IPA - Lakefront Brewery, Inc.

northyorksammy

Ontario (Canada)

3.83/5  rDev -3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Their flagship IPA, on tap at the brewery.Very good c-hop aroma. Very hoppy, a good IPA. A little sprucey certainly helps, so drinkable but not complex. Lacey beer, though golden body lacking much of a head. A must have if you are trying their beers.

Serving type: on-tap

09-08-2011 01:56:40 | More by northyorksammy

BuckeyeNation

Iowa

4/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Ripe apricot with a stationary cloud of fine yeast that adds character. The head consists of three fingers of pale orange-tinted, ivory colored foam that has an appealing texture and quite a bit of persistence. Yeah, this is pretty much what an IPA should look like.

Some think this is an English IPA. The citric fruity American hops in the nose say otherwise. Probably one or more of the C-hops, with a few English cones thrown in for good measure. It also smells like there's some toasted malt present. Warming opens things up and adds a ganja-like muskiness.

The 'bottled on' notch is between January and February, so this bottle of Lakefront IPA is two months old at most. That explains the impressive hoppiness in what some people refer to as a light or tame IPA. It may not be the most resinous lupulin bomb on the planet, but the alpha acid bite will do you right.

I'm still not thrilled with the malt bill, which adds a toasted earthiness that infringes on the hop flavor to some extent. Still, there's so much fresh grapefruit zestiness and lemon peel that the tastes score is an easy call. With a few more months on it, this would be 3.5 beer without a doubt. But then that's true for a lot of hoppy beer.

The mouthfeel is right where it needs to be for a 7.0% IPA. It's at least medium, holds on nicely, and finishes with more than a little silky creaminess. By the way, this is the exact same beer as Mangey Rabbit.

Lakefront India Pale Ale is one of Lakefront Brewery's more solid efforts. They may not be able to stand toe-to-toe with Wisconsin's best craft breweries, but I have to applaud the generous use of hops. Bottom line: this is a well-brewed IPA that should satisfy even the most discriminating hophead. Drink it fresh!

Serving type: bottle

03-13-2009 12:49:56 | More by BuckeyeNation

womencantsail

California

3.68/5  rDev -6.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks again, Bobby.

A: The pour is a slightly hazed orange color with a rocky off-white head and some sticky lacing.

S: A light fruitiness to the nose, but definitely a decent amount of citrus. There is certainly some grapefruit and lemon peel along with grass and a touch of pine. Bready malt with a slight toastiness.

T: Tastes pretty decent. Nice citrus hop bite of grapefruit and orange with a nice pine note and some moderate bitterness. A slight sweetness of bread and toffee with a hint of grass.

M: The body is medium with a moderate level of carbonation.

O: This was significantly better than I anticipated it being. Nice flavor to it.

Serving type: bottle

08-06-2011 19:54:12 | More by womencantsail

ChainGangGuy

Georgia

3.63/5  rDev -8.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12 ounce bottle - $4.75 at Taco Mac in Kennesaw, Georgia.

Appearance: Pours out a near clear (were it not for the fine particles), dull, dark copper body with a finger high head of off-white foam. Light lacing on the way down.

Smell: Aroma of lightly sweetish malts with some spicy, floral, lemony hop notes.

Taste: Pale malts with some biscuity tones to it and an addition of light crystal malts for a medium level of sweetness. Hops provide tastes of lemon zest and earthy spice. Medium bitterness. Small pinch of toffee arrives late. Finishes dry and lightly bitter.

Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied. Medium carbonation. Reasonably smooth mouthfeel.

Drinkability: A generally likable India Pale Ale with some slight English qualities to it and plenty of bitterness without ever being excessive.

Serving type: bottle

06-21-2009 00:23:57 | More by ChainGangGuy

brentk56

North Carolina

3.85/5  rDev -2.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance: Pours a cloudy apricot nectar color with a very modest head that fades quickly without leaving much lace behind

Smell: Vague aromas of grapefruit and an unusual, but interesting herbacious character

Taste: A bit of caramel up front, but the hops emerge rather quickly with the grapefruit, some pine and that herbacious, tea-like character that I often get in an English IPA; after the swallow, the malt and hops are nicely balanced into the finish

Mouthfeel: Medium to full body, slightly chewy; moderate carbonation

Drinkability: A nice balance between the English and American IPA styles; I enjoyed it

Serving type: bottle

05-29-2009 23:57:39 | More by brentk56

UCLABrewN84

California

3.95/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Bottled 12/2011.

