Off-putting sulfuric sour mash aroma doesn’t hinder hop-fizzed bruised orange snip entangling crusted white bread efficacy and dry wheat chaff backbone of summery light body. Skirted floral quince dab dubiously fades but increasing rye influence flourishes.
All posts by John Fortunato
LAKEFRONT IMMIGRANT BELGIAN WHITE ALE
Pale-clouded soft-flowing Belgian knockoff features delicate carbolic hop spritz, buttery yeast sinew, and fleet wheat pleat. Spicy coriander awakens casual fruitiness and herbaceous pitch. Serve with orange slice to capture citric spirit more effectively. No longer available.
LAKEFRONT FUEL CAFE COFFEE FLAVORED STOUT
Immediate coffee bean souring, oncoming nutty coarseness and astringent dirty-grained mocha malting disrupt wavering fruit-dried tangent. 2011 re-tasting: vegetal soy swerve reached deeper roasted coffee theme, increasing rating a tad.
LAKEFRONT E.S.B. ORGANIC ALE
Exceedingly dry well-carbonated bright gold bitter ale retains endless toasted malt character, sour citric tartness, white grape esters, and bottom-heavy clumped yeast sediment. Light pomegranate dusting converges with earthen grain mustiness, lemony hard-candied parch, and flimsy white peach tinge at finish. Vinegary vegetal tag never interferes.
LAKEFRONT EASTSIDE DARK LAGER
Closer to a nut brown ale than Munich dunkel, sacrificing bittersweet brown sugared black chocolate expectancy for earthen walnut and sweet hazelnut refuge. Metallic hop fizz hides sour prune-raisin-fig meander and burnt coffee retreat, shuffling off to faded cherry syrup pleasantry. Butter pecan finish loses effectiveness to oily encumbrance.
LAKEFRONT CREAM CITY PALE ALE
Musty-scented mocha-soured pale ale maintains thick grain-nut bitterness and creamy moderation to piney finish. Sticky maple malts, chocolate notes, and birch undertones sweeten the mesh, curbing grain-embittered depth with no negative setbacks.
LAKEFRONT CHERRY LAGER
Sweet and sour Wisconsin cherry tartness provides raspy up-front surge and overall depth to tangy fruited lager. Musty white grape pucker, pithy pomegranate parch, and tertiary cranberry-mulberry dryness counter candied red-black cherry thrust to honeyed wheat spine.
LAKEFRONT CATTAIL ALE
Unbalanced barnyard-wafted clear straw pale ale haplessly overrides butterscotch malt sweetness with acidic sour orange pucker. Flawed cracked wheat base falters and tart pineapple reminder remains diffident.
LAGUNITAS UNDERCOVER INVESTIGATION SHUT-DOWN ALE
Rewarding ruby red medium-bodied 12th anniversary double IPA celebrator stays as fresh as a dewy springtime meadow. Bright apple-nectar-peach-pear sweetness, creamy sugar-spiced vanilla malting, and sappy maple-spruce thicket counter piney floral hops up-front. Earthy geranium sequel absorbs subordinate mango-papaya-marmalade tang, almond-chestnut dab, and cinnamon pinch quite efficiently for boozy, medicinal 9.9% alcohol tributary.
LAGUNITAS TOCALOMA AMBER ALE
Sour-fruited Vienna-styled mocha malts layer toasted wheat bottom to sweet candy finish as hefty trails of Brussels lace coat the glass. Hidden beneath overt carbonation lies smoked resin India Pale Ale-like bittering and chocolate-raisin reticence.
LAGUNITAS #10 CRISPY SUMMER ALE
Complex sunny yellow hazed ‘saison’ spreads blueberry, banana, and citric rind tartness above unexpected wintry coriander-nutmeg-pine spicing. Tangible floral accent and mint-y white pepper stint perk up grassy wheat backdrop, finishing with mild biscuit-y swerve.
LAGUNITAS SIRIUS CREAM ALE
Exquisitely full-bodied hazy golden amber libation seamlessly merges pleasant floral hop bitterness with dense honeydew-orange-grapefruit wallop and residual candied sugar sweetness, besting meagerly cream ale competition with its eccentric cornucopia of fruits, spices, and grains. Peppery herbs are scattered across tropical kiwi-mango flourish, sappy honey continuance, piney resin goo, and eventually, an earthen mineral-like mustiness. Sterling.