Leapin' Leprechaun Ale

As I said earlier, this past weekend we went to Kingdom City to participate in a Relay for Life Trivia event.  It was a great time, and our team (Mom Drove Us) placed 2nd.  The event was somewhat surreal for me, as it was the first BYOB event I had ever been to like this – Imagine 30 Teams, over 250 Participants and EVERY Table was loaded with Booze and food.

This was our contribution to our table (sorry for the dark pic).

To add to the surrealism – I really didn’t drink that much, as Debi was have a great time socializing AND drinking her Herradura.  It’s not often that I get to be the responsible adult, so I was happy to set up.

When we got home, I thought I would start this review and crack open a Leapin’ Leprechaun (thus getting a jump on March).  My first drink was a little blah and I wasn’t impressed – but it was late and the beer wasn’t as cold as I like it to be….so I tossed it back into the fridge to be picked up later.

Here we are a few days later – and to be honest, my opinion hasn’t changed.

Appearance: The initial pour had a light effervescence that clung slightly to the side of the glass.  Hardly any head, with little retention (more on that in a few minutes). Color was a clear pale yellow that reminded me of some of main stream light beers on the market.

Nose: Scents of grain and grass.  No Character what-so-ever.

Taste: A buttery taste and mouthfeel that was verging up sickening.  There was a citrusy finish, but really nothing in between….unless the basic taste of (grain) alcohol.

As I go into my overall evaluation, I wanted to point out something that happened during the tasting.  If you notice in the first presentation picture above, the light head and slight carbonation.  I wanted to try and capture the yellowness of the beer – so I went to throw a white background underneath.  In the  (less than) minute it took me to get a piece of paper, the beer literally lost all its carbonation.  I was shocked – but not so much once I began drinking.

I really really really wanted to like this beer.  First, I was looking forward to a good Irish beer to lead into St. Patrick’s day with.  Secondly, I loved the logo.  Finally, it’s a Missouri beer and I always cheer for the home team.  

Sadly, this brew is already in contention as worst product of 2012.

It has nothing to do with Ireland (not a red or stout), the taste is bland at best (think watery Michelob Ultra), has nothing going for it (carbonation, nose and taste) and when you go to the companies website, they don’t even list it.  I openly wonder if this is a left over beer from the past that is being trotted out to get rid of stock as we lead into St Patrick’s.

I honestly rate this beer 1/2 Star….and for me, that is pretty bad.  Sadly, avoid at all costs. The only good thing I have to say, is I am glad nobody at the trivia event tried it…..it could have had an impact on my reputation.