Eastside Dark - Lakefront Brewery, Inc.

Bighuge

Minnesota

4.58/5  rDev +25.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

This beer pours dark rubby and throws a medium creamy brown head that is gone in a minute. Nice aroma of roasted malt, chocolate and coffee bean. Nice taste. There's a musty burnt malt taste. Maybe a little molasses. Some chocolate too. A little brown sugar sweetness. The taste is very nice. No harsh bitterness detected at all. Very easy drinking. Medium body. I could drink quite a few of these without blinking an eye.

Serving type: bottle

04-12-2002 21:04:46 | More by Bighuge

Offa

California

4.55/5  rDev +24.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

This is a wonderful beer that took me by surprise .

Dark copper, it has a large, light tan head that slowly shrinks to a permanent 1" head.

The aroma is very nice, grain, dark bread, crust, hints of chocolate, caramel, and pine.

The taste is similar, mostly fresh, moist whole-wheat bread, hints of earth and pine, very light hints of caramel, herbs, and chocolate. It's zesty but very smooth, easy to drink, yet complex and full of flavour.

Serving type: bottle

12-03-2008 23:26:30 | More by Offa

MVotter

New York

4.4/5  rDev +20.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Aroma from the freshly opened bottle: malts, spices, yeast

Aroma after the pour: breads, yeast.

The Eastside Dark Munich Dunkel Lager pours into a tall pils glass with a nice thick tan head, which settles back to a one finger thick froth; on top of the dark tea brew, good lace retention.

Wow! Tasty brew for sure from the start; delicious roast and coffee malts up front ... mmm, sweet malts vs. a biting roast in the finish.

The mouthfeel is very effervescent, medium body, extremely drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

05-28-2009 03:57:00 | More by MVotter

botham

Illinois

4.38/5  rDev +20%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

12 oz bottle poured into a pilsner glass. pours a deep chocolate brown with a finger of light tan head. the brew itself is mildly hazy.

smells malty, with chocolate and caramel malt dominating, with a nutty base and a crisp character. great smelling dunkel.

taste is of chocolate and creamy caramel up front, followed with the same nutty base and a frothy character. a supurb lager, extremely crisp and clean. great on the palate without being overly bold.

aftertaste is more of the same, only further in the distance. light chocolate, caramel, nutty base with a touch of hops.

mouthfeel is medium-bodied, with a very smooth and creamy texture.

drinkability is great. this is a lighter brew that contains a great balance of flavors, yet doesn't feel heavy in the mouth or stomach. cheers!

Serving type: bottle

09-04-2007 01:45:59 | More by botham

ForWhatAlesYou

Minnesota

4.35/5  rDev +19.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

12 oz bottle into the tulip

A: Appears black but reveals a perfectly clear deep mahagony brown with ruby tonality. Off white dense head. Great lace. Very nice.

S: Malty with a little smokiness. Makes me want to drink up.

T: The roastiness of the malt is king and it is great. Toasted spice, nuttiness, crisp fresh hop finish. Excellent.

M: Viscous at first, ends dry. Tight carbonation.

D: Excellent.

Serving type: bottle

01-03-2012 23:49:06 | More by ForWhatAlesYou

MrHurmateeowish

New Hampshire

4.33/5  rDev +18.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12oz brown bottle from The Lighthouse in Manchester as part of this brewery's sampler 8-pack. Pours dark brown with ruby-red highlights and a half inch of light tan head. Smells like chocolate, caramel, with just the slightest hint of hops. Tastes chocolatey and nutty with smoke and fruit notes on the finish. Full bodied with ample carbonation helps make this dunkel even more drinkable. Very tasty - a really solid dunkel.

Serving type: bottle

06-08-2008 03:37:05 | More by MrHurmateeowish

slyke

Minnesota

4.3/5  rDev +17.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I couldn't resist trying Eastside Dark since my grandfather ran a 3.2 tavern named the East Side Inn from 1933-1982.

The beer pours a lovely brown color with a finger of tan head that fades rather quickly.

The smell is really something sweetness, roastiness, a little chocolate, a slight citrus tone, the faint scent of alcohol.

The taste is equally interesting. All of the notes present in the aroma are in the taste along with a resiny hop note.

Mouthfeel is good. Just the slightest coating of the mouth with a crisp finish.

