Cream City Pale Ale - Lakefront Brewery, Inc.

chilidog

Ohio

3.88/5  rDev +5.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

I got this in the 8 pk. Sample, one beer each, ok for $10 bucks.

I've enjoyed the cream city the most so far, better with more flavor than the iPa.

Poured an amber hue, off white head that maintained ok. Spotted lace.

Citric hop of fruits allow the aroma to grow the taste.

Citric hop of orange zest, pear and apple wrap around a solid malt bass.

The mouth is not thick nor dried.

Overall a well rounded pale that I would buy again.

Serving type: bottle

05-14-2013 22:43:51 | More by chilidog

Murrhey

Montana

4.15/5  rDev +13.1%
look: 2.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Poured from a 12oz bottle into a pint glass. Reviewed live.

A- Half a finger white head. Virtually no retention. Golden color with very low clarity. Would look a lot nicer with a longer head.

S- Floral, juicy and really just an inviting smell. Floral hops, a delightful apple aroma. Really delicious smelling. Maybe I'm going overboard here, but I love this.

T- Juicy and floral hops with a slight bitter finish. Apples here too. Just amazing flavor. I can't believe how much I like the flavor in this beer.

M- Light feel, fizzy carbonation and a wet finish.

O- Smell and taste are just great. Appearance was lacking and the feel was just alright.

Serving type: bottle

01-06-2013 00:14:11 | More by Murrhey

shamrock1343

New Jersey

4.25/5  rDev +15.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Lakefront is a very surprising brewery. I have had many of their beers. They are very much like Great Lakes (OH) or Schafly.

You would think a beer named Cream City should be a Cream Ale.

It is an orange beer with a great head and lattice work.

It has a slight flowery smell

The taste is piney with a citrus finish

The tongue feels the hops and coats alittle.

I bought this as a single. I should have bought a case. It reminds me when I first drank Flying Fish XPA in the 90s

Serving type: bottle

12-13-2012 20:45:32 | More by shamrock1343

JerzDevl2000

New Jersey

3.3/5  rDev -10.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Another Lakefront offering that was given to me. Can't quite figure out why this is called Cream City as I've never heard that moniker before nor was this creamy. While this beer wasn't worthy of a drain-pour, I felt like something was missing from here. Whether that was because this beer was old or I was too accustomed to West Coast Pale Ales remains to be figured out but this didn't have too much of a hoppy presence to it and I only enjoyed this in a generic sense.

The pour to this was cloudy, apricot-hued, and showed some visible sediment. Not a lot of head to this and the carbonation and lacing were nearly nowhere to be seen. The apricot theme repeated itself a bit in the taste with some floral, grass, and clove hints to this. Not very full in terms of mouthfeel and there was a faint metallic element that came out in the back. Very little bitterness to this and no burning at all and it certainly wasn't as full or balanced as so many other examples of this that I had.

The alcohol was present too but it didn't add or detract to the flavor or mouthfeel. I could feel it a bit in the end but this reminded more of a flat soda than a beer. The citrus twanginess of a Sunkist that's past its prime could compare to this but I expect my Pale Ales to have more resin, hops, and burn to them. This is fine as a near-session beer but with so many other pale Ales available on the market, why settle for less-than-best with this?

Serving type: bottle

10-29-2012 07:19:46 | More by JerzDevl2000

TMoney2591

Illinois

3.5/5  rDev -4.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Served in a Walter Payton shaker pint glass.

Never would've guessed a beer called "Cream City" would actually be a pale ale... Anyway, this stuff pours a clear brass topped by a finger of off-white foam. The nose comprises flowers, grass, light toffee, and mild mandarin orange. The taste holds notes of orange zest, light grass, and a small dusting of powdered sugar near the finish. The body is a light medium, with a light moderate carbonation and a sorta/kinda dry finish. Overall, a mild but solid pale ale, nothing all that special, but something easily drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

10-25-2012 01:48:22 | More by TMoney2591

MadScientist

New York

3.88/5  rDev +5.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: A hazy deep gold with orange highlights. The persistent, off-white head of creamy bubbles falls to a thin cap quickly but never goes away.