Pours a murky dark orange with a 1 inch foamy orange-white head that settles to a film on top of the beer. Foamy streaks of lace form around the glass on the drink down. Smell is of citrus fruit, citrus zest, and some herbal hop aromas. Taste is of citrus zest, herbal hops, and some floral flavors up front with a malt finish. There is a mild amount of hop bitterness on the palate with each sip. This beer has a lower level of carbonation with a slightly crisp mouthfeel. Overall, this is a good beer that is tasty and drinkable even though it's around 8 months old at this point.

Serving type: bottle

08-14-2012 02:46:34 | More by UCLABrewN84

BEERchitect

Kentucky

3.98/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A fantastic IPA that is very standard and solid for the style.

Lakefront's IPA begins with a hazy orange-copper-golden hue that carries a light yet persistant head of cotton-white foam and fair lacing. The sediment does seem a bit high even for a dry-hopped beer.

Pungent aromas of grapefruit and orange zest demand attention up front. Light alcohols, esters, and caramel offer a supportive role, hidden deep in the background.

Citrusy, juicy, and fresh flavors of ruby reds, orange zest, pineapple and mangos vary from hoppy bitterness to estery fruits. All this bounces off of the light graham-cracker malt flavor that shows more light caramel and sun kissed barley than hearty breads. Finishes with a deep long lingering citrusy bitterness.

Creamy and malty up front but the beer quickly turns lighter, crisper, and dryer as the beer fades into that bitter and warming finish.

Though there's nothing wrong with the beer, I'm looking for that one memorable tangible that just isn't there. Still, I am very surprised by the quality and drinkability I find here.

Serving type: bottle

04-26-2010 01:52:47 | More by BEERchitect

TMoney2591

Illinois

3.6/5  rDev -8.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Served in a Chicago Bears shaker pint glass.

Review #1400. Boom. It pours a clear rusty amber topped by a finger of off-white foam. The nose comprises mandarin oranges, light leek, cilantro, and a good helping of sweet caramel. The taste tones down the orange in favor of a more cilantro/greens/light pepper focus. The caramel is also diminished, while a strong (though not o'erwhelming) orange-peel bitterness loudly sidles in near and through the finish. The body is a light medium, with a very light moderate carbonation and a lightly syrupy feel. Overall, a pretty nice IPA, very simple, straightforward, and generally enjoyable.

Serving type: bottle

04-08-2011 00:25:44 | More by TMoney2591

feloniousmonk

Minnesota

4.13/5  rDev +4.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Clouded peach-toned hue, under a gorgeous milky white head.

Pine fresh aroma, with tropical and citrus fruit esters, pineapple meets orange and lemon peel. Vibrant, and inviting.

Sharp bitterness up front, goes soft and fades back on the palate. Same flavors as in aroma visit the tongue. Great brisk hop smack that continues to ride along. Nice, medium body, long bitter finish, but very easy-[drinking. Hoppy, but not too bitter.

This really reminds me of Bell's Two Hearted Ale. Not that that's a bad model, at all. It's quite capable of being a sessioner, for the true hop lover, that is. I can see drinking a few without getting tired.
Good job on this!

Serving type: bottle

10-08-2008 06:44:41 | More by feloniousmonk

WesWes

New York

4.33/5  rDev +9.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

The beer pours a dark golden color with a thick frothy offwhite head that slowly fades to lacing. The aroma is good. It has a bitter hop bite laid over a nicely balanced pale and Munich malt aroma. It's citrusy and light with a refreshing feel. The taste is great. It's incredibly smooth and not overly bitter. It's well balanced and highly drinkable. The mouthfeel is good. It is a medium bodied beer with adequate carbonation. This is a easy drinking IPA. It's well brewed and doesn't overpower you. It's got a nice hop character, but isn't a hop bomb. Recommmended.

Serving type: bottle

10-27-2008 21:34:54 | More by WesWes

drabmuh

Maryland

3.53/5  rDev -10.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Bottle sent to me in a BIF recently by Lando Calrizian, thanks Lando. Served in a Bruery tulip.