This beer is solidly drinkable and one I would enjoy sessioning. Definitely recommended. Cheers!

Serving type: bottle

05-06-2007 16:57:36 | More by slyke

Gavage

New Jersey

4.25/5  rDev +16.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Appearance: pours a clear brown color with a 1" head that falls to a thick surface foam. Light lacing develops.

Smell: caramel and a hint of chocolate is detectable by the nose.

Taste: caramel, soft chocolate, prunes, red apples, and decent bitterness create a nice flavorful lager.

Mouthfeel: crisp throughout. Medium bodied. Aftertaste is brief as the flavors leave the tongue quickly.

Drinkability: superb session beer here. One of my favorites from Lakefront.

Serving type: bottle

10-26-2008 17:08:00 | More by Gavage

SPThirtyThree

Colorado

4.24/5  rDev +16.2%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

A: Pours with a khaki, slightly lumpy cap just over a finger thick, floating atop a dark, molasses-colored beer. Doesn't quite leave lacing, but rather, deposits small spots of foam on the glass.

S: Malt and ester. Grape, fig, toasted biscuit, with a slight pepper and hint of citrus. A pleasant, soft, fruity smell, accentuated by a slight grassiness.

T: Roasted malt, sweet and creamy. This is a delicious beer. It's not heavy, but it has a big, creamy, effecvescent mouthfeel, and a big body. The hops and carbonation mix for a smooth but crisp bitterness. The hops are earthy. Finishes dry, but sweet and nutty.

D: This is a very drinkable, very sessionable beer.

Overall, this is a great Munich dunkel, presenting a complex malt flavor.

Serving type: bottle

05-01-2013 20:59:50 | More by SPThirtyThree

KarlHungus

Minnesota

4.2/5  rDev +15.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

This brew pours a dark brownish-black color. The head is one finger in height and recedes slowly into nice lacing. The aroma shouts of caramel, but there is also roasted malt and butter. The tase is very relaxing. Caramel tries to dominate but is cut through by roasted malt and chocolate. The mouthfeel is medium bodied with ample carbonation. Overall, this is a very good brew. I will certainly keep an eye out for this one.

Serving type: bottle

04-02-2006 22:49:26 | More by KarlHungus

Beertron

Wisconsin

4.2/5  rDev +15.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

Lakefront is a great Wisconsin brewery, though I find it strange that they're not located on the lake. Regardless, they were a big hit at our 1st Swine & Swill and Eastside has always been one of my favorites in their lineup. Now, let's see how they hold up to the vigorous review process. From bottle to glass...

A - Poured 1" large fizzy head. Retention was pretty solid leaving a thin, spotty layer of head that wasn't going anywhere. Some strong carbonation within the dark body.

S - A very powerful scent of fruity and yeasty scents. The malts in this bugger provide an alluring sweetness and one can catch a small dose of plum or pluot buried within.

T - When compared to its relatively one-dimensional smell, this is fabulously complex. Of the various flavors layered upon each other, it's worth noting that all have a bit deeper, earthy flavor. There's some medium-roast coffee notes up front, along with softer characteristics of banana, pumpkin and nutmeg. Following this is a blast of heavily-yeasted dough (a la pizza crust, soft pretzels or breadsticks). In the finish, the malts shine through. They're toasty and even a bit smoky but not terribly heavy. For as much as the malts rule this brew, the overall flavor seems pretty acidic. This is a good thing.

M - This is cool-feeling and smooth. It's medium-bodied with a soft, pleasant bitter that lingers a short while.

D - Pretty damn high. The alcohol level doesn't seem out-of-whack and you don't start losing interest after the tastes have thoroughly coated the palate. I could drink (and have drank) plenty of these in a sitting without tiring of it or having it over-power the taste buds.

F - There are plenty of foods that this beer would make friends with and most of them are on the pedestrian side of things. The acidic and yeasty flavors would make this beer a shoe-in with pizza, especially pizza done properly with a nice whole-wheat, cornmeal crust. It would go quite well with some saltier breads like a mean focaccia and even some other starchier foods like celeriac or good ole cream of tato soup. Caraway seeds would make for a nice contrasting element in any of the aforementioned. Finally, some grilled or, better still, smoked chicken would really do the trick here.

O - This is a damn solid brew. While certainly not anything groundbreaking, it's flavors are complex and balanced. All the while, this remains an excessively approachable beer both to session and to mix with a wide variety of pretty common foods.

