft-forward lagers rather than the lighter, sessionable styles Leinenkugel's is best known for today.

Is Golden Lager good for sipping on its own? Yes — at 4.94% ABV with a smooth, multi-grain character and moderate hop presence, it was designed as a standalone drinking lager that rewarded attention more than most beers in its category.

Where is Golden Lager made? It was brewed at the Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Company in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, a facility that has been operating since 1867 in the Chippewa River Valley.

What foods pair well with Golden Lager? Grilled bratwurst benefits from the malt sweetness cutting through the fat. Smoked cheddar echoes the toasty grain notes. Fried fish finds a counterpoint in the hop bitterness. A simple garden salad with vinaigrette complements the beer's crisp finish. Roasted chicken thighs pair well with the caramel malt undertone.

What sizes does Golden Lager come in? Leinenkugel's Limited Golden Lager was primarily available in six-packs of 12 oz bottles during its production runs.

Is Golden Lager worth the price? As a discontinued beer last produced in limited quantities in 2008, any remaining stock carries collector or novelty value beyond its original positioning as a premium-tier American lager, which was priced competitively against imports like Molson and Labatt rather than craft brands.

Why Golden Lager?

Leinenkugel's Limited Golden Lager earned a Gold Medal at the 1993 Great American Beer Festival in the Premium Lager category — a significant achievement that validated its four-malt, dual-hop recipe against national competition. The extended aging process set it apart from the quick-turn production common among American lagers of its era, delivering a malt depth that reviewers consistently noted as exceptional for the style. Its discontinuation has made it a minor cult item among collectors of regional Wisconsin brewing history. For anyone fortunate enough to locate remaining stock, this is a genuine artifact of a period when mid-size American breweries were beginning to push the boundaries of what a mainstream lager could be.