Bridge Burner Special Reserve Ale - Lakefront Brewery, Inc.

tbeckett

Ontario (Canada)

3.5/5  rDev -9.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

From notes.

A - Poured with a great deep amber or dark red colour. Bright. Three finger light brown head. Fluffy head. Good drapes of lace with a film of retention.

S - Caramel, earthy hop, really caramelly, dark fruit, gentle hop.

T - Spicy hop, caramel, lot's of caramel, dark fruit.

M - Gentle carbonation, medium to full body. Some spicy hop/caramel finish. A little bitterness.

O/D - Decent strong ale. Tame in the hop department, but tasty enough. Not breaking new ground at all, but tasty enough.

Serving type: bottle

06-17-2013 19:58:09 | More by tbeckett

ssmack

Ontario (Canada)

3.68/5  rDev -4.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

A dark tan brown with 1 inch of tan head that quickly dissolves to a thin head. The lacing though is very good.

A strong resin aroma hit me right off. Then the nice aroma of careml and roasted walnuts. Lots of piney hops too. But an alcohol smell is in there too.

The taste of roasted grains and grassy hops. Lots of maltiness too. Again a strong taste of alcohol spoils things.

A medium feel that lacks the bite of carbonation.

This is a rich tasting brew but too much taste from the alcohol. I enjoyed the balance of malt and hops. I wished that I had cellared this one to mellow the alcohol and intentsifed the tasted. I think the potential is there.

Serving type: bottle

06-14-2013 00:52:22 | More by ssmack

TMoney2591

Illinois

3.3/5  rDev -14.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25

Served in a snifter at Firkin.

Now why would you wanna go and burn your bridges? Anyway, this stuff pours a clear topaz topped by a finger of light khaki foam. The nose comprises mild caramel, mixed greens, and very light maple syrup. The taste brings in more of the same, eliciting a flavor of syrup-covered greens. The body is a light medium, with a light moderate carbonation and a fluid feel. Overall, a decent brew, though nothing to really get excited over.

Serving type: on-tap

05-09-2013 19:10:44 | More by TMoney2591

rlee1390

Indiana

3.76/5  rDev -2.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

A-brown in the glass, clear two finger head with nice lacing

S- caramel dirt grass good deal of hops

T- some caramel, grass mix of hops no bitterness. Good but nothing stands out

M- medium bodied some carbonation

O- an average tasting brew. Seemed more like a strong amber than strong ale. Nothing to write home about.

Serving type: bottle

05-05-2013 13:28:29 | More by rlee1390

TerryW

Ontario (Canada)

2.96/5  rDev -23.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 2.75

Good looking beer. Dark walnut colour with a handsome pillowy head. Leaves lots of lace.

Nose is boozy, sweet malt and charcoal, some dark fruit. Quite sweet and boozy to taste, somewhere between malt liquor and a barley wine. I just find it too sweet and too harsh on the palate to enjoy. Notable burned character. Burned, bitter finish.

Every aspect of this one is just too blunt to me. One harsh note after another, but nothing really hangs together. Sorry, but not to my taste.

Serving type: bottle

04-29-2013 23:13:57 | More by TerryW

biegaman

Ontario (Canada)

3.99/5  rDev +3.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Bridge Burner looks like liquified rust, its red, orange and brown tones all blending into some kind of murky iron oxide soup. I've got to respect its attempt at highlights but, even directly into the light, this beer is as gloomy and lifeless as a far away galaxy (its lacing, coincidentally enough, takes the shape of an interstellar nebula that would be sure to get NASA's attention).

Despite a treacly malt presence, the aroma is a steady wall of hoppy flavours. It is distinctly earthy, the abundance of pine needles, resin, grass clippings and tree bark making it smell like a wet forest. Simultaneously, sharp citrus notes and aromatic guava, lime, passionfruit, lychee, and even gooseberry make it feel as though spring has finally come.

The strong muskiness of hops aside, this is also a malty offering and has layered tastes of toffee and biscuits, dry and roasted cereal grain. The palate experiences dark, almost treacly notes of fig, date and plum, all of which are enlivened by well integrated citrus and a sticky tree sap flavour that blends well with the sweetness of the caramel malt and dried fruits.

Thick and chewy, it drinks like a liquified fig newton or oatmeal raisin cookie. The hops, however, do continue long into the aftertaste with whispered notes of spruce resin and tree bark. This ale reinforces the notion that American craft beer must be bold but does so while hardly flashing any alcohol nor an excessive amount of bitterness.

Drinking Bridge Burner you get the impression that with this offering the brewery really wanted to impress; being able to discern where the hops end and the malts start is a task both Herculean and arcane, like knowing all the constellations or differentiating between sub-species of moth. What does it matter? This has plenty of both and all you need know is that it's good.