Beer is amber, hazy, moderately carbonated, off white head, some lacing, decent retention, looks good.

Earthy sweet aroma, piny hops, malt.

Beer is medium in body, sweet, with a hoppy, earthy, sulfury, piny, mid palate and a light bitterness on the end, a decent IPA but not great, nothing too special but I'll have no problem drinking the 4 pack I have.

Serving type: bottle

12-13-2011 02:38:03 | More by drabmuh

zeff80

Missouri

4.1/5  rDev +3.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A - Poured out an orange or light amber color with a one finger, cream colored, foamy head. It left sticky rings of lace.

S - It smelled of pine and citrus. Some caramel aromas, too.

T - It tasted very bitter upon first sip. A good citrus/orange flavor blends nicely with burnt toast maltiness. Well balanced.

M - It was crisp, sharp and smooth. A medium-bodied beer.

D - This is a good IPA. By far the best Lakefront brew I've tried to date.

Serving type: bottle

08-28-2008 01:50:28 | More by zeff80

metter98

New York

3.88/5  rDev -1.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: The beer is hazy light copper in color and has some particles visible floating in suspension along with a light amount of carbonation. It poured with a thin off white head that quickly died down leaving a thin layer of bubbles covering the surface.
S: There are light to moderate aromas of citrus and floral hops in the nose.
T: The taste is similar to the smell and has a medium amount of bitterness; flavors of grapefruit stand out in the finish.
M: It feels medium-bodied and somewhat smooth and crisp on the palate with a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: The beer is easy to drink because there’s enough underlying malts so that the hops do not overpower the taste.

Serving type: bottle

05-03-2011 01:13:56 | More by metter98

Gueuzedude

Arizona

3.58/5  rDev -9.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Bottled May Wk4; Sampled November 2008
A vigorous pour produces an almost four-finger thick, light tan colored head in my 25cl tulip glass. The beer is a nice copper color that shows a lightly hazed, bright copper hue when held up to the light. The aroma smells of sticky hops, pine, grapefruit and sweetened lemon zest as well as lots of biscuit like malt, some crystal malt sweetness and some cracker notes in the finish. After a bit I start to notice more of the herbal / pine, though there is still a soft citrus character in the nose.

Lots of herbal hop character is noticeable as the beer first hits my mouth, a substantial pine needle backbone runs throughout as well. The beer finishes fairly smooth, with very little bitterness noticeable after the first sip. My second sip has me noticing a solid bitterness that is noticeable as the beer rolls across the tongue; strangely though (or perhaps more aptly said, atypically) the bitterness quickly disappears and does not linger on in the finish at all. The finish is fairly smooth with a light menthol hop notes and some sweet, pale crystal malt sweetness. Some citrus hop flavors are noticeable as well. The malt plays a secondary role here, but does provide a fair amount of sweet, pale crystal malt notes and some lightly toasty grain notes that reminds me of saltine crackers. This has a nice, light, quaffable body to it that is just about perfect for an IPA.

Not a bad beer, the fact that this beer has no real lingering presence on the tongue is definitely interesting and I definitely feel like I miss the lingering hop presence that is in a typical IPA, but this is still fairly enjoyable. Not as bracingly hoppy as many of the newer aggressive IPAs, which is sort of a nice change of pace (you might even confuse this from a hoppy pale ale).

Serving type: bottle

11-28-2008 15:50:02 | More by Gueuzedude

TheManiacalOne

Rhode Island

3.98/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Acquired via trade from jayli, so a big “Thank you” goes out to her. Poured from a 12oz bottle into a US tumbler pint glass.

A: The beer is a murky gold color, with a large off-white head that fades slowly and leaves a spotty lace on the glass.

S: The aroma contains grassy hops, fruity citrus and caramelized malts.

T: The taste starts out sweet flavors of citrus and caramel. Then a decent burst of hops bitterness comes in but overall the hops presence is a bit weak for the style. The malt character is hearty and creates a good balance. The after-taste is slightly sweet.

M: Crisp and smooth, medium body, medium carbonation, finish is slightly sticky.

D: Tasty, goes down easily, not too filling, good kick, good representation of style, not quite the best IPA out there but it’s solid enough to drink for a while.

