-
Stop lurking! Log in to search, post in our forums, review beers, see fewer ads, and more. — Todd, Founder of BeerAdvocate
Eastside Dark
Lakefront Brewery, Inc.
- From:
- Lakefront Brewery, Inc.
- Wisconsin, United States
- Style:
- Schwarzbier
Ranked #114 - ABV:
- 5.8%
- Score:
- 83
Ranked