Serving type: bottle

04-13-2013 05:37:06 | More by biegaman

leaddog

Alberta (Canada)

4.21/5  rDev +9.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Appearance - Pours a dark nut brown with a finger width of foamy beige head.

Smell - Malts, dark fruits (plum), earthy/musty hops (just a tad), hint of spice.

Taste - Malts including caramalts, plum and dark fruits, and spiciness from hops. Strong malt backbone. Nice mild bitterness in the finish.

Mouthfeel - Medium bodied with moderate carbonation. A little sticky.

Overall - An enjoyable strong ale by Lakefront. I like the stronger malt backbone with the hops playing the supporting role. Nice to find other American craft offerings in Calgary.

Serving type: bottle

04-13-2013 04:12:52 | More by leaddog

Groulxsome

Ontario (Canada)

3.86/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A bottle into a tulip. The Bridge Burner is dark copper witha thick tan head. The aroma is citrus, a little fresh pine, molasses, sweet dark sugar, and slightly like sweet fruit punch (think about it, it's there). On the palate, a little more roasted barley character is present, with a good hit of lemon and a balanced bitterness. Not a lot of heat - though the alcohol heat is present - and overall a fairly rich, creamy body. Little lingering taste of chocolate, malt, and brown sugar. American Strong Ales are always such a mixed bag, this one comes close to being the American Ale equivalent of a Belgian Dubbel. Very much worth a try.

Serving type: bottle

04-11-2013 01:19:50 | More by Groulxsome

Phyl21ca

Quebec (Canada)

3.99/5  rDev +3.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottle: Poured a dark black color ale with a large dark foamy head with good retention and some light lacing. Aroma consists of dry roasted malt with some resin and citrus hops. Taste is a mix between some roasted malt notes with dry notes and some pine and citrus hops punch. Body is quite full with somewhat of a creamy texture and good carbonation with no apparent alcohol. Well balanced with good hops punch

Serving type: bottle

04-03-2013 20:14:19 | More by Phyl21ca

liamt07

Ontario (Canada)

3.88/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

Bottle from the LCBO, 650ml into a tulip.

Deep opaque burgundy, khaki head with moderate retention and a good bit of lace. Strong toffee and malt character, hops are there too and have some citrus and spice to them. More malt on the palate, alcohol, toffee, dark fruits and a bit of sweetness. Some roast and hops in the finish, roast and some chocolate bitterness lingers. Some sweetness and alcohol on the back end. Medium full feel, medium carbonation. Interesting, and saw faint comparisons to Arrogant Bastard can be drawn.

Serving type: bottle

04-03-2013 00:48:56 | More by liamt07

TheSevenDuffs

Ontario (Canada)

4.03/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

No freshness info was apparent on this bottle. Poured in to tulip.

A - Very dark amber/brown, almost completely opaque. One finger of cream coloured head.

S - Piney hop aroma dominates with some citrus, roast and nuttiness.

T - Piney and citrus flavours accompany a moderate bitterness for the style. Roast, nuttiness and a hint of chocolate in the background.

M - Medium body. Creamy with some nice sticky hop oils. Light to moderate carbonation.

Serving type: bottle

03-27-2013 01:52:43 | More by TheSevenDuffs

CanuckRover

Ontario (Canada)

4.08/5  rDev +6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

A very dark red, looks deep brown at first glance. Dense head settles to a ring within a couple minutes. Thick lacings to the finish.

Complex aroma. Bittersweet chocolate, cherries, a hint of piney hops.

Deep malt flavours to start things off. Charcoal and chocolate mingling with dark fruit. Hard to nail down the hops. Bitterness is there, but hard to pick out your American standards. I don't really get much in the way of citrus, but certainly pine. Otherwise the malt and heat is getting in the way... not a bad thing really.

This is a bit of a mess of a beer. A nice mess, but hard to pick apart. Complex malt backbone duking it out with brash hops. I really like this one. Fun to explore.

Serving type: bottle

03-21-2013 02:19:31 | More by CanuckRover

andrenaline

Ontario (Canada)

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

Glad to see this make it to Northern Ontario.

A - Pours a nice dark ruby red, finger of head with solid retention and some nice sticky lacing.

S - Nose is dominated by sweet citrus hops, candied caramel, burnt sugar and woody pine.

T - The hop profile takes a back seat to the sweet caramel notes, a nice earthy hop profile comes through on the finish alongside a hint of burnt sugar and a touch of espresso.

M - Medium bodied, smooth and surprisingly wet on the finish.

O - A delicious brew, full of flavour and well worth seeking out. Easy drinking and an ABV that is incredibly well hidden. I thoroughly enjoyed this brew and will be grabbing a few extra bottles before they disappear.

