New Grist Sorghum Beer - Lakefront Brewery, Inc.

beerthulhu

New Jersey

2.33/5  rDev -14.3%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

- Made from Sorghum and rice extract.

A: A very watery and pale maize with a brilliant clarity is enough so to read the finest of print from any automobile lease ad. Visible carbonation was light, with ample space between the micro-bubbles that rose slowly to the surface. The head was off white with soapy bubbles quickly dissipating to a near polished surface within the first minute of the pour.

S: Freshly buttered bread and dried whole corn cobb barely makes its distinction known here with a wimpering strength factor.

T: Dried corn with some apple juice on the open. The rice provides a crisp lighter palate but is hardly distinguishable in the taste and anyone familiar with celiac friendly beers can certainly pick out the less then flattering sorghum grains that seem second, rather third rate with some starchy results. Some dried pears and sparkling dry apple juice best sums up the flavor with an extraordinary light palate that finishes out with some corny and fruity mixtures along with some tinny/metallic results.

M: Light bodied with a slippery smooth texture. Unfortunately on longer holds dried corn and a sour apple juice bitterness comes about making you rush things along.

D: Easy drink palate wise but reminds me more of those sparkling apple juice bottles that come in fruit baskets. Wouldn't drink this unless I had to, and even then I would have second thoughts. Less then enthusiastic results makes you consider this a drain pour midway through.

Serving type: bottle

09-30-2010 22:33:47 | More by beerthulhu

Mosstrooper

California

2.55/5  rDev -6.3%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

Poured from 12oz bottle into 500ml Weihenstephaner World Cup glass.

Appearance: Clear straw color with a small, quickly dissipating white head that only leaves behind a little bit of lace. Many bubbles rising from the bottom and sticking to the side of the glass.

Smell: Sweet, sugary smells permeate. Smells almost like a sweet cake.

Taste: Begins with a strange herbal sweetness, finishing sugary with more herbal flavors and some corn hints.

Mouthfeel: Light body with very sharp carbonation and a watery finish.

Drinkability: Very drinkable, and while it doesn't necessarily taste bad, there's not too much about this beer that's appealing. Somewhat unique, so may be worth a taste, but this isn't anything special at all.

Serving type: bottle

07-11-2010 19:10:22 | More by Mosstrooper

koopa

New Jersey

2.23/5  rDev -18%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

12oz bottle picked up at Treats in Wiscasset Maine on a recent road trip.

Appearance: Pours a transparent pale golden with only the tiniest swirls of foam for a crown...comb over esque!

Smell: Sweet corn, pale malt, almost a white grape quality,

Taste: drain pour

Mouthfeel: thin (rice) with decent carbonation.

Drinkability: yuck!

Serving type: bottle

06-26-2010 02:08:41 | More by koopa

alovesupreme

Massachusetts

3.63/5  rDev +33.5%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Pours a light yellow with a small white head that dissipates rather quickly with the exception of a ring of bubbles that hang around the edges until the end of the glass. Appears to have alot of carbonation.
Very sweet smelling, smells of rice and cotton candy?
Slightly fruity with a slight metallic character. Some form of grain adds a cereal character to the beer.
Fair carbonation with a slightly thin mouthfeel.
I am impressed. Had no idea what to expect but would recommend this to a celiac.

Serving type: bottle

06-17-2010 05:23:54 | More by alovesupreme

Wetpaperbag

Washington

2.5/5  rDev -8.1%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

Thanks to AKBelgianBeast for this gem.

Fruit/Vegetable beer is a catch all of brewing fermentables so reviewing this based on a catch all sucks.

A- Very filtered clear, fizzy, the head was there then is not in quick fashion. Straw in color, and pretty much it.

S- Smell is of honey and bread. Sort of a white wine/mead smell.

T- This has many flavors that ultimately don't work well. Light yet bitter for reasons unknown. This has a super metallic taste that is very off putting. This is gross. I don't think keeping the beer in my garage for a few months has helped this beer out much, but I'm guessing there wasn't much damage that could have been done to this one.