Serving type: bottle

08-03-2011 04:28:59 | More by TheManiacalOne

Knapp85

Pennsylvania

3.9/5  rDev -1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This poured out as a nice looking copper colored beer, the head was big and white. The lacing on it was very nice also. The smell of the beer has a good hop presence to it as well as some nice malts in there too. The taste of the beer isn't quite as hoppy as I expected it to be. The mouthfeel was medium bodied and smoothin the finish. Overall this beer was quite tasty, glad I was able to try it. I would enjoy this beer again in the future.

Serving type: bottle

08-13-2012 03:13:26 | More by Knapp85

russpowell

Oklahoma

4.18/5  rDev +5.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Bought sixer at Goebbel's in Wichita, per the recommendation of one of the employees, damn good call!

Just got done picking a bunch of cascade hops, hopefully this enhances the experience!

Pours an effervescent & semi-hazed honey with 2 fingers of cream colored head. Above average head retention & lacing

S: Lemons, breadyness, passion fruit & pineapples

T: Breadyness, lemons, & pineapple up front. Dryness, pears, grapefruit & lemons dominate as this warms

MF: Medium bodied, soft carbonation & pretty good balance

Drinks pretty easy. a solid AIPA

Serving type: bottle

08-27-2008 00:18:39 | More by russpowell

Halcyondays

California

3.53/5  rDev -10.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

12 oz. bottle, about 3 weeks old,

A: Pours orange with a medium white head. Solid retention, leaves lots of spotty lace.

S: Dominated by grapefruit and citrus, pithy.

T: Very grassy and herbal with a mint component midway through. Light on the malt for the Midwest. In the finish it gets bitter with a lot of white grapefruit.

M: Medium-bodied, average body weight in the style. Frothy, full carbonation, creamy with a medium long aftertaste.

O: Not the most striking IPA, but a solid effort at a good price.

Serving type: bottle

09-26-2011 02:34:08 | More by Halcyondays

emerge077

Illinois

3.95/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Decided that I needed to revisit this one to give it the benefit of the doubt. Poured into a Rodenbach tulip glass around 45-50º. Label is notched March "Wk1", so i'm guessing this is fresh stuff, maybe 6 weeks old.

Nice deep glowing orange color, requisite foam and lacing. There's definitely more citrus this time around, almost "catty" in a good way, maybe simcoe? A little floral and malty behind the citrus that would earn a 4.25 if it was possible.

Flavor has a good amount of fresh hop character, grassy and herbal, fleeting citrus, and a low to moderate bitterness. The malt is 60/40 to the hops, not dominating but very flavorful. Dry chalky finish, the body is slightly thin for my taste. Still it's a very quenching warm weather IPA.

Original review: 03-03-2008 - bottle
4/4/3.5/3.5/4

Bottle notched "Dec Wk4"...guessing it's 3 months old?
Memorable "eye" on the label, reminds me of the illuminati symbol on the dollar bill. Strange that this beer has made it from WI to CA, but IL has been passed over. Conspiracy!!

Deep amber tone with suspended particles, a fluffy and craggy head rises above the lip of the glass, momentarily defying gravity. Sparkly bubbles have a soapy quality, but are tightly packed enough to deter further soap allusions. Spotty bits of lacing in the tulip glass.

Aroma is mainly floral, some grassy Saaz hops like a Czech Pils. Not hops of the citrus or conifer variety, that's for sure. A bit understated, but aroma is nice nonetheless.

Dominant pale malt flavor, vague hop bitterness comes through, much too restrained. A honey note lingers in the aftertaste. Very low level of carbonation, it hurts the body a little bit, more reminiscent of English cask ale than anything. Drinkable, but much better options abound in the area.

Cheers to malcontent for bringing this back from WI.

Serving type: bottle

04-22-2009 23:03:18 | More by emerge077

jwc215

New Jersey

4.43/5  rDev +12.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Brewed in Feb - notched on label:

Pours chill-hazed orange amber with a thin lasting creamy white head. Foamy rings of lacing stick.

The smell is of grapefruity citrus, some tropical fruits and a peppery spicing. There's a slight, mild bready touch. Beautiful hop aroma!

