Leinenkugel’s has a special place in my heart. The pride of Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, was one of the first macrobreweries to trick me into thinking l was drinking a microbrew.

The Miller subsidiary — now a part of the MolsonCoors portfolio — felt exciting and new when I first saw it on tap handles and store shelves in Nashville in 2006. More importantly, the flavors were interesting — lemonade shandy! Berry wheat! — and the beer itself was inexpensive. Not cheap, mind you, but on par with Miller Lite and Coors Light and all the rest of the gas station beers within arm’s reach while seeming a little bit fancier.

Sunset Wheat was the jewel in that crown. So when I felt particularly proud of myself or crappy or just needed some kind of respite, I’d dig down deep for the fanciest looking beer I could afford. $6.99 for a six pack.

This does not sound like a big deal, but my research assistant stipend in grad school paid $425 monthly. A sixer of Leinie’s was nearly two percent of my net income that month. My default at this point had been beers like American — the only beer with a blinding spinal headache in every can — which could be purchased in western Pennsylvania for $6 per case or, when feeling especially fancy, Laser.

God, I miss it. via 40ozmaltliquor

So, Sunset Wheat was important. It was exotic (enough) that it remained a special occasion beer at home. But it was also on tap at most basic bars and sold at the supermarket so it wasn’t hard to find. This was my college drinking sweet spot, and Leinie’s was grooving fastballs down the middle.

Then it went away. Taken off shelves. Retired in 2020 long after I’d moved on to fancier beers. And, like the Choco Taco two years later, I stood shameful in regret, knowing this was at least partially my fault. I hadn’t had a Sunset Wheat in years — maybe a decade.

So when Leinenkugel’s announced it was making a 2022 comeback, I cleared off a space for Sunset Wheat in the Beverage of the Week annals. Will it taste as good as it used to? Or is my brain simply broken by the dopamine of nostalgia?

Turns out, it’s a little of both.

The new round of Sunset Wheat pours with a pillowy white head and, because I am a goon, fluffs up a little too much when you over-excitedly spill it into your glass way too quickly. The blueberry advertised on the can comes through right away, as does a little orange.

The wheat kicks in once you take a sip, but the blueberry and citrus are still front and center. I’ve heard the taste described in the past as “Fruity Pebbles” but I don’t get any Flintstone vibes here. There’s no vague, sugar/fruit flavor; you can tell this is blueberry first, then orange, then wheat.

Between the citrus and the pale wheat that floats in later there’s a Blue Moon vibe. Sunset Wheat’s lightness and berries make it different enough and, to me at least, a little tastier.

The wheat comes out more as you drink it. My last Sunset Wheat was probably a decade ago but I absolutely remember a dry anise/black licorice flavor lurking at the bottom that I really liked. I’m not getting that here, which is a bummer. That added layer of complexity was a selling point for me as a pretentious grad student. I’m not sure how I’m going to signal to new acquaintances that I have no actual thoughts in my brain without it.

The fruit and wheat come together to form a drier sweetness than the old licorice of the past. It’s not a bad thing — and a legit palate cleanser if you’ve been bludgeoning your tongue with hoppy beers — but it’s definitely noticeable. While lots of wheat beers leave a hollow aftertaste you get a full impression of this one even after it’s gone. That’s not a problem for me, but I like sweeter beers.

The thing about a macrobrew like Leinie’s is that you’re not really grading it against all other beers. It’s not going to usurp the local craft brew in your fridge. But in terms of availability you’ll find it just about anywhere and it won’t be expensive. This isn’t up against Firestone Walker or Ale Asylum (RIP) or even Sierra Nevada. It’s up against the rest of the MolsonCoors/InBev portfolio of beers you’d buy from a lonely vertical cooler at the gas station halfway between your office and home.

In that regard, Sunset Wheat is great. It’s a ballpark beer, a cookout beer, a couch beer — an easy pull from the cooler knowing you’ll be able to finish off the can no problem. It’s not the double IPA from that brewery you love upstate and it’s not supposed to be. It’s just supposed to be an easy, drinkable, crowd-pleasing beer with broad appeal.

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