M- Too overly carbonated for my tastes.

D- Only with a funnel.

Serving type: bottle

06-14-2010 20:06:27 | More by Wetpaperbag

ScottyC

Florida

2.63/5  rDev -3.3%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Appearance: Great clarity. Color pretty typical -- nothing special here.

Smell: Smells like wort. Very subtle citrus coming from hops. Head dissipated quickly. Hoppy aroma is really the only thing coming through.

Taste: Crisp and refreshing as advertised. But has another taste which is tough to describe (cotton or foam). Props. for making a beer without malt, but I won't go for it again. It seems just a novelty.

Drinkability: Actually goes down easy. But has that funky taste :-/

Serving type: bottle

05-31-2010 20:45:57 | More by ScottyC

WeezyBoPeep

Florida

3.75/5  rDev +37.9%
look: 2 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Not sure if this is actually gluten-free or not: the bottle does not specifically say. Got a sample because a friend of mine is ciliac and I wanted to see if this is any good. Poured into a Shipyard Pumpkinhead pint glass.

A: Very boring, clear pale yellow with hardly any head at all. What little there was dissipated into little wisp of lace on top. Looks like a bad adjunct.

S: Definitely boiled rice, corn sugar, and a significant yeasty note, almost like you'd find in a hefeweizen. Buried in there are notes of peanut butter and ripe bananas, along with a definite yellow apple presence.

T: Pretty much follows the flavor exactly, with a rice and corn start, grainy middle, and a finish that is exactly like a good English hard cider.

D: If this is in fact gluten-free, I say it's a pretty good beer for someone who can't have any wheat or gluten.

Value: Very good considering...gluten-free foods are usually ridiculously overpriced and the folks at Lakefront have decided not to screw people because they have a disease. I say bravo.

Serving type: bottle

05-21-2010 22:16:19 | More by WeezyBoPeep

dfillius

Michigan

3.18/5  rDev +16.9%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Poured into a pint glass

A: Aggressive pour yields 1/4 finger of white head with poor retention. Very pale yellow fizzy liquid. I'd like a darker yellow color and better head.

S: Rising bread, yeasty, cooking rice. Not reminiscent of beer, more like bread.

T: Clean, crisp, bread with oil and balsamic vinegar almost. Sort of tasty. Enjoyable actually. Malt forward. Lemony. A good candidate for souring I think actually!

M: Clean, acidic, slightly tart.

D: So so. I enjoyed it about as much as I thought I would. I would not buy again. I might order another on a hot day before I'd consider ordering a BMC beer.

Serving type: bottle

04-18-2010 16:57:04 | More by dfillius

TheSSG

Illinois

4.78/5  rDev +75.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Pours a nice, expanding head which quickly subsides. Beautiful gold hue. Crisp and clear in appearance. Slight yeasty sweet aroma; subdued is best description. An unique flavor. Slight hints of tartness, slight suggestions of fruit; Similar to a lambic or Berliner weiß (if you don't like tart biers, then stay clear). Very refreshing and delicious.

I think most everyone is going into this the wrong way; they are expecting a pils or lager, perhaps a "lawnmower bier."

This is a sorghum and rice bier. Keep in mind rice can be used as an adjunct in many biers to crisp, thin, and add a bit of bite.

Don't look at this golden bier and think it will be a pilsner. The second you do that, you condemn this bier to mediocrity. Go into this bier with an open mind and an adventurous palate. Expect nothing and you will be rewarded.

I initially tried his bier as a "what the hell" kind of ordeal. It's Lakefront, at least you know it can't be bad! When summertime rolls 'round, this is my favorite bier. It's better for a biergarten than even a hefeweizen!

Easily one of my top 10 biers of all time.