S: Moderate citrus and moderately-light piney hop aromas with some malt aroma. There is a light fruity ester, almost peach like. A faint herby/grassy note gives me the impression it was dry hoped.

T: A muted citrus and pine hops flavor with a firm hops bitterness and a supportive, clean malt sweetness. The hops are showing signs of age and would be better when fresh, but still come across nicely. The balance is fairly bitter but the malt keeps it from being dominating. The finish dry with a linger hops bitterness and some citrus hops flavor.

M: Medium bodied with a moderate carbonation. There is a slight creaminess but a slight astringency.

O: I will be looking for a fresh example, this is a pretty good Pale Ale but the hops are showing their age. A fresh bottle should be great, as this is still very enjoyable.

Bottle in March 2012

Serving type: bottle

10-03-2012 00:30:32 | More by MadScientist

metter98

New York

3.68/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A: The beer is relatively clear light amber-copper in color and has a slight amount of visible carbonation. It poured with a very thin off white head that died down rather quickly, leaving some lacing on the surface and a thin collar around the edge of the glass.
S: There are light aromas of caramel malts in the nose along with some notes of citrusy hops.
T: The taste is mostly dominated by flavors of caramel and pale malts and has some hints of grapefruit. There are some hints of initial sweetness but these quickly fade away and are replaced by a slight amount of bitterness.
M: It feels medium-bodied, quite smooth and a bit creamy on the palate with a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: This beer seems to be more flavorful compared to other American Pale Ales but is still very easy to drink.

Serving type: bottle

06-29-2012 13:45:54 | More by metter98

BeerFMAndy

Wisconsin

4.1/5  rDev +11.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

12 oz bottle poured into a Lakefront imperial pint.
Bottled during Apr Wk3 (2012) notched on the label.

A - Pouring a virtually inactive crystal clear golden amber color with a plump, slow-to-settle cream-colored head, it left some hearty lacing on the glass.

S - A delicious abundance of citrus hops pour out while a touch of pine needle off-sets the rich grapefruit aroma that wafts up. Pale malt with a hint of caramel sweetness is detectable in the background but it's the hops that are showcased here.

T - Hops and malts get along well and balance nicely in Cream City. A rich malty flavor in the background is politely overturned by citrus and pine notes. Simple and effective.

M - Medium-light bodied, Cream City has a kiss of sweetness that's quickly washed away to a lightly bitter, very dry hop finish. Crisp and lightly refreshing, Cream City is!

O - A true American Pale Ale, Cream City sticks to it's guns with simple and effective grain and hop additions, not exceeding the style, pushing towards IPA boundaries. Unlimited drinkability is the core essence of this beer as Lakefront balances hop and malt for a underlying sweetness and citrus finish. Cream City wont blow you out of the water, but damn is it a good beer.

Serving type: bottle

05-30-2012 23:47:51 | More by BeerFMAndy

Mora2000

Texas

3.58/5  rDev -2.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

The beer pours a yellow color with a white head. The aroma is full of grain and grass, with some orange citrus thrown in for good measure. The flavor is hoppier than the aroma. I get some orange, pine and resin notes from the hops, as well as some biscuit malt notes. The bitterness level is low. Thin mouthfeel and medium carbonation.

Serving type: bottle

05-15-2012 03:01:05 | More by Mora2000

Onenote81

North Carolina

2.95/5  rDev -19.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

12 oz bottle, bottled on the 3rd week of November '11.

Pours a hazy dark orange/gold. A small half-inch head on top. Great sticky lace left on the glass. Mild citrus tones in the nose. Slight yeasty bready aromas as well. The body could stand to have a bit more carbonation to back it up. Light tartness greets me on the first sip, then finishes with a nice bitter zip. But the flavors fall flat after that. Bready flavors, mild honey sweetness - nothing really stands out though. Little aftertaste. The ingredients are there for a great APA, it's just poorly executed.

Thanks, Andy, for the opportunity though!

Serving type: bottle

02-28-2012 14:20:02 | More by Onenote81

PDXHops

South Carolina

3.1/5  rDev -15.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

12 ounce bottle poured into a nonic pint. Hazy light amber with an initially explosive 'uh oh' head that somewhat settles down into a huge frothy mound that leaves soapy patches of lacing.

