IPA - Lakefront Brewery, Inc.

ZAP

Minnesota

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

Haven't had this in ages but found a fresh supply of it and am glad I pulled the trigger.

This is an often overlooked solid IPA...certainly not top tier (4.5+) but not far off from the upper tier range (4.0+ on this scale)

More of a grungy hop forward IPA than a bright citrus hop forward IPA. It has a good dose of pine and sharp citrus (grapefruit).

Malt lends some heft to the body and dulls the hop bite slightly on the finish.

Good, solid, workman-like IPA I'd buy again occasionally even with all the other great options available. Much prefer O'Dell and Two-Hearted but this is enjoyable

Serving type: bottle

06-22-2012 05:25:09 | More by ZAP

Duff27

Illinois

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

A- Half inch white head on a murky dark orange body. Head cap is left with splotchy lacing.

S- Whiffs of orangey citrus, kind of faint.

T- Follows the nose. Oranges. A bready/biscuity malt backbone.

M- Medium mouthfeel and medium carbonation.

D/O- Very drinkable. Lakefront IPA didn't wow my socks off but I could see it as a tasty summer bevy that drinks a lot lower alcohol-wise than it actually.

Serving type: bottle

06-21-2012 03:23:33 | More by Duff27

BeerFMAndy

Wisconsin

4.5/5  rDev +13.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

12 oz bottle poured into a Lakefront imperial Pint.
Bottled during May Wk2 (2012) notched on label.

A - Pouring slightly hazy golden amber in color with a foamy white head, Lakefront's IPA retains it's head respectably while circling the pint with delicate collars of lace.

S - Certainly hop-forward, assertive pine and bright citrus aromas erupt from within Lakefront's IPA. While not without a malt base, it's hard to detect much more than some trace caramel sweetness from behind the delectable hop aroma. A very slight touch of alcohol can be found in the finish, just as the glass pulls from your mouth.

T - A very good balance of malt and hop action, Lakefront IPA starts malty sweet with caramel notes and slight graininess and moves quickly into a piny citrus hop flavor that finishes crisp and refreshing. Notes of fresh grapefruit and dried apricot add depth to the hop flavor.

M - Sporting great balance, IPA features a nice smooth mouthfeel with a decent carbonation crispness, all ending with a dry, bitter kick that brings you back in for another sip.

D - Lakefront nails down an easy drinking, almost dangerous IPA that's full of the hop-head's dreams; pine and citrus abounding. Plenty of balance makes this a tasty treat that, despite the higher alcohol level, is rather sessionable!

Serving type: bottle

06-06-2012 22:58:09 | More by BeerFMAndy

RoamingGnome

Wisconsin

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

Enjoyed this fine beverage on tap, while out or some wings. Arrived at my table in a standard pint glass.

A) A nice looking lighter amber, with decent clarity. There was nearly a finger of wispy white head that settled quickly to a dusting that was well maintained. Not much lacing to talk about.

S) The nose is pine, light grass, flower petal, citrus and a hint of tropical fruits. Nice...

T) Follows the nose well. While nothing jumps out at me in particular about the malt presence, I found excellent harmony in the balance. Never overly bitter. Nice piney/grassy flavors, along with the citrus fruit. Good aftertaste, that never gets to zesty.

M) A medium body with about same in regards to the carbonation. This one is smooth and easy drinking. As indicated above, nice aftertaste. No one likes off tastes lingering about, and sticking to their palate. Well done...

O) Just a real solid offering right here. While it's not likely to blow you away, it's also not likely to disappoint. Glad to recommend.

Paired with buffalo wings and misbehaving children.

Serving type: on-tap

05-30-2012 02:45:32 | More by RoamingGnome

jimmah120

Minnesota

4.38/5  rDev +10.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

12oz bottle born on 3rd week of January. Cool label design.

Pours a slightly cloudy orange with a red hue. Small head that dissipates quickly but leaves a sticky film. Smell is light tropical fruits and heavy malt. Taste follows with dank, wet, fruity hops, and a good amount of bready, pumpkin-like malt.

If you can get this fresh, it is an excellent IPA. More than 3 months old, and it's just average.

Serving type: bottle

05-29-2012 05:44:42 | More by jimmah120

BierStein711

Illinois

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

Bottle from the bottle

Amber through amber,

off white head: half finger since it was not poured

Smells of citrus and pine

Tastes: Grapefruit, apricot, orange, and bitter hop finish

Mouthfeel: Perfect, not watery

Overall, I would have this again! I'll only commit to a sixer unless I have a glass of it.

Serving type: bottle

05-24-2012 23:57:18 | More by BierStein711

kylehay2004

Florida

3.65/5  rDev -7.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A: half finger head on a copper/crimson body.

