Day 472: Lakefront Brewery's IBA

Event season is upon us and I am all worky-work, busy-bee. Let's cut to the chase and write about some beer. Tonight's beer of choice is Lakefront Brewery's IBA--an India-style black ale. 

The label tells me that Lakefront took their IPA and added dark roasted malts to create the IBA. It pours exactly the color one would expect from a black ale...reminiscent of cola. It had a thin tan head. The smell is piney hops and chocolate malt. The flavor is HOLY HOPS! Lots of piney resin with a bit of floral hops. There is hop flavor in this beer coming and going! If you ponder a sip long enough, you'll note some roasted malt. But I had to really think about it to find it. The hop flavors are very dominant. Overall I think it's a good beer--just not my style.

Beer stats

Style: India black ale

ABV: 6.5%

IBUs: 50

Rating: Good

Previously reviewed from Lakefront

Mr. Blog Named Brew's take on IBA and their pumpkin lager

I show some love for the pumpkin lager

Beer and Wine(house)

Day #467 IBA / Lakefront Brewery,  Milwaukee, WI
Previously from this brewery: all about the Pumpkin Lager and the Pumpkin Lager

Hustle day and a road trip day, so I'm getting right down to business here.  Your review for the day is the IBA, an India-style black ale from Lakefront Brewery.  When you pour it, you get an almost dark chocolate color, with a thin off white head.  Aroma of lightly toasted malts and a touch of hops.  When you drink it down, you find more of the same; lightly toasted malts, some hop bitterness on the otherwise clean finish, and hints of citrus and pine hiding under the surface.  It's an interesting take on an IPA, although not one I'm likely to seek out too often.

"Black" beers have become all the rage lately, as brewers work to incorporate more roasted/toasted malt into their products to jazz things up.  Hell, even Anheuser-Busch rolled out a Black Lager this year (not that I intend to ever drink that unless I've been captured by enemy forces and they're forcing me to drink one as a form of cruel and unusual torture).  I appreciate brewers being adventurous and looking for ways to continue pushing the envelope, but I'm just not on board with "black" beers right now.  Sorry.

Eye B A.  Get it?

I have been to Milwaukee, but only as a stop on a business trip.  Looking forward to visiting one day.

Thing to Think About Today:
Song I heard on the radio today doesn't quite describe my feelings on this beer, but You Know I'm No Good deserves some recognition.  Hopefully you enjoy, because I do always worry about your enjoyment, dear readers.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-I2s5zRbHg

Time to get Pump(kin)ed Up!

Beer #321 Pumpkin Lager Beer / Lakefront Brewery, Milwaukee, WI

After a week of running around like a fool, the weekend is finally upon us!  Working to pack the car and get ready to roll, so I'm jumping right in today.

Your beer for the day is the Pumpkin Lager from Lakefront Brewery in Wisconsin.  In the glass, this beer has a hazy light amber color, and your nose is greeted with the aroma of pumpkin and clove.  The flavor has a nice mix of spice, with a good balance of pumpkin.  It's bright, with a little bit of soft bitterness on the finish. Nice beer.  Not sure I'm ever going to convert to being a pumpkin beer fan, but this one certainly does the genre justice.  Check it out if you find it near you.

The Great Pumpkin / Liquid Form

Lakefront has been brewing beer since 1987, and their brewery tour is widely regarded as one of the best around.  If I'm ever back in Wisconsin, I'm stopping by to say hello (and drink tons of beer).

Thing to Think About Today:

Time to get a bit fired up... big game this weekend with the undefeated Ohio State Buckeyes coming into Beaver Stadium on Saturday.  Let's get after it Seven Nation Army style...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6j7huh5Egew

Beer 317: Lakefront Brewery and More Pumpkin Beer

I'm going from no pumpkin beers to two pumpkin beers in a row.  Watch out!

Today's pumpkin beer - a pumpkin lager beer to be exact (6% ABV) - is from Lakefront Brewery, Inc. in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Yesterday an ale. Today a lager. What can I tell you about this one? I know it was bottled during the first week of July thanks to the handy chart on the side of the label.

It poured a hazy orange color. It looked much more appealing that yesterday's pumpkin ale.  This one had little to no head at all. It smells of fresh pumpkin and nutmeg. The flavor is quite nice. After yesterday's disappointment, I'll admit I was a bit gun shy about another pumpkin beer.  The Lakefront was full of natural pumpkin flavor with a good amount of spice.  The spices are peppery with some cinnamon and nutmeg but are very well blended with the beer characteristics. I still get good beer flavor through the pumpkin and spice. For as unbalanced as the Shipyard tasted, this one is perfectly balanced. Interestingly there is something to the Lakefront pumpkin lager that reminds me of mulled wine.

Lakefront has a pretty interesting history -- they brewed the first fruit beer after Prohibition!  This is a great beer. Cheers!