Smells chiefly of bready malt with background leafy hopping and booze in approximately equal doses. Surprisingly bitter up front- kinda 'IPA Light' in that regard- but a little disjointed beyond that initial burst of flavor. It's tasty enough, but the doughy sweet malts and pronounced leafy hoppy flavor don't quite seem to jive with one another. Seems a tweak or two away from taking it to the next level. (Or maybe a fresher bottle is the issue; the lack of a bottle date is perhaps telling.) Lingering leafy, almost tobaccoish finish.

Serving type: bottle

01-07-2012 02:54:48 | More by PDXHops

Immortale25

Florida

4.43/5  rDev +20.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured into a Sierra Nevada pint glass. Says bottled during the 4th week of July.

A- Pours a medium amber color with a 1/2 inch head that drops to an 1/8 inch along with very little lacing and a spiral of foam on the surface.

S- Smells spicy and sweet which is not common for an APA but I like it.

T- That's great! Once again, spicy and creamy in the front, sturdy malt character in the middle and a lingering, slightly bitter hop finish. All of these flavors are centered around a delicate mouthfeel.

M- Even if the "Cream" on the label is to describe bricks, the mouthfeel is such and very smooth on the tongue. It contributes to its overall sessionability which is high.

O- I'd only had these guys' Riverwest Stein Beer before which was randomly given to me at a Festival. It was about what I was expecting: a pretty by-the-numbers lager. Knowing that they were a Wisconsin brewery since the guy who gave it to me was from Wisconsin, I thought I'd never see Lakefront again being that the festival was in Florida and, at the time, I was hailing from Delaware! But, lo and behold, once I started living in Florida, I found a sampler 8-pack at Total Wine & More and I'm so glad I gave these guys another try. Cream City is now one of my favorite Pale Ales.

Serving type: bottle

11-27-2011 20:35:20 | More by Immortale25

biboergosum

Alberta (Canada)

3.73/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

12oz bottle, part of a mixer pack recently made available in Alberta.

This beer pours a slightly hazy dark golden hue, with two fingers of foamy, frothy off-white head, which shows some admirable retention, before giving up a decent padded curtain of lace around the glass. It smells straight off the bat of citrus and pine hops, a bit of herbal grassiness, and subdued bready malt. The taste is more oriented to the herbal and grassy side of things, hop-wise, with a bready, crackery malt taking back some of the day. The carbonation is on the low side of average, the body medium weight for the style, and adequately smooth. It finishes off-dry, the stoic malt having to contend with a mildly resurgent citrus character, to go along with the latent herbal notes.

A decent APA, the hop character morphing at will throughout the experience. I could see enjoying a few pints of this, were it my local choice.

Serving type: bottle

11-09-2011 23:58:03 | More by biboergosum

NuclearDolphin

Minnesota

4.6/5  rDev +25.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured into 16oz Tulip Glass

Appearance - Very Dark Orange with alot of haze; Leaves a good finger length head and a good amount of lacing

Smell - Very lemon/lime aroma with some wet pine hops. There's also hints of bread and yeast in the back.

Taste - Very sweet and citrus taste, with a slight piney hops taste. Surprsingly sweet for a pale ale. Aftertaste is only slightly bitter and ends up coming off as more sweet than bitter. The more you drink, there is more of a grassy hop taste the further along you are. It's different, but it tastes excellent!

Mouthfeel - True to it's namesake, it feels creamy on the palette. Body is moderate but it feels thicker. There is a light amount of carbonation, which balances out the body from being too thick.

Overall - Those who are looking for a very hoppy Pale Ale will be disappointed by this APA. Otherwise for those who are looking for another great craft pale ale or beer would be wise to check this out

Serving type: bottle

10-24-2011 01:32:26 | More by NuclearDolphin

JackieTH

Minnesota

3.75/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Appearance was impressive in that it left gobs lacing up and down the glass. Really impressive. Smell was quite nice, hinting at tropical elements, light bitterness and oranges. Taste was a milder version of the nose. Nice balance. Mildly bitter, citric, clean. Mouthfeel was a bit light but held together well. Overall not outstanding in any way, but a very drinkable pale ale hitting some pleasing notes.