S: mostly citrus and pine.

T: flavor has a light malt backbone and mostly carries over the pine from the aroma. very simple.

M: medium body and moderate carbonation.

Not as all memorable but drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

05-08-2012 22:11:09 | More by kylehay2004

SawDog505

New Hampshire

3.78/5  rDev -4.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into a 13 oz tulip glass, bottled middle of February. Pours a cloudy reddish orange, with a half inch of white head, that leaves a ring of lacing. Smell is tangerine, pineapple, grass, and some grapefruit. Taste is all of that very balanced, with citrus being the dominant flavor. Body is medium, plenty of carbonation, a little dryness, and very drinkable. This is a solid IPA.

Serving type: bottle

04-30-2012 19:41:20 | More by SawDog505

spinrsx

Ontario (Canada)

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

Bottle from Total Wine Las vegas NV for 1.69

Appearance - Slightly hazy amber/copper colour with an average size fizzy and frothy off white coloured head. There is an average amount of carbonation and there is some good lacing. The head lasted for around 5 minutes.

Smell - Malts, caramel, hops, grapefruit, apricots

Taste & Mouth - There is an average amount of carbonation and I can taste hops, malts, and caramel. There is a bit of a tropical fruit flavour (mango?) and some light grapefruit. It ends with a lightly hopped fruity/malty aftertaste.

Overall - The smell and taste of this beer are both very good.. it's just that it doesn't seem amplified enough. It's just a little too subtle. Regardless, I'd love to have regular access to beers like this.

Serving type: bottle

04-27-2012 00:38:06 | More by spinrsx

drmarks

Illinois

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

A good but not overwhelming beer. While it has the strong hops flavor it did have a bit of an unpleasantly bitter after taste where many IPAs have a more clean hoppy kick. With that said, it was a very good beer that was easy to drink and pretty strong

Serving type: bottle

04-17-2012 01:17:46 | More by drmarks

AlphaKing414

Wisconsin

4.58/5  rDev +15.9%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 5

Malty looking, Nice head, dissipates pretty fast.

Amazing smell! I can smell it from three feet away! Great grapefruit smell, quite danky.

One of the best off the shelve IPAs no questions asked. Great danky, hop taste. Citrus goodness, cant get much better than this.

Not too much carbonation.

Overall, I think this is a great IPA definatly recommend trying it. So underated I think.

Serving type: bottle

04-16-2012 01:58:58 | More by AlphaKing414

chodinheaven

Maryland

4.45/5  rDev +12.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

A hazy amber-orange in color, bright and lively looking with a one finger off white head on top that dissapates down to a thinish sheet, leaving patchy lacing behind. The aroma is as bright as the hue with a grapefruit citrus sharpness and a bit of resin from the hops. Even a bit floral to fill in the cracks. A good bit of malts make there way through, but the hops outshine it. Not terribly aromatic, but very pleasant indeed.

Well-rounded upfront and sharply hoppy from the alpha acids in the back. The malts are lightly toasty up front with a mild sweetness. The toastiness is bready and lends a solid backbone for the hops to shine. Lots of grapefruity hop flavor without a ton of biting bitterness, just a sharp earthiness from the resins in the finish. The bitterness is there, but not overpoweringly so, just the right amount of balance. It matches the palate cleansing carbonation, leaving only a short-lived aftertaste of citrusy hops. Again, a bit of floral hop flavor make their way through the citrus, completing the balance. The mouthfeel complements everything perfectly as well with a nice tingle from the hops, carbonation and even a touch of booze for a light and spritzy feel, but heavy on flavor. Very refreshing.

Really good IPA here, one that has all the balancing features that it needs. I would absolutely like to get my hands on more of this.

Serving type: bottle

04-04-2012 04:29:22 | More by chodinheaven

nrs207

Pennsylvania

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

A - Pours a dark orange with a finger of white head that leaves really thick lacing down the glass.

S - Really citrusy and grapefruit. That's really all I got from it.

T - The smell is the same as the taste. There's some sweet malt backing it up, but it's dominated by hops. I do enjoy it, but it's not surprisingly a typical IPA. A citrus and grapefruit dominant taste.

O - Good, but not great. If you want a citrus IPA give it a try. It's good, but not great. It was given to me. I wouldn't buy it, but I'd gladly drink it again.

Serving type: bottle

03-30-2012 02:48:52 | More by nrs207

TheQuietMan22

Iowa

4.53/5  rDev +14.7%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Serving type: 12-ounce bottle. According to the notches on the side of the label, this beer was bottled during the third week of February (2012?).

Appearance: Straight pour into a tulip. The color is cloudy light amber/orange. A finger of off-white head dissipated fairly quickly to leave a bubbly cap, a ring around the edge, and some trails along the glass. I can see tiny bits of yeast hovering in the beer.

