(Post Updated 01/16/2024)

If you love breweries and live in the Midwest, chances are you have heard of Jacob Leinenkugel’s Brewing Company. For those that don’t know, Leinenkugel’s has been brewing popular beer since 1867 and is the 7th oldest brewery.

With about 200 breweries in Wisconsin, take a road trip to Chippewa Falls for a Leinenkugel’s Brewery Tour to find out what makes this brewery stand out.

How Many Breweries Are in Wisconsin?

Wisconsites produce a lot of beer! There are around 200 breweries in Wisconsin. Some are nationally known, while others are smaller producers of craft beer.

The reason for all the breweries in Wisconsin is the immigrants, many of them German, who brought their brewing skills and recipes with them as they settled all over the state.

Leinenkugel’s Brewery History

A German immigrant, Jacob Leinenkugel, settled in the Chippewa Falls area bringing the knowledge of his family’s German brewing history and strong work ethic to northern Wisconsin.

Jacob had five brothers who also started breweries in the region, but Jacob Leinenkugel’s was the only brewery to survive Prohibition.

Why Chippewa Falls?

The Chippewa River is approximately 153 miles long. It flows from Lake Chippewa, a reservoir in Sawyer County (near Hayward, WI), through Rusk, Chippewa, Eau Claire, Dunn, Pepin, and Buffalo Counties in Wisconsin before emptying into the Mississippi River.

Set along the free-flowing creek of the Chippewa River and the natural wells of Chippewa Falls, Leinenkugel knew the rich soil would be perfect for growing hops and grains. If you’ve ever been on a brewery tour, you know the source of good beer is good water.

Chippewa Falls, the namesake for its location along the Chippewa River, would be the perfect water source for beer production.

Historically, the Chippewa River was key for lumbering, paper making, and beer production.

Leinenkugel’s Beer

On the Leinenkugel’s Brewery Tour, we learned that they keep their year-round beers and work in seasonal beers. We personally LOVE the Leinenkuge’s Summer Shandy. We’ve yet to find one that competes with the light lemony flavor. Share in the comments if you have a Shandy that you love.

Leinenkugel’s Beer Flavors- Year Round

This list of beers is their year-round flavors

• Leinenkugel’s Original- classic lager with pale malts and cluster hops
• Leinenkugel’s Light- light lager brewed with pale malt, a touch of caramel and red wheat malts
• Northwoods Amber- malt forward amber with Cascade & Cluster hops
• Dark Lager- dark lager with rich, nutty cocoa flavor
• Honey Weiss- traditional American weiss beer with a touch of real Wisconsin honey
• Berry Weiss- weiss beer with natural berry flavors and blackberry juice
• Juicy Peach- tart beer with a sweet flavor of natural peaches
• Lakeside Cherry- cherry lager made with real cherry juice and natural cherry flavor

Leinenkugel’s Beer Flavors- Leinenkugel’s Seasonal Beer Flavors

Here is the lineup of Leinenkuge’s seasonal beer flavors. Our personal favorite is the Leinenkugel Summer Shandy.

• Summer Shandy- weiss beer with natural lemonade flavor
• Grapefruit Shandy- weiss beer with natural grapefruit flavor
• Sunset Wheat- Belgian-style wheat beer with natural blueberry and citrus flavors
• Toasted Bock- Leinenkugel’s take on a traditional bock beer
• Red Lager – remastered Vienna-Style lager dry-hopped with locally sourced Wisconsin hops.
• Honey Lemon Light- 99-calorie lemon-flavored beer with a hint of real honey

Leinenkugel’s Brewery has nationwide distribution due to being bought by Miller Brewing Company in 1988. You can likely purchase Leinenkugel’s Beer at your local liquor store in any of the United States.

Don’t worry; Leinenkugel’s Brewing Company started in 1867 and still feels like a local brewery. Leinenkugel’s beer is brewed in Chippewa Falls and 10th Street Brewery in Milwaukee. They’ve also begun being in Ft. Worth to keep up with demand.

Where is Leinenkugel’s Brewing Company?

Leinenkugel’s Brewing Company is located in northern Wisconisn in Chippewa Falls, WI.

How Far is Chippewa Falls, WI from:

Should You Take a Leinenkugel’s Brewing Brewery Tour?

The Jacob Leinengugel’s Brewery Tour is a must for anyone who loves craft beer. This brewery is the 7th oldest still in operation in the United States and is open year-round to visitors.

Basic Leinenkugel’s Tour

The Leinenkugel’s Brewery tour we were on lasted about 45 minutes from start to finish and cost just $5. The tour concludes with five beer tastings in Leine’s Lodge and a souvenir-tasting glass to take home.

Inside the Leine’s Lodge, you’ll find a spacious lodge with a taproom, a large gift shop, and a historical museum with photos and old brewing equipment you can learn about.

Below is the original water source for the brewery. This is known as Big Eddy.

The grounds and buildings are beautiful. The tour we were on took us into one building, the actual brewery. Our tour guide was very knowledgeable, providing some history of the brewery before we watched the magic happen in the brewery area.

One thing we love about brewery tours is employees walking by the tour, as is the case on most tours because they’re working breweries. They love to chime in on the tours, and seeing their passion for the beer, they help make the tour fun. That was the case on this tour!

Back at Leine Lodge- The Lenenkugel Store

The Leinie Lodge is quite beautiful, nestled next to the Chippewa River. This is the hub of the brewery and where tours start and end. Visitors do not have to take a tour to shop and peruse the Leine Lodge.

The Leine Lodge has a beautiful, inviting interior with space at the bar to sit while you sip. There is also a large outdoor patio that overlooks the Chippewa River. This is a great place to sit and relax while enjoying a cold Leinkugel beer.

You can also purchase canned or bottled beer to take home as the ultimate Leinenkugel’s Brewery Tour souvenir.

Great Atmosphere at Leine Lodge

Our bartender, John, was attentive to all customers, took the time to answer our questions, and recommended where to get a bite to eat afterward. The service we had from John and other employees we encountered was fantastic. It’s quite obvious the employees love working at the Leine’s Lodge.

This is a clever combination of Leinenkugel’s beer that can be combined in the taproom. The combinations are based on what’s on tap during your visit.

Leinenkugel’s Brewery Tour Tickets

Various Leinenkugel’s Brewery tours are available, ranging from $15 to $60. They all look awesome, including an option to take a Leinenkugel’s Brewery tour with Matt Leinenkugel. For other tours, click here

Taking a Leinenkugel’s Brewery Tour? Consider These Lodging Options

We stayed at and recommend this hotel in Eau Claire. It was very nice and clean and just 16 miles from Leinenkugel’s Brewery. It was very nice and clean and included free breakfast. Here are other hotels in Eau Claire, WI. This luxury hotel is on our list for our next visit.

Tour another superb brewery, New Glarus Brewing Company, in Madison, WI. If you love brewania hop on the Great River Road and head to Potosi Brewing Company & National Beer Museum