While there are a lot of good breweries in Wisconsin, few of their beers make their way over to the Portland area. I was at Belmont Station this week and happened to see this IPA from Lakefront Brewery (the only Wisconsin beer I could find in Portland other than PBR), and was excited to give it a try, especially on #IPADay.
While the name is simply IPA, I was definitely hoping the taste was a bit more unique.
The Lakefront IPA poured a very cloudy golden orange color with a pretty decent sized head that hung around for a long time. The lacing left on the glass was beautiful and had the look that IPAs should have. Overall one sexy looking beer in my opinion.
While I was pouring the beer, the hop aroma jumped out of the bottle and smacked me in the nose before I even had a chance to breathe in. The smell was all hops and very little malt with pine, lemongrass, citrus and a nice bouquet of floral. I could smell this all day.
The balance in the flavor of this beer is pretty incredible. It isn’t an overly bitter IPA which definitely lets the other flavors shine in beautiful harmony. The floral hops are dominant with some grapefruit, pine, and a touch of biscuit cutting through the hop flavor. While a lot of IPAs are so bitter that you can’t taste the flavors, Lakefront keeps the bitterness down so you can taste how everything plays so nicely together.
Overall this is one smooth IPA. I honestly can’t remember drinking an IPA that’s this smooth recently (most likely since it’s not that bitter, but has a lot of hop flavor). This is a great way to celebrate #IPADay and I’ll definitely be seeking this IPA out again.
My Lakefront IPA Review: A
Here are the details:
ABV: 6.9%
IBUs: 45
Style: IPA
What’s your thoughts on Lakefront IPA?