Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Co

If you are in the area this is a worthwhile place to see, especially if you like beer. I’m not a huge Miller fan (SABMiller owns Leinenkugel) but here at the Lodge you can taste some decent beers actually over and above the mass-​market American swill they sell in most liquor stores.
The gift shop is huge with lots of interesting items and many good gift ideas. They have a brewery tour as well, and samples of many different types of beer than you are accustomed to from Leinie.
This place is a short trip from Eau Claire in Chippewa Falls and worth the trip if you want to take the tour, taste some decent beer, and check out the huge store. The brewery was founded in 1867 so there is some history here, and the store does have some good historical items if you are into that type of thing.

The tour is free; it’s mildly interesting and fast paced. I thought it was more of a ‘show & tell’ (‘see these big vats? Here’s what’s in them’) rather than anything educational, the science behind beer, etc, or historical– it only briefly mentioned the people the beer is named after. But the ending made up for it. At the end, all the kids who went on the tour (and anyone who didn’t want a beer) got a little, tiny bit of Coke to drink, in a tiny cup. All the adults, (who all drove there from other, far away locations) got a HUGE glass of beer, any kind they wanted to sample, which I found absolutely, hysterically funny. Only in WI! I guess now they charge for the beers at the end, which doesn’t make the difference in amounts any less funny.

We had a great time. Couldn’t do the tour, but that just means we’ll have to come back. Loved the tasting.

This was my first brewery tour and I’m glad it was. The history and professionalism behind the tour was great. I would like to give a shoutout to Terry, knowledgable tour guide with corny jokes.
Showed up with a group of nine and we only had to wait 20 minutes or so, which was great because it allowed for some sampling before the tour and then we had a few drinks left for after the tour.
I’m a fairly new beer drinker but there was a wide variety of light, dark and flavored beers available to try which helped me learn what I like.
I’d give it a five star but I’ve never been on any other brewery tours to compare it to. Also it’s $ 5, can’t beat that.

We stopped by at Leinies after attending my sister-​in-​laws graduation at UW-​Eau Claire. We got there around noon and were able to get on a tour almost right away. The tour was a lot of fun, the guide was funny and entertaining. After the tour (which was $ 5) we got 5+1 tastes each, which was plenty to get a good overview of the different beers they had on tap.

You can’t beat the price of $ 5 for 5 decent-​sized samples of beer, a keepsake glass, and a tour of the facilities. Our tour guide, Ethan, was funny and personable and the tour was pretty thorough and informational. The Leinie Lodge is the sample bar, museum, and giant gift shop all in one. It was very prettily decorated for Christmas and the mini-​museum had a neat collection of beer steins, memorabilia, and historic pieces from Chippewa Falls and the brewery’s past. The souvenirs are surprisingly well priced and varied, so you’re bound to find something. They also have a lot of beer-​related food items and a make-​your-​own 6 pack stall (a bit pricier that expected at $ 11) so you can take home some of their harder-​to-​find or seasonal bottles and cans. The only disappointment was the souvenir photo stall was $ 20 for a set of three, but they have a lot of fun props. It would be great if you have a larger group but for just me and my friend, it didn’t seem worth it. There are plenty of places to take your own photos.
Totally worth the drive from Minneapolis. Fun and cheap day trip!

Wasn’t really a huge fan of the tour (compared to many brewery tours they don’t show you too much and no photos permitted), BUT the lodge and tasting room is fantastic. You can sample five small beers (included with the tour, or for $ 5/​pp) in the Leinie Lodge and they even offer a variety of ‘mixed beers’, where you might have two complimentary beers mixed. Don’t knock it until you’ve tried it! The Lodge offers a wide variety of Leinenkugel swag, from clothing to food to beer. Don’t miss while in Chippewa Falls.

Truly a landmark of the Chippewa Valley! I have gone on the tour with friends and family too many times to count and it still is exciting every time to see the brewery. It is one of the familiar comforts to pass it whenever I come home for the holidays. The Leinie Lodge is great for a visit, either if you are simply waiting for the tour or trying out some of the new and exciting new beers.

The Leinie Lodge is always a great place to come to and enjoy great beer and company. Leinenkugel has the best beer in the nation. We travel the country and taste beer across the us and none can compare. The lodge itself is a warm comfortable fun place to spend time. The prices are great and the staff is always amazing!

We really enjoyed our trip to the Leinie’s Brewery! A few quick notes:
*Maybe its just because I’m directionally challenged, but I felt like the parking lot area for the Lodge could have been better marked. We drove passed it the first time!
*The only food they have onsite are delicious, (but not hot) soft German pretzels. We were here on a Saturday, so it did look like the ran out, at least temporarily, during the mid-​afternoon rush.
*The brewery is not in operation Friday-​Sunday, so while you can still tour and see the equipment and the space, you don’t see it actually working and making beer.
*The staff is awesome! The bartenders at the sample bar are so fun! Even when they were swamped, they were still making small talk with the customers!

When in Rome… I wanted to see what this little microbrewery who has recently sold off to Miller was all about. For $ 5, I got 5 5oz samples from the ‘bar’ and the tour. I enjoyed the mixing and matching of beers suggested. My favorite was the berry weisse mixed with the creamy dark ale. The tour was below average. The tour guide read off of her book without a care in the world and her ‘jokes’ weren’t her own. We looked at a bunch of equipment squished into old buildings and a learned a little history of the family. Nothing I didn’t know before the tour. But hey, I go on a lot of brewery tours. Later, I found out Summer Shandy is made off site. Makes sense.
The gift shop had every Leinenkugal accessory anyone could ever want and was very expensive. Glad I visited. Probably won’t be back.