Serving type: bottle

09-09-2011 03:52:18 | More by JackieTH

CaptJackHarkness

New York

4.63/5  rDev +26.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

This is the kind of beer you'd like to have a beer with!
Crisp, clean, refreshing, all the advertising superlatives the big commercial brewers claim, this beer delivers! I've got to get my local distributor to stock this!!

Again, a beer I'd serve my guests!

Serving type: bottle

08-21-2011 01:47:21 | More by CaptJackHarkness

JayS2629

Alabama

3.98/5  rDev +8.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours a pale gold with a huge creamy white head that sticks around and leaves big rings of lace.

The aroma is of citrus, and hints of pine with biscuits and toast in the background.

Nice doughy bread background, light toast with citrus, orange, and hints of pine. Nothing complex. Nice simple and well balanced.

Nothing extraordinary, but great balance and very drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

08-13-2011 01:48:58 | More by JayS2629

brdc

Wisconsin

3.5/5  rDev -4.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Small capped bottle part of the sampler, a very good one as it gives you multiple beers to try.
Poured into a pilsner glass.

Dark golden color, topped by a two finger light tan head that shows average retention, minimal lacing.
Aroma is not particularly strong but pleasant, citrusy hops, particularly orange, light bready maltiness.
Light on the palate, it is hoppy and bitter, but mildly so, with the same orange citrus notes, and minimal malty breadiness. Good, refreshing, but too much alcohol for such a light tasting beer.

Serving type: bottle

07-22-2011 17:51:21 | More by brdc

DabblinWiscCraft

Wisconsin

3.88/5  rDev +5.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours an amber honey color, a bit cloudy with lots of visible carbonation. A 1/2 inch egg shell head falls to about 1/8 inch but has legs and leaves great lacing all the way down the glass. Floral, pine, and citrus hops dominate the nose, with more subtle biscuit notes from the malts. Not quite as aromatic as their IPA, but quite similar and certainly pleasant. There is a sweet--almost tangy--hop zest at first taste, which registers on the front and sides of the tongue as something of apple or pear. Citrus and floral hop flavors throughout, with a bit of sourness in the mix, as well. Some grassy notes, as well a suggestion of honey. It closes with healthy hop bitterness. The feel is light-to-medium-bodied with ample carbonation, bright acidity, and a fairly clean finish. It has just a bit more acidity than I think is necessary, but it does lend to the crisp quality of the beer.

This is a pale ale that really has all the elements that you're looking for in the style. Carefully balanced, it never overwhelms or dwells for too long on any particular ingredient or sensation. As a result, it comes off as a very versatile brew that can be enjoyed again and again, by itself or paired with just about any food.

Serving type: bottle

07-17-2011 22:02:49 | More by DabblinWiscCraft

Beerandraiderfan

Nevada

3.28/5  rDev -10.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Light orange pour, indeed, a creamy inviting head to it. Aroma lacked hops, not surprising so much, lakefront has never been a 'hoppy' brewery or anything.

Hops come out a bit more on the palate, nice, not oppressive, minimal bitterness, mild caramel sweetness, biscuity. Somewhat dry finish to it, maybe from the slight lemon feel going on. Nothing special about the beer, just a straight forward light pale ale. Good camping/fishing beer.

Serving type: bottle

06-08-2011 16:55:11 | More by Beerandraiderfan

HopHeadHurls

Wisconsin

2.68/5  rDev -27%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

A - Pours quite a bit darker than I expected, without much head (what was there left very quickly), which was bone white in color. The beer itself is amber-ish or maybe a dark copper.

S - The smell on this beer is EXTREMELY weak; I could barely even pick up a hint of anything. It seems to be a bit citrus-y and maybe slightly floral. When you think of pale ales (or at least when I do) I think of a huge aroma that leaves your mouth watering...this doesn't quite do it for me but obviously I will give it a shot.