Serving type: bottle

03-18-2013 00:24:13 | More by andrenaline

smakawhat

Maryland

4/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Poured from the bottle into a Dogfish Head Ale glass.

A real dark brown mahogany body. Looks like very dark brown coffee, with a hint of red hue but barely on the edges. Head compliments the color with a bit of beige and yellow color. Two fingers off the pour with soapy little retention, and settling slowly.

Nose has a mild sense of grapefruit hop and thick malts. Some light brown sugars, but a very heavy sensing smell. Thick molasses like mild milk chocolate also.

Palate is a bit of a surprise. The first flavor on the mid palate is quite fruity, with a sense of fig like character. Hop bitterness is mellowed out with some sweet caramel finishing, with a hint of roast like character. There's some nice mellow simple instant pot coffee warmth and flavor on the finish with this. Feel is quite light but carries everything nicely.

A very flavorful and drinkable strong ale, really liked this one.

Serving type: bottle

03-17-2013 18:42:58 | More by smakawhat

Digimaika2

Ontario (Canada)

3.85/5  rDev 0%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

(4.25) A: Clear cola coloured with a ruby red tinge and a good-looking dense and creamy foam head. Long lasting retention and lacing that clings.

(4.0) S: Pine, citrus rinds, juicy lime, herbal qualities, hidden dark fruits (plums and raisins), and molasses. Solid variety of hearty aromas that are both earthy and rich.

(3.75) T: Caramel, pine, oranges, raw grains, faint cocoa, and dark fruits. Roasted malt elements met with DIPA qualities provide quite an earthy and gritty brew. A bit of alcoholic heat detected on the back end.

(4.0) M: Medium bodied with moderate carbonation. Chewy texture with some slight bitterness but pretty level and balanced for the most part.

(3.75) D: A solid American Strong Ale with a full and earthy flavour and a gritty texture to match.

Serving type: bottle

03-16-2013 01:49:53 | More by Digimaika2

peensteen

Ontario (Canada)

3.96/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

Brownish red body, 2 fingers of off white head, good amount of lace and retention here. Smell is fairly hop forward, some citrus, lots of sharp pine, sweet malts and caramel both present, mostly hops though, grapefruit and orange toward the end along with some bready-toffee notes. Taste is sweet and malty, bit of chocolate flavour, piney-dank weedy hops, moderately bitter throughout, some fruits in the mix most noteably cherry, citrus and caramel mid palate, malty and piney finish. Medium carbonation, lightish body and pretty watery at points also. This was pretty solid, lots going on here in terms of flavour, more body and softer carbonation would have gone a long way here but still a very drinkable beer.

Serving type: bottle

03-15-2013 13:55:27 | More by peensteen

spinrsx

Ontario (Canada)

3.85/5  rDev 0%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

22oz Bottle from the Nepean LCBO for $5.25

Appearance - Brownish-red colour with an average size fizzy/frothy off-white coloured head. There is an average amount of carbonation showing and there is some goodlacing. The head lasted for around 5 minutes.

Smell - Hops, malts, caramel, grapefruit/oranges

Taste & Mouth - There is a below average amount of carbonation and I can taste caramel, malts, and hops. There is also a hint of roasted chocolate and some grapefruit/oranges and something along the lines of strawberries. It ends with a malty/fruity/hoppy aftertaste.

Overall – Lots of flavours going on here. I don't really like the strawberry/guava type fruitiness in there but the rest of it works well. I picked up a few bottles thinking I could age them, but I'm not sure that will work out well.

Serving type: bottle

03-14-2013 00:14:53 | More by spinrsx

JohnnyBarman

Ontario (Canada)

3.98/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Bomber from the LCBO, nice to see another brewery crack the shelves. Love the story behind this beers name.

Poured into your standard nonic. Dark amber russet, almost chestnut, with a sturdy head of foam. Great retention, terrific circles of lacing. Nice looking brew.

Nose is west coast citrus hops, caramel, chocolate, brown bread.

Interesting mish mash of flavors the work well together. Nutty, chocolate malt fighting with citrus resin hops for attention. Easy to drink, no trace of alcohol.

Mouthful is thin, a bit watery, which does the brew a real disservice because I find the rest of it so well.

For the price (under 6), it's a solid brew I will come back to while it's here. Nice hoppy ale.

Serving type: bottle

03-11-2013 04:01:55 | More by JohnnyBarman

hopsolutely

Ontario (Canada)

3.95/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

Surprised how much I'm enjoying this beer!