Tours are always fantastic (and free). Beautiful campus. If you’re lucky enough to make it to the annual family reunion, you will never be disappointed. Only complaint… NO RECYCLING :(
$ 5 for a wristband to let you try a few samples isn’t a bad deal (except when you learn it used to be free hehe) the bartenders are friendly and offer the best recommendations, even when they are busy. It’s cool because by mixing together some of the beers, you create a whole new concoction (which they can help you with). Leinie’s can get packed so beware and plan accordingly! Take a walk to downtown Chippewa since you’re in the area, love this city.

Great tour until we got into the gift shop. We saw a flyer posted everywhere starting if we spent $ 30, we would get a free fishing lure. We grabbed a lure that looked exactly like the one on the flyer. When we took it to the register, we were told it was a different lure and they are out. She said it was while supplies last. I checked the flyer and «while supplies last» was nowhere in the flyer. I told her they should remove the flyer then and she said nothing. Pretty shady business practice.

Interesting tour. Five samples for $ 5 at the Leinie Lodge. Fun to sample beers not sold in our home state.

Our Team of Four thought the tour/​beersampling was fairly priced. For $ 5 you get Five 5 ounce samples, or for $ 5 you can get a TOUR and Five 5 ounce samples… take your pic.
Keeps the riff raff (people who only want FREE beer, repeatedly) out and back to Minnesota eh. Good place to drink on a SUNDAY. Amen.
Meg & Jim even MIXED some of the beer tastings, for those of us, not me, who liked that shandy thing. (some of the rest of us are still burping grapefruit, ick). I preferred the Leinie original (Chippewa Falls), Creamy something, Red ale and the HOPPY IPL. Thank You Jim and your younger daughter Meg, for your fun pictures of us and more. What? MAGIC?
Lots of gift shop items, better than usual.
Tour was about 45 minutes, perfect.
Get your Wisconsin Beer Tour Visa punched here.

In the past 10-​ish years or so I’ve been here twice, and a third time this past weekend so things have changed just a bit about this place. Previously the tour and tasting was free, but now the tour is free, tastings are 5 for $ 1.00 and you get to keep the glass. Great Deal!
I did both the tour and tasting this past Saturday afternoon with my mom and cousin. We had to wait about 25 minutes for the next tour but that was ok as we started our tasting in the meantime. The tasting bar can get pretty crowded, especially after a tour lets out. You get a pretty decent size sample of each beer so it’s really not necessary to stand AT the bar to drink it, especially when the place is crowded and people are waiting to get in there. The staff behind the bar are great… I didn’t have to wait very long, they were super quick and friendly. There are also a variety of beers to choose from.
One tip is — if you know you want to do this tour, definitely call and book your tour in advance, because it gets crowded. We probably spent a little too much time here but we got a great tour, got to try some decent beers, and even left with souvenirs. I signed up on their mailing list/​club during a previous visit so given that I was able to walk out of there with a free 6-​pack of Oktoberfest with my purchase! Score!!!
Also, I got a reusable Leinenkugel bag because I spent over $ 50.
I walked out very satisfied :)
I highly recommend going to this place. It’s probably the best of the brewery tours I’ve been on!

Ive been to a lot of breweries but this one is pretty cool. A ton or merch on sale which I get but free tasting of 5 beers is awesome and also one of the best pretzels Ive ever eaten sour dough and de lish it wasn’t warm but it was good. I would definitely come back The tour rocks too

I’ve done this tour twice and both times its been very informative. This time our tour guide told us where to buy the new shandys coming out. So of course we headed over there to cash in and take it back to IL, it felt like it was a recreation of Smoky and the Bandit… ok well I thought so :)
My only complaint and might be a teeny tiny one is the lack of beers on tap in the tasting room. With all the beers the create up there you’d think they’d at least have the new shandy’s for everyone to try.
Over all… another nice pit stop.

I enjoyed my visit here, but I’m deducting stars for the inability to take pictures. Seriously? Half the time I look back at my pictures to help write reviews. Plus I want to have pictures, anyway, like any other person. So needless to say, this will be very short and sweet.
The tour is interesting, and overall I saw a lot more as far as production goes, as opposed to the Miller Brewery tour (but you are allowed to take pictures there). It’s free, so that’s a plus. So are the samples. Well, you DO pay $ 1 for the glass for sampling, but you get to keep it as a souvenir. So that’s that.
Our guide was friendly, enthusiastic. She gave us a complete rundown of the history of the company. She also explained the beer making process from start to finish, and we witnessed same. The tours last anywhere from 45 minutes to an hour; I’d say ours was just a little over 45 minutes.
The Leinie Lodge has anything and everything with the Leinenkugel’s name and logo on it. From dog collars to Christmas lights, and everything in between, you’ll find something to spend your money on.
Make sure you eat before or after the tour, as the only food offered are giant pretzels for $ 3.

First of all, the tour is free. And, so are the 5 beer samples. I think that alone is worthy of five stars.
But, when you add in the midwest charm – how NICE everyone is, even when there are unruly guests in the lodge, you realize how lucky you are they aren’t charging.