T - The beer comes across very sweet from the outset and then has a slightly citrus-y bitterness that lingers a bit. The contrast is good, but the tastes are not quite up to par for me. There is some sort of unpleasant lemon taste in this beer that just doesn't do it for me. The malts are bland to the point of barely coming through and there just isn't the hoppiness that I'd expect from a pale ale. This beer honestly tastes like the brewer was really short on supplies so he threw in the rest of what he had and then tossed a couple of lemons into the mix. Not a fan. The 5.7 ABV is not noticeable, but if I'm going to drink a lot of this type of beer I'd rather have something that either hits you with good taste and hops or is quite a bit less alcoholic.

M - The mouthfeel on this beer is very watery, an extremely light body and it seems to be quite carbonated. You could definitely sit back and drink a bunch of these on a summer day if you wanted, if you can get by the taste.

O - Honestly, I would not have pegged this as a pale ale if I hadn't seen the label prior to drinking it. Nothing really stands out about this beer to me, in a good way at least.

Serving type: bottle

06-08-2011 16:28:20 | More by HopHeadHurls

TheQuietMan22

Iowa

3.23/5  rDev -12%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Appearance: Straight pour into a pint glass. The color is a light amber. Two fingers of eggshell-colored head dissipated slowly to leave trails along the glass and a billowy lacing.

Smell: The aroma is dominated by grapefruit citrus and metallic hops, but neither are overpowering. They are kept at bay by sweet caramel.

Taste: Compared to the bitterness and citrus of the smell, the corresponding flavors are pretty weak. The mouthfeel is a little watery, which dilutes the hop citrus. However, I need to keep in mind it is not IPA, but IPA’s little brother. For the most part, the flavor mirrors the smell: grapefruit citrus balanced perfectly with sweet caramel malts. A very faint bitterness is left lingering on the cheeks and back of the tongue, and I can taste a little hint of vanilla as each sip goes down.

Drinkability: A very well balanced beer, but it lacks the crispness I expect from an APA. It’s a decent brew nonetheless.

Serving type: bottle

05-21-2011 05:25:41 | More by TheQuietMan22

shand

Florida

3.7/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured from a 12oz bottle into a nonic.

A moderate pour reveals a hazy pale amber color crested with a finger of head. It retains well and leaves decent lacing. The aroma is good, it's up-front with the hops for sure, backed up by pale malts and a touch of lemony citrus. The taste on this is a pleasant, restrained citrus hop backed up with some simple pale malts. Just a good-tasting pale ale, nothing more or less.

The mouthfeel is pretty solid, it's perhaps just a bit watery and maybe a bit over-carbonated, but otherwise is great. The dirnkability is exceptional, this is a very easy drinking beer. Easy drinking is really the best way to sum this up in general. A great pale when you just want to relax and enjoy a beer.

Serving type: bottle

04-21-2011 02:10:54 | More by shand

mvanaskie13

Pennsylvania

3.9/5  rDev +6.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into a standard pint glass, nice thick bubbly offwhite head, about 3/4 inch thick; color is pale amber to dark copper.

Smell is mild malt with hop bitterness, touch of fruitiness and malt sweetness.

Taste is a good malt balance, touch of caramel sweetness followed by some hop bitterness. Light grapefruit notes, but good bitterness flavors.

Mouthfeel is well balanced, good bitterness, good flavor on the tongue and just the right carbonation.

Overall, well done, very drinkable pale ale, not to malty or hoppy just what you would want.

Serving type: bottle

03-28-2011 00:22:31 | More by mvanaskie13

beerdown77

North Carolina

3.83/5  rDev +4.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

This pale ale pours cloudy orange/brown. The head is about one finger that dissipates pretty quickly. First taste seemed a little watery, but I had a beer with more hop presence during the same session, so I tried to focus on what I liked about it. It was citrusy, hoppy and herbal. It had a natural aspect that I sometimes like and sometimes do not. Like in my previous post, I have been been swayed by the name of this beer, but I thought there was a nice creaminess to it. It was light and easy to drink...could have a few of these.

Serving type: bottle

01-16-2011 17:14:23 | More by beerdown77