Bomber pours a beautiful dark mahogany colour with decent head and residual lacing. It was bottled on Jan 30th (like the rest of the LCBO release?) and has a fantastic "c" hop aroma with caramelized malt undertones. Unfortunately those citrus and pine notes don't follow into the flavour, which has an impressive bitterness to the finish although without many "west coast" elements. The taste starts with sweet roasted malts, some caramel and chocolate notes, before transitioning to that nice bitterness. The high 8.5% ABV is warming but not overwhelming.

Have read others describing this as a "messy" beer - and I think that's a good description - but it's a messiness I'm really enjoying. May be time to book a trip to Milwaukee...

Serving type: bottle

03-10-2013 21:52:08 | More by hopsolutely

korguy123

Ontario (Canada)

4.06/5  rDev +5.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottled Jan 30th, 2013
Bottle into snifter.

Opaque dark brown pour with a light tan thin cap floating on top. Lacing is spotty.

Sweet malts, dark fruit, slight booze, fresh cookies with a bitter pine finish.

Sweet malts, slight alcohol with a bitter wallop in the finish. Dark stone fruits with a touch of strawberries.

Light to medium body, medium carbonation with a sticky finish.

Serving type: bottle

03-10-2013 00:20:58 | More by korguy123

jrenihan

Ontario (Canada)

3.68/5  rDev -4.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

Bottled Jan 30, 2013.

Beer is dark maroon in colour, with a moderate to large sized light tan head. Good retention.

Dark fruit scents (red grape, fig), quite vinous. Alcohol is more noticeable than I would have expected. Bready malt and some grassy scents. A bit spicy.

Taste is lighter than expected- a thin body really affects the flavour for me. The dark fruit is there, with a dry, yeasty flavour. Bitterer than expected- grassy. A bit of booze.

Medium bodied, but feels very thin. Low carbonation. A bit sticky.

Overall, some nice aspects. but the body does not work and the flavours are a bit out of balance.

Serving type: bottle

03-09-2013 21:19:29 | More by jrenihan

Ri0

Wisconsin

3.79/5  rDev -1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

A - A rusty red and brown with a 2 finger of white head. Some lacing.

S - Some pine hops with a roasted malt smell. Some dark fruit smell mixed in as well.

T - Up front is malt and roasted grain followed by a hop presence. I was hoping for more of a bold hop presence, but this beer stays on the sweeter side with biscuit and toffee. Hints of date and fig.

M - Nice carbonation and is a somewhat thick and heavy, good for this style.

O - A pretty good offering from LFB, but it leaves me wanting more from it. A bit more assertive and not so safe in the hop/malt combination. LFB doesn't seem to take too many risks, which may be a good thing.

Serving type: bottle

02-03-2013 17:44:56 | More by Ri0

Strix

Wisconsin

4.1/5  rDev +6.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

Reddish brown, nice initial head, some nice lacing.

Very malty nose, a cascade-type hop note.

Quite malty, a complex malt note with a bit of raisins, bread, and caramel and a mild grapefruit hop finish.

Mouthfeel rich and creamy.

An easy drinker for an 8% beer, this was nicely done.

Serving type: bottle

01-24-2013 03:58:18 | More by Strix

ummswimmin

New Jersey

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

I aged this bottle for about a year before pouring it today.

I poured this bottle into a tulip style glass, and there was about three fingers of foam. This left some really nice lacing on the side of glass.

You get a decent amount of smoke in the nose. There is also some chocolate roast and a decent dose of malt.

The flavor had some decent coffee, malt, and smoke presence. I like the way that these flavors mix together.

This is a pretty good beer. I like what Milwaukee put together in this one.

Serving type: bottle

12-31-2012 20:20:44 | More by ummswimmin

jaasen64

Massachusetts

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

22oz bomber thanks to the bigredone. Poured into a Lawson's tulip.

A- Pours a dark reddish brown mostly opaque but some translucency. About a half finger of light yellowish slightly brown head that leaves some light spotty lacing. Towards the end of the bottle there was definitely some yeast sedimentation. Decent consistently rising carbonation.

S- Caramel, malts, a little bit of evergreen from the hops, a little bit of booze that fits in well, about average aroma strength. Interesting smell, a little bit more hops then I was expecting.

T- Caramel, malts, some piney hops, lightly sweet, finishes with a lightly sweet caramel taste that lingers. Interesting, decently tasty, everything is balanced well and fits together smoothly.

M- Medium bodied, a little bit watery on the finish but nothing that impedes drinkability, nice carbonation, goes down very easily.

O- This was a nice strong ale. Nothing amazing that really stood out, but an easy to drink enjoyable strong ale that I could easily have again. I'd definitely recommend checking it out if you get the chance.

Serving type: bottle

11-02-2012 22:35:49 | More by jaasen64