Bah-ney! My Leinenkugel's!

Ah, the dog days of summer. There's nothing better on a muggy Midwest afternoon than kicking back in your plastic Adirondack chair with a frosty bottle of fresh wheat beer, maybe with a subtle hint of citrus mixed in.

We've been a fan of Sam Adams Summer Ale for a long time, but this year we thought we'd mix things up and grab a sixer of Leinenkugel's Sunset Wheat.

And sure enough, we've still got a few bottles left chilling in the Big Yellow Nasty. Not to say that it's a bad beer, it's just - well - unique.

Here's how they describe it:

If you've ever experienced a Northwoods sunset, you know it's a moment unlike any other. So instead of putting it into words, we captured the Northwoods' finest moment in every batch of our all-new Leinenkugel's Sunset Wheat. Brewed with malted wheat, Cluster hops and natural coriander, Sunset Wheat has a soothing taste that will leave you speechless. It's like your very own sunset in a bottle.

A description worthy of J. Peterman, to be sure, yet we may have described it differently:

If you've ever experienced a sugar rush during Saturday morning cartoons, you know it's a moment unlike any other. So instead of putting it into words, we've captured Post's finest cereal in every batch of our all-new Leinenkugel's Sunset Wheat. Packed with 25 percent of your recommended daily allowance of riboflavin and as much fiber as Cheerios, Fruity Pebbles has a soothing taste that will leave you saying "Yabba Dabba Doo!" until your little buddy tries to steal your bowl. Sunset Wheat is like Fruity Pebbles in a bottle.

Yes, while Fruity Pebbles is a flavor that may seem inappropriate for a premium beer, we can't help feeling nostalgic as every sip brings us to the days of seeing this commercial like five times an hour:



It's a refreshing beer for a bottle or two, but after a while the overwhelming sweetness serves as a nagging reminder that even your best friends will sell you out eventually. Sometimes it's about money. Sometimes a girl. But usually, it's cereal. Did Fred and Barney ever get along?



What happened? The Fruity Pebbles got fruiter. The Cocoa Pebbles more chocolatey. And somehow - and we're not kidding - the cereal got as much fiber as Cheerios. Managing your cholesterol is important, especially when your diet consists mainly of brontosaurus ribs.

Alas, the two once-inseparable pals may never cease their breakfast bickering.

Those sweet, sticky summer days turn brisk now as the leaves become raspberry red, orangey orange and lemony yellow (yeah, we know that's Trix; Pebbles is more of a multi-colored ambiguously fruity mush). Gone with the Indian summer, Leinenkugel's Sunset Wheat has faded from the store shelves, replaced with darker ales to celebrate Oktoberfest.

And later, when the snow falls, we hope we may open the cooler and find another straggling bottle of Sunset Wheat. Perhaps we'll find it in our hearts to share it with a good friend.