Serving type: bottle

04-24-2007 07:07:53 | More by Beertron

RedBaron

Illinois

4.15/5  rDev +13.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A solid, well-made dark lager.

The beer poured with a nice, sustaining off-white head. The color was a very dark amber.

The smell was of chocolate and toasted malts. I could tell from that alone that this should be an interesting beer. It was!

The initial taste was of those chocolate malts (so sweet and so fresh!) as well as of a roasty, caramel character (my guess is roasted carapils malt went in to this beer). The finish was delightful, as the upfront sweetness gave way to a quick dry finish. The presence of a good hop character (perhaps Saaz), must account for the nice finish.

Good mouthfeel--not cloying at all, yet neither watery or light. The right ratio of malt lends to a patchwork of wonderfully balanced taste across the palette.

Drinkability factor very high. I'm not sure if this is the darker version of the Klisch pilsener, but whoever had the idea for a good, dark lager got it right here. Very much in the Munich style of dark lagers.

Serving type: bottle

03-31-2004 02:45:23 | More by RedBaron

LeftyBWS

Pennsylvania

4.15/5  rDev +13.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a 12 oz. brown bottle into a pint glass.
A: Darkish brown beer with some red tinges; one finger of soft light brown head on top that settles to a thin layer on the brew and leaves an occasional slippery lacing sheet.
S: Nutty and earthy malts, hint of sweetness (perhaps toffee?). There's a faint oily hop scent, but the malts/sugars dominate.
T: Malty at first, smooth and nutty, followed by a tingly hop nip in the middle. (Later sips seem to bring this hop flavor earlier in the taste, interestingly enough.) The finish is smooth and brings in an earthy malt taste to level the hops, letting a soft and sweet flavor linger, much like a chocolatey toffee, almost. Quite nice.
M: Creamy, malty, kinda sweet and kinda bitter, but not all at once. Overall, pleasant and satisfying.
D: Very good, tasty and satisfying and easy to drink, and no alcohol flavor.

Serving type: bottle

03-04-2009 04:48:10 | More by LeftyBWS

Mitchster

Michigan

4.13/5  rDev +13.2%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Brewed with Chocolate, Black Patent, and Munich malts. Hopped with Mt.Hood. OG=1.060. The last of a surprisingly good sampler pack from the brewery. Brewed June 2004.

Pours out to a slightly hazy very dark mahogany, forming a medium sized dark beige head with poor retention and minimal lacing. Carbonation is moderate. The aroma begins with sweet milk chocolate, walnut, toast, and some subdued floral hops. Swirling produces campfire, nutty grain husk and concord grapes. The mouthfeel is sharp at first (more on this later) but melds into a smooth finish. Medium bodied. The taste begins with quite a surprise...sour grapes...not unlike the level of acidity you would find in a Flanders Red, this is quite tart. Obviously this one has some quality control issues, but you know what? I like it! The malts feel flimsy and watery because they can't hold up to the sourness. Plenty of lactobacillus in here. There is a predominate note of black patent astringency in the finish with some mild herbaceous bitterness. This is not the nasty kiwi fruit sourness that I got from Reaper Ales (shudder...), but an honest-to-goodness Oud Bruin sourness. Nice! Aftertaste of peanut butter is interesting, indeed.

I stumbled upon quite an odd find here, but lucky me. I'll have to revisit this in the future as I've been happy with the rest of the sampler. If I were rating this as a dark lager, it would score horribly, but hey, it's a good beer, so I'll score it as it's own entity. I'm sure that this probably a very good dark lager, as the aroma was great for a style I generally abhor.

Serving type: bottle

02-20-2005 00:36:54 | More by Mitchster

doubleshovels

Minnesota

4.13/5  rDev +13.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

Great drinking Munich Dark. Pours with a slight, white head. Light amber seems just right for a Munich. Great mouth feel and easy drinking, starts and ends dry (without being bitter), but gives up a fair amount of sweetness in the middle.

Overall, a good example of a Munich dark without going over the top.