Smell: Lots of smooth and tame citrus — grapefruit, orange, lemon — which balances well with pine spice and a solid base of caramel.

Taste: Very well balanced. Everything from the smell is present — the fruit citrus as well as the pine and caramel base — and the hops are riding shotgun. Though it does not pack a powerful punch, it does offer hoppy astringency. It is very smooth and easy drinking for an IPA. As it warms the booze becomes noticeable, but faintly.

Drinkability: This is definitely not a one-trick-pony, kick-in-the-face IPA. Instead, this is a solid, well-crafted beer that is very drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

03-28-2012 20:06:49 | More by TheQuietMan22

boyermi206

Maine

4.63/5  rDev +17.2%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A- very clear light orange, dark yellow

S- outstanding, I get hops and malt all together, neither is overpowering or aggressive

T- outstanding again, great citrus hop smell, full malt that lends to a great hop bite with lingering (but not too much bitterness)

M- full, great carbonation, full mouthfeel, but still light hoppy and great overall

O- go buy this beer, if you can find it on tap I can only imagine that it will be one of the best IPA's that you have ever had.

Serving type: bottle

03-26-2012 22:19:03 | More by boyermi206

JimKal

North Carolina

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

It pours a slightly cloudy dark amber with a one finger head. As the head dissipates it leave a nice lacing behind

Aroma is light citrus with a hint of malt.

It has a mutter hop bite with some ongoing bitterness.

The mouthfeel on this is very nice. This one has the balance missing in so many hop bombs. Yes, there is a time for those and I love them as well, just not all the time. This one will pair well with food - you will still taste the food!

Lakefront did a great job with this IPA. It is very different from the west coast style. This has the balance to be a very popular beer to drink with a good meal.

Serving type: bottle

03-26-2012 00:35:14 | More by JimKal

ahq514

Illinois

4.4/5  rDev +11.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from 12 oz bottle into tulip glass.

Pours a slightly hazy gold with about a fingers worth of an airy, white head. Appears to have low-medium carbonation. Great lacing.

Good variety of hops present in the aroma. Exhibits pine, floral, grapefruit, and citrus aromas. The hop aromas are nicely balanced by some caramel malt.

Everything you would expect from the aroma is present here. Starts out with a burst of citrus and pine hops. Then the malt comes in and mutes the bitterness of the hops. The beer finishes with some softer fruit characteristics, like apricot.

Mouthfeel is a medium body, fairly light carbonation, and extreme drinkability.

The name of this beer is balance. Has some great hop characteristics while having a great malt presence as well. This gives it great drinkability as their is very low lingering bitterness. In my opinion, one of the better ipas out there.

Serving type: bottle

03-19-2012 03:56:53 | More by ahq514

DavoleBomb

Ohio

3.75/5  rDev -5.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Poured into a snifter.

3.5 A: Opaque orange brown color. A little over one finger of creamy off-white head. Retention is average and a moderate sized ring of lacing is left.

5.0 S: The aroma on this is incredible. My nose is being pelted with mango after pineapple after mango after papaya after mango after orange after mango. Sugary underneath. Very faint bready maltiness. This is all about the hops (mango). Doesn't get much better than this.

3.5 T: Taste is good, but can't hold a candle up to the nose. Soft bitterness. Citrus and tropical hop flavor that is much reduced from what the nose offered. Slight bready yeastiness.

3.0 M: Lighter medium body. A bit overcarbonated and the carbonation is rather biting. Not as creamy as I want.

3.5 D: Decent beer that I'm glad to have had. Fantastic nose, but unfortunately the taste doesn't follow suit.

Serving type: bottle

03-17-2012 05:49:27 | More by DavoleBomb

rangerred

Tennessee

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

12oz bottle into a pint glass.

Pours a hazy orange with a half finger white head. Good lacing and head retention.

Smells is all hops with lots of grapefruit and orange citrus. Really no malt detectable at all.

Flavor starts out with tons of citrus from the hops along with a moderate bitterness. A little pit of grainiy malt is detectable in the middle but not a whole lot. Hops are king. Finish is pretty long lasting and drying.

Overall this is a pretty good IPA. Could use a little more malt flavor but the hoppiness is wonderful.

Serving type: bottle

03-15-2012 23:54:32 | More by rangerred

CHickman

New York

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

Pours cloudy copper orange color with thick 2 finger off white head that was full of bubbles and faded slowly, leaving great foamy lacing and rings coating the sides.

Smells of floral hops, herbs, citrus hops, grapefruit, light lemon, sweet malt, caramel, piney hops, straw, grains, biscuit and then more citrus notes like tangerine; very nice hoppy nose that is fragrant yet soft and enjoyable at the same time.

