Crack open a @Leinenkugel's as we share a little love story for Valentine's Day! Meet Jennifer Hensley, the Manager of the Leinie Lodge and her husband, former brew master at Leinenkugel's, John Hensley! It means so much to us to know some of your love stories have started over a Leinie's or you met at the @LeinieLodge in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, if you've got a good one - reach out to us on social, we'd love to share it! Make the Lodge a stop on Valentine's Day to enjoy Cranberry Ginger Shandy only here & local live music. Cheers to a season of love, lagers, enjoying life and making memories with Leinie's with those who mean the most! 🍺 💕

If you don’t know me, I am Jennifer Hensley, the Leinie Lodge and site manager of Leinenkugel’s Chippewa Falls. I’ve worked at the Leinie Lodge for twelve and a half years, and I truly love what I do. I also get excited when I get to share that my husband was @Leinenkugel's former brew master, he would also want me to tell you he was the 11th brew master in 158 years! 

Most folks ask if my husband and I met at Leinenkugel’s. While that would make the story even sweeter, our story actually began many years before either of us worked here in Chippewa Falls.

I’ll give the simplified version. We met in Chicago at a bar over a beer, of course. At the time, I was a Senior during my undergraduate studies at Carthage College and learned he was a graduate from there as well. He told me he lived in Milwaukee and worked at Miller Brewing Company, and honestly, I wasn’t sure if he was telling the truth or completely making it up.

As we started dating, he’d share things like, “See that Sunset Wheat billboard, I just created that new beer for Leinenkugel’s”. At the time, he was working in new product development at the Miller Technical Center. I was starting to understand what he did… and still didn’t quite believe him. 

We married in June of 2009, and as we planned and prepped for our wedding, we knew we wanted to bring beer into our day, we just weren’t quite sure how. Naturally, since John is a brewer and chef of flavors, we decided to brew something special together. 

We brewed and packaged a beer just for our occasion. It was called, wait for it… The Lager of Love. It was a hit with our family and friends: a smooth, malty lager that poured a beautiful golden straw color and was perfectly balanced with european noble hop character. I even designed a pint glass with our wedding logo and a special toast imprinted on the side. Little did we know how much this would play into our future.

Fast forward to 2012, we made the move from Milwaukee to Chippewa Falls after John accepted the Assistant Brewmaster role at Leinenkugel’s. We were quickly welcomed into the “family” here at Leinenkugel’s and in 2013 I began my career in beer as Purchase Support Coordinator for the Leinie Lodge. In 2017, just after the Leinie’s 150th Anniversary celebration, I was promoted to Retail Supervisor. In this role, I worked closely with vendors, led the merchandise team, and helped create and produce all the great merchandise you see at the Leinie Lodge. 

On January 1, 2019 John was promoted to Leinenkugel’s Brew Master. This was monumental for both of us, as we have always supported one another in our personal and professional development. We truly have had fun working together! Lunch dates on the Leinie Lodge patio, walks through Chippewa Falls, beers after work to catch up before heading to our 5-9, and overlapping 9-5’s that included sensory panels, leadership meetings, and even being coached by the same mentors.

My favorite story of all time comes from when we hired a new “class” of Tour Guides. One day, a new team member noticed us having lunch together a few times and quietly said to the team lead, “I think Jen and John have a thing”, The Team Lead replied, “Yeah, they have two of them - they’re married and have two kids” (this was prior to our youngest!)

In October of 2024, I was promoted to Leinie Lodge Manager, a role that means so much to me. The Lodge today continues to evolve, while still honoring the traditions that make it such a special place. It’s a space filled with stories, laughter, and connection, where guests, locals, and employees alike come together to celebrate great beer and the history behind it. Being part of shaping that experience every day is something I truly cherish.

What has always remained constant is the community that surrounds the brewery. Leinenkugel’s has never just been a place we worked, it has been a family that welcomed us in and truly became our home. We are incredibly grateful for the people, the brewery family, and the sense of belonging that have allowed us to raise our family here in the Chippewa Valley.

Even now, beer continues to weave its way through our story. We still find time for lunch together, sometimes over the phone or a quick Teams call. While our Leinenkugel’s work no longer overlaps the way it once did, our love story in beer continues to evolve. It always has, and it always will, be made with love, rooted in this community, and somehow involve beer.

Here’s to the Lodge, the brewery, the people who make it feel like home, & to a beer story that’s still being written. Prost! - Jennifer Hensley