Serving type: bottle

09-04-2006 02:42:49 | More by doubleshovels

WVbeergeek

Ohio

4.1/5  rDev +12.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Deep cola brown appearance much darker than the current Penn Dark being brewed at the Lion. Head is light beige, lacing is even but scant. Aroma has a tartness working it's magic amongst the darker malts, cocoa powder and coffee roasts in the forefront with mineral water yeast nuttiness that appears in most of the beers I've had from them. Herbal tea leaf notes in the finish with an air of smokiness, complex light beer...I like it. Flavor has a fruit sweetness under the light coffee and roasted milk chocolate layers, along with more of a slightly lactic mineral quality that just works in a dunkel. Hell this is better than Hofbrauhaus Pittsurgh's dunkel. Mouthfeel is light to medium bodied really a dry roasty finish going with tartness lingering on the sides of my palate. Drinkability overall is pretty effin' good, one of those effortless beers that I would probably imbibe on while visiting the brewery.

Serving type: bottle

07-02-2009 01:51:44 | More by WVbeergeek

soze47

Massachusetts

4.08/5  rDev +11.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

12 oz. bottle dated second week of August (1 1/2 month old). Sadly, the last bottle from a great Lakefront variety pack.

Appearance: Pours dark brown, but not so dark that light can creep through. Nice tan head of one finger that is very thick, but dissolves quickly.

Aroma: Clean maltiness with a heavy roasted caramel/toffee scent. Subtle chocolate tones.

Taste: Everything tastes roasty and toasty. Great balance here. This is most definitely malt forward, but the hops do a good job of keeping the rich caramel and chocolate sweetness from getting out of hand. Flavors combine to create a coffee like aftertaste.

Mouthfeel: Smooth and creamy, but not very heavy in body. Not cloying in the least, but flavors leave a pleasant after feel on your tongue.

Drinkability: Highly Drinkable! This would be a perfect beer for cooler weather, but crisp and refreshing enough to have year-round.

Overall: A stellar way to end the variety pack. I can see enjoying this one again soon during a football game. The balance and light body are what sell me on this variation of the style. It is not as robust as it could be, but I think that is one of this beers strengths.

Serving type: bottle

10-08-2010 23:50:40 | More by soze47

granger10

Wisconsin

4.05/5  rDev +11%
look: 3 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Kind of a lighter woody amberish color with a sparse lightly tan head that fades. Doesn't look too appetizing. Smells really nutty. Really sweet with caramel notes as well. First sip delivers a rich smooth flavor one expects but often doesn't find in a Dunkel. A touch of roasted hazelnut flavor is there. Some semisweet chocolate flavors come around underneath the nuttyness. A touch herbal and acidic fruitiness in the back. Actually has more carbonation and liveliness on the palate than appearance would suggest. Better than most Dunkels, flavorful and drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

10-11-2006 22:34:47 | More by granger10

trevorjn06

Washington

4.05/5  rDev +11%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours a dark amber/brown color that when held up to the light has a ruby glow to it. There is one finger of tan head that recedes to a thin layer of foam on the surface and leaves some lacing on the glass.

Aroma is dark roasted malt and DMS initially, some coffee emerges as well.

Taste is malty with some roasted notes and a hint of chocolate and caramel. Finish is some dark fruit and a bit of roastiness.

Mouthfeel is medium and coats a bit with a bit below average carbonation.

Overall this is a fairly complex lager with some nice roasted and dark flavors that manages to still be light enough to be easy drinking. It is malt focused yet not too sweet at all.

Serving type: bottle

07-19-2010 04:39:33 | More by trevorjn06

Jparker37

Wisconsin

4.05/5  rDev +11%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Bottled week 1 of October 2011 and poured into a Samual Adams perfect pint.

A - Deep chocolate brown, with an off-white head that pours small and recedes to a thin circle of foam at the edge of the glass. Clear "bright" with no lacing but the color is rather delightful.

S - Rich munich malts, slightly toasty, slight sweetness. Turns quite nutty as temperature increases.

T - Coffee roastiness with a complex array of light to dark sweet malts. Touch of bitterness at the finish for balancing but still a touch sweet.

M - Medium-full bodied with light to moderate carbonation.

O - Great color to this beer. I thought that malt character was wonderfully complex with a clean/refreshing finish that forms an overall satisfying brew.

Serving type: bottle

01-30-2012 22:26:43 | More by Jparker37

ZimZamZoom

West Virginia

4.03/5  rDev +10.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured a 12 oz. bottle into a pilsner glass. A lovely dark brown with nice red tones and a great looking tan head. Tightly packed and rocky as it starts to break down, it does not so much leave lacing, it kinda leaves a solid coating on the glass everywhere. Really pretty beer!