The taste is citric - grapefruit, with a hint of apricot and orange and a touch of (coconut?) tropical. A slight hint of resin shows. Peppery spicing adds another hop dimension (though might be coming from alcohol). A touch of toast and malt sweetness round it out in the finish...enough to keep it bitter, but rounded. Slight alcohol shows in the finish, but doesn't interfere. Hops come back in aftertaste - always a good thing!

It has a chewy medium body.

Big on hops, maintaining flavor rather than just bitterness. Glad this one recently showed up in my area...hope it's here to stay!

Serving type: bottle

03-02-2010 22:54:54 | More by jwc215

biboergosum

Alberta (Canada)

3.53/5  rDev -10.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A brand-new arrival in Alberta, in not at all surprisingly expensive 6-packs. Good thing I snatched a single 12oz bottle from an understanding bottleshop in Cowtown then, eh?

This beer pours a very hazy, fine sediment-strewn orange amber hue, with two fingers of chunky foamy pale beige head, which leaves random layered/webbed lace around the glass as it lazily recedes.

It smells sharply of pine needles, bitter grapefruit rind, juicy orange citrus, and a mildly musty, bready caramel maltiness. The taste is herbal, citrusy hops, a touch of medicinal character, a light, slightly toasted caramel maltiness, and some further biscuity notes.

The carbonation is a bit on the high side up front, but settles to a dull hum soon enough, the body an adequate medium weight, and a little too zippy to be considered dead to rights smooth. It finishes just a bit off-dry, the herbal, citrusy hops lording over the latent multivariant sweetness of the malt.

While this had the initial big hop wallop that I find so endearing about made-in-the-USA IPAs, it just doesn't persist, instead morphing slowly into a kind of palate-defying, herbal otherness. I hate to say it, but I'm glad I just got the one - while not actually 'bad', this is not my ideal, or even good for a one-nighter, Yankee IPA.

Serving type: bottle

10-15-2010 23:35:16 | More by biboergosum

tempest

Pennsylvania

3.85/5  rDev -2.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Picked up a bottle from Abe's in Bethlehem. Pours a hazy amber with a white head and lacing. Hmm, this one could be old. Thanks Abe.

Still a good beer, regardless of age. The hops have a great sticky citrus and floral perfume flavor underpinned with a biscuit malt backbone. This is a very nice, juicy and bitter IPA with a bit of malt balance. The body is a quite drinkable, and fairly sessionable. I'll have to try this one again.

Serving type: bottle

10-30-2008 00:23:01 | More by tempest

WVbeergeek

Ohio

4.68/5  rDev +18.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Appears a golwing orange semi clouded with yeast sediment, light orange tinted cream head forms thick and billows above the edge of my glass. Aroma has sharp grapefruit and floral with earthy hops bursting, layers of sugar coated hops have existed with layers of the pale malt biscuit qualities. Flavor has piercing hop bitterness that comes through with citrus and floral hop flavor, semi sweet malt ridden with a hop combo. This is my kind of hoppy IPA. Mothfeel is medium bodied slick with hop oils perfect carbonation level compared to those other IPAs, go tell your friends about this one. Lakefront IPA may be one of the most drinkable versions I've come across pure lovely hop combo with pale malt sweetness to back it up.

Serving type: bottle

09-14-2009 17:34:03 | More by WVbeergeek

barleywinefiend

Washington

3.9/5  rDev -1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured a golden opaque color with a small white head. Nose had a nice hop aroma. Taste was not over the top but more of a good balanced IPA. Not to much of anything. It seemed like a mix of American and English style. Taste was nice, fruit undertones, slightly hoppy, chewy, backbone with a nice ABV which left it sessionable. Tasty and very drinkable. Nice change of pace from the West Coast IPAs I am use to.

Serving type: on-tap

06-15-2009 22:10:28 | More by barleywinefiend

smcolw

Massachusetts

4.03/5  rDev +2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Explosive opening, lost about a tenth of the bottle. Very cloudy (almost like a wheat beer). Light amber with a touch of orange. Surprisingly moderate head. It lasts, though, and leaves rocky lace.

Nicely balanced aroma, perhaps more malty than a typical IPA, but still quite attractive.

Creamy and malty in the initial sip. Great hop presence without overwhelming. A very easy-to-drink beer.

Serving type: bottle

11-01-2008 21:53:55 | More by smcolw