Serving type: bottle

04-09-2010 01:27:59 | More by TheSSG

collander

Washington

3.45/5  rDev +26.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

For what this is I really enjoyed it. As far as Gluten free goes, this one is good, and will rate it according to what it is. Through out the nose and the flavor spectrum, notes of biscuit, toasted rice, toast, flutters of fruit, flowers, with sprinkles of spice. Surprisingly complex for Sorhum. I normally won't dabble here, but if I had to, this is where I would go.

Serving type: bottle

03-21-2010 02:26:44 | More by collander

mintjellie

Ontario (Canada)

1.58/5  rDev -41.9%
look: 4 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 1

Pale straw with a meringue-like head. The head dies down pretty quickly, but leaves a thin layer over the beer that sticks around for awhile. Leaves behind a pretty lace. There's something about it's aroma that I find antiseptic and unpleasant. There's some apple and lemon in the aroma as well. The apple isn't like sour green apple, but more like apple juice. It tastes lemony and sweetish, with only a little bit of apple. There some tartness and harshness to it, and that antiseptic nose seems to affect the palate as well. It really doesn't taste as bad as it smells though. Light-bodied and finely carbonated. Despite being thin and watery, it isn't very refreshing at all. I'm pretty happy I'm not on some kind of gluten-free diet. If I couldn't tolerate gluten, I'd give up beer rather than drink this.

Serving type: bottle

03-08-2010 05:39:37 | More by mintjellie

beertunes

Washington

3/5  rDev +10.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

I've had tastes of other gluten-free beers before, but this is my first review. Poured into 10oz. glass. Poured a very pale yellow with only a thin trace of white head that had zero retention or lacing.

The smell was more than a little sweet, but otherwise very neutral. There was more flavor than the aroma had led me to expect. The taste was neutral on the front, sweet in the middle and finished with a tang like cider vinegar. Not great, but not totally unpleasant either.

The body was fairly thin and drinkability was ok, but I personally wouldn't want more than one. If I became gluten intolerant, I could probably drink this fairly regularly. Since I'm not, I probably won't try this again.

Serving type: bottle

01-30-2010 23:28:43 | More by beertunes

WakeandBake

Michigan

3.58/5  rDev +31.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A very pale golgen color pour with a thin shrot lasting white head , no lacing left , light carbonation. Aroma of cloves , hay and faint yeasty notes , flavor is very light , lemon , cloves , and grass maybe some other herbs in there as well ,a light body with a watery mouthfeel and a dry finish , quite drinkable and I would deem it ultra sessionable , a nice summer beer , and I think my first gluten free beer , it was not bad in any way but too far on the light side for me on this cold winter day .

Serving type: bottle

01-14-2010 22:21:02 | More by WakeandBake

whtguitarguy

Virginia

3.5/5  rDev +28.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

My first Sorghum. I was scared to dabble here, but it was quite impressive. It has the aroma of sweet rice, and an interesting sweet flavor that I couldn't pick out. There is a fruity undertone, maybe grapes. I thought this was quite good for a "nothing ventured, nothing gained" decision.

Serving type: bottle

12-26-2009 23:32:34 | More by whtguitarguy

beerwolf77

Wisconsin

2.7/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Well this is my first sorghum beer so my review may be skewed.

Poured into my pint glass the beer is crystal clear pale yellow. An army of tiny bubbles float upwards. The tiny white head lasts about a blink of an eye and leave no lace.

The aroma is muted for sure. A hint of sweet grain and grass. Unsweetened apple juice comes to mind.

The flavor is unique for sure. Sweet grain and a heavy dose of black dirt. Maybe a touch of hops in the finish. Not much else going on.

Light body with loads of carbonation.

Overall I'm glad I'm not a allergic to malt. This would be hard to choke down on a regular basis. Kudos to Russ Klisch for being a pioneer.