A nutty, roasty aroma that includes caramel and some dark malts. A nice little hint of spicey hops as well. The nose tingles pleasantly while taking this one in. The taste is really very nice as well. Caramel toffee sweetness is joined by a nice little hop spice and then gives way to a semi-bitter finish, alcohol is also evident in the finish. There is a smooth creaminess to this that is almost dessert-like.

Really a medium bodied lager that has a fullness to it that satisfies. I could drink another but I feel like that would probably do it for me. Not bloated but comfortably full I'd say.

Excellent example of this style. Best beer in the sampler hands down.

Serving type: bottle

03-04-2009 01:06:10 | More by ZimZamZoom

brentk56

North Carolina

4.03/5  rDev +10.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Appearance: Pours a cola brown color with a modest head that quickly fades to a ringlet leaving just a few dots of lace

Smell: Roasty, with subtle milk chocolate and coffee tones

Taste: Opens with a roasty brown bread flavor, with milk chocolate tones and a touch of lactic sourness by mid-palate; after the swallow, the sweeter flavors dominate and add a coffee element to the finish

Mouthfeel: Light to medium body with prickly carbonation

Drinkability: This is a very nice dunkel; probably the best beer I have had from this brewery

Serving type: bottle

06-23-2009 17:34:22 | More by brentk56

brewmudgeon

Wisconsin

4.03/5  rDev +10.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

eastside dark 9/10

a 3.5-4 black as night, have to hold it to the light to see a bit of cherry around the edges. the head is short but the ring left over holds pretty well. a little spotty lacing.

s 3.5 the roast character does not overpower the nose, thankfully. it's way in the background. yeasty bread and unidentified fruit timidly take the lead. pleasant, but not blowing any brain cells.

t 3.5-4 time to blow some brain cells. hmmm, well balanced dark malty goodness comes across smooth and balanced. there's a hint of roast and bittering hops in the finish. it's a mild affair, as suggested by the nose, but it isn't entirely without interest. indeed, i find the humble but longlasting afterflavors quite endeering.

m 4-4.5 the body is solid, about medium, and the carbonation is a quality contributor. the texture does an excellent job of setting the stage for the flavors, which as noted maybe aren't quite lead singer material but are perceived in their most positive light due to the mouthfeel.

d 4-4.5 well it's obvious the last specimen encountered must have suffered greatly during transit and/or storage, if it started out like this one. this is a really good, solid brew that i'm glad i gave a second chance.

eastside dark (first review, F 1.7)
2, 1.5, 1.5, 2.5, 1.5 translucent copper color, a crazy big head forms during a fairly gentle pour and causes me a bit of concern.
smells like homebrew made with an english yeast, muntons to be exact, and fermented at too high at temp and while experimenting with too much sucrose (guilty as charged). a lager that smells like a failed homebrewed ale?
through all that weird yeast flavor there is a touch of roasted barley. the finish is astringent. the body is watery. hopefully a bad bottle, but i won't assume it. since i bought the last sampler pack and they don't carry this separately, it will be some time before i can retest.

Serving type: bottle

07-02-2009 01:51:59 | More by brewmudgeon

TheSSG

Illinois

4.03/5  rDev +10.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a HUGE, frothy, dense head that has really good persistence. Soft, roasted malt aroma blend with bright, floral hops; sweet, floral, and slightly reminiscent of acidic coffee. Deep, deep burnt umber color is nearly opaque. Starts with a wonderful, rich roasted malt profile. There is a acidic, coffee-like quality as the slightly bitter hops meld with this. The finish is floral hops and lingering roasted malt.

Overall, this is EXCELLENT. Lakefront Lagers are WONDERFUL, and this is no different.

Serving type: bottle

05-16-2013 02:11:13 | More by TheSSG

ZAP

Minnesota

4/5  rDev +9.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A pretty good dark roasted malt aroma...very dark brown in color with a bubbly head that fades to a small lace..a very sweet taste with minimal hopping present...definitely a bit syruppy in the mouth..a nice sweet milk chocolate flavor...great taste, just a bit syruppy...I'll drink this one any day over say a Beck's dark...

Serving type: bottle

04-24-2002 23:32:42 | More by ZAP