Tastes like it smells, with big juicy floral hops, flowers, herbs, orange peel, grapefruit, citrus hops, lemon, sweet malt, caramel, piney hops/pine cones, straw, fresh cut grass, hay, biscuit, lightly roasted grains, toast, light spices like pepper and coriander; alcohol is very well hidden and not a factor.

Mouthfeel is creamy and smooth, with a medium body, average fizzy carbonation, and a mild bitter finish that is dry – this went down easy and would be a great session beer.

High drinkability, this had just enough malts and biscuit to add balance to the tasty hops, and is a fine example of an IPA that is not a hop-bomb but very sessionable. A very nice beer which I recommend trying.

Serving type: bottle

02-29-2012 04:01:16 | More by CHickman

TheCondor

Missouri

4.08/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I received this bottle as a gift from a co-worker, who said she had drank and then brought home an egregious amount of this beer from a trip to Milwaukee. Sounded good, she knew I liked IPA's, so I gave it a shot! Poured from the bottle into a pint glass.

Appearance - Pours a cloudy golden brown color, almost the color of a good dunkelweizen. A small head after an aggressive pour which goes away quickly, no real sign of lacing to speak of. I do like the cloudiness, however.

Smell - Good piney hops smell, tropical fruit, real nice nose on it. You won't mistake you are drinking an IPA, that's for sure. The hops are there.

Taste - I like it, real solid. Good balanced taste between the malt and hops on the front and rear of the drink, respectively. Much like the nose, there is a big pine kick to it, but the hoppiness doesn't pound your taste buds.

Mouthfeel - Finished crisp and clean, medium carbonation and body. Liked it.

Overall - I really enjoyed this brew. I would absolutely buy it again without hesitation. Its a good, balanced IPA that won't break the bank, good ABV, could probably even use it as a session brew, but certainly a solid choice for an every day IPA.

Serving type: bottle

02-20-2012 19:27:14 | More by TheCondor

IronLover

Pennsylvania

4.2/5  rDev +6.3%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottled the first week of December 2011. Copper orange in color and murky. Poured with a frothy off-white foam that quickly reduced to a soapy cap. Big grapefruit hop aroma that still allows malty aromas to show through beneath. Citrus grapefruit and strong herbal hop flavors up front that quickly fade through the middle. The flavor changes so quickly it the flavor briefly seems watery before citrus and pine hop flavors again return at the very dry finish. Light caramel malt backbone throughout. The ultra-dry finish seems to take away any bitter hoppiness at the end. This was like a west coast IPA at the beginning and an English IPA at the finish.

Serving type: bottle

02-18-2012 21:51:07 | More by IronLover

Biestie

Iowa

4.95/5  rDev +25.3%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

This is my new favorite IPA. Perfect hop blend aroma/flavor of citrus and pine, not too much of one or the other (I've grown rather tired of grapefruit beer). Bitter enough to make it an IPA, but not overpowering. The malt backbone is just enough to let you know it's there. If someone were to ask me the definition of the perfect IPA, I'd say Lakefront.

Serving type: bottle

02-15-2012 01:39:14 | More by Biestie

Jparker37

Wisconsin

4.65/5  rDev +17.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

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

A - Golden with some orange highlights. Some floating debris haze. Big pillowy white head full of tiny bubbles that receed to a small but prevalent cap of foam that clings to every inch of the glass.

S - Big pine/citrus hops. Even some slight tropical fruit smells. Very green dry-hops. ++++

T - A little bit of some biscuity/bready malt is quickly swallowed up by great pine, and mildy herbal flavor. But the finish is its best feature. Its big and bold hop flavor is quickly quieted to a nice crisp/drying bitter finish without leaving your taste buds begging for mercy.

M - Medium bodied, moderate carbonation

O - I would by the sampler 8 pack all over again for the IPA alone. I was enamored with how hoppy the beer was in smell and flavor but still sessionable for a hot summers day.

Serving type: bottle

01-30-2012 23:04:53 | More by Jparker37

BrewIndy

Indiana

4.08/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: Average. Typical IPA. I prefer mine clear and crisp. This one is cloudy.

S: Strong hop aroma. Very good. Oily, hints of grapefruit but sweater.

T: Very balanced between the hops and the malt. Up front there's what seems like a mild malt back bone and as it slides down your gullet the bitterness of the hops start to hit you.

M: There's that crispness. Somewhat tart as if I feel like puckering up now.

O: Very tasty, glad I have 5 more. I've had better but I've had much worse. This bottle is half a year old which is disappointing. I need to pay close attention. This would probably be pretty amazing if it were fresh.

Serving type: bottle

01-21-2012 01:50:12 | More by BrewIndy