Serving type: bottle

12-15-2009 01:06:22 | More by beerwolf77

happygnome

Minnesota

3.55/5  rDev +30.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

a: pours a pale straw yellow color with a big inch plus high pillowy heard that disappears slowly. as the level of beer drops in the glass, sticky lacing is left
s: sweet and sour lemons
t: sweet and sour lemons
m: light bodied beer with a lot of carbonation

I have had 2 gluten free beers, this and redbridge. By far this is the better one

Serving type: bottle

12-12-2009 19:00:57 | More by happygnome

darklordlager

Wisconsin

2.55/5  rDev -6.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

Apple cider coloured, with a decent looking 1/2" white head after a purposefully violent pour. Probably the best retention I am yet to see on a gluten-free beer.

A little bit of fruitiness, light malt, hint of banana phenols.

Kind of like a light watered-down molasses flavour. A bit estery. Maybe a little bit of caramel, and apple.

Reminds me of a watered down corn-syrup based juice.

Serving type: bottle

12-03-2009 02:40:33 | More by darklordlager

nsmartell

Wisconsin

3.38/5  rDev +24.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

I enjoyed this beer from the comfort of my own living room. From the 12oz bottle to a standard pint glass.

Appearance: Pours a straw yellow color with a billowy white head that lasts and lasts.

Smell: Very sweet and I think lemony. The yeast comes across pretty strong.

Taste: Again, sweet and lemony. Not much else that I can detect.

Mouthfeel: Very carbonated. Light-bodied and crisp.

Drinkability: Tastes nothing like any othe fruit beer I can rememembe having and since this is my first gluten free beer, I can't compare to others of the style. However, if this was the only beer I could drink, I would be happy. The mouthfeel makes this too much for me to drink more than a couple in one sitting though.

Serving type: bottle

11-14-2009 12:29:52 | More by nsmartell

allergictomacros

Ontario (Canada)

2.65/5  rDev -2.6%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Clear, and a shade darker than straw with a puny head of white foam. Nose is sweet, apples and hint of booziness reminiscent of a Belgian blond. Flavour is light, again with some apple, and a crisp acidity and mineral water. Body is light, but without the usual harsh carbonation. Finish is dry-ish, and mildly bitter. Overall on the light side and not particularly tasty.

Serving type: bottle

11-11-2009 00:41:25 | More by allergictomacros

SLeffler27

New York

1.93/5  rDev -29%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 1

This is a rather uninspiring pale yellow to light gold beer with no real lacing, but does deposit a light film when swirled in a tulip glass.

The grains are present in the aroma as straw and some banana, all rather unpleasant throughout the session.

Commenting on the flavor, would only result in rude notes. Basically I'm left wondering what was the point of producing this beer. I had anticipated a grainy, oddly sweet beer, and while there are hints, it may be more subliminal suggestion that real flavors.

The palate is crisp and light bodied, without the pleasing qualities of a pilsner. Perhaps this is intended to lour the uninitiated, but as a fruit beer is unlikely to succeed.

How should one properly describe a beer with no redeeming qualities, without being disrespectful? After all, surely other people like this one, and definitely the brewers put much effort to bring it to the market. Unfortunately, for me this is a pass, but I raise my glass to the many fine examples from Lakefront.

Serving type: bottle

11-05-2009 21:29:22 | More by SLeffler27

mralphabet

Virginia

2.68/5  rDev -1.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

12oz. bottle poured into a pint glass.

A: Light gold color with a very thin white head that fades quickly very little lace.

S: I'm getting lemon with maybe apples, with a very light malt and rice.

T: OK, lemons and rice right out of the shoot, there is a sweet & sour type of flavor to it. Malt character is thin and there not little to no hops. After-taste is slightly sweet.

M: Crisp light-to-medium body, pretty good carbonation, clean finish.

D: I didn't find it very tasty, goes down ok, not very filling, it's quite different but it didn't really appeal to me.

Serving type: bottle

10-30-2009 04:07:58 | More by mralphabet

ludachris

Ontario (Canada)

3.1/5  rDev +14%
look: 2 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a pale golden colour with less than a finger of quickly dissipating soapy white head that leaves zero lace.

Smells like a watered down hefe, wasn't expecting that. Candied banana, phenols, pepper, spice and a funky chemical backing.

Sweet banana, phenols, corn, light spice and again with a subtle funky metallic like aftertaste.

Mouthfeel is clean, crisp, smooth and slightly creamy. Quite easy to drink, despite the aftertaste.

Judging by the appearance, I thought this would have been a drain pour for sure, but everything else only went uphill from there. Being my first gluten-free beer, I actually enjoyed it, but the only reason I bought this was because it was in the loose basket at the LCBO. I would never buy a 6 of this because of the ridiculously high price. Overall though, a decent beer that I'd take over the standard macro any day.

Serving type: bottle

10-27-2009 02:00:32 | More by ludachris

matjack85

Illinois

2.3/5  rDev -15.4%
look: 1 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5

Found this 12 oz brown bottle on the discount rack at Geno's Liquors in Elgin, IL. They let you build your own 6 packs there out of any of their discontinued beers for just $4.99, so if you divide that by 6, I got this beer for just 84¢, which as it turns out is about what it's worth.

It pours a fairly clear light straw yellow color that leaves a ½ finger fizzy white head that disappeared in a matter of seconds. It didn't even leave a thin ring of foam behind, and of course there was no lacing.

The smell was very faint. What there was of it seemed to be like a cheap sweet champagne with the slightest hint of apple.

The taste had a ginger ale like flavor and sweetness to it but otherwise pretty bland. I understand that as a gluten free beer there is no malt used, but it just needs more of something else to give it some flavor. It's nothing you have to spit out or pour down the drain, it's just not something I would seek out again.

The mouthfeel is very light and watery. The carbonation is OK and the rice helps keep it clean and crisp, it just lacks in flavor.

These are easy to drink, but I don't know why you would want to. One last bit of advice would be that if you do drink it, drink it cold. I saved a little in my glass to see if it would improve any with warming, but it didn't. It got nasty as it warmed, so drink it cold and drink it fast.

Serving type: bottle

10-11-2009 08:19:43 | More by matjack85

popery

California

2.7/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Bland, lightly sour, crisp, a bit odd. New Grist Sorghum is somewhat odd and quite bland but not altogether bad. I've had a few gluten free beers now, and this one ranks just above Redbridge for me, pretty low overall. St. Peter's is still my pick. Anyway, this beer is a very light, washed-out yellow color with minimal head. The aroma is very light, a bit of apple and rice. The flavor goes quickly with very little aftertaste. It's quite watered down, and the rice keeps it crisp, but there's really not a lot to love or hate. There's a sour note in the finish. It tastes smaller than its 5% abv. It's probably the furthest from normal, malted barley beer of any gluten free beer that I've had, but it doesn't have the cheap, low quality characteristics of Redbridge. All in all, even though it's not really bad, this is a beer that's probably only going to be enjoyed by the gluten sensitive crowd. Sidenote: this definitely isn't a fruit/vegetable beer.

Serving type: bottle

10-10-2009 04:11:29 | More by popery

Pauly2X

Wisconsin

3.05/5  rDev +12.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 2.5

A- Adequately clear straw color with a very thin yet strong head.

S- Very mellow bready aroma with light cidery notes.

T- Quite sweet and smooth while the breadyness is quite minimal. Some fruity notes are evident at mid point to add a little interest. There's little hops to speak of which is unfortunate as they would of added a much needed familiarity to this beer. The finish is clean with a mild fruity aftertaste.

M- Nice carbonation while retaining a good smoothness.

D- Well, unless I'm diagnossed a celiac, I prolly won't buy again.

Although it didn't ring my bell, it's pretty awesome considering what it is. My only advice would be to add some more hops to make the beer a little more "familiar".

Serving type: bottle

09-30-2009 02:44:27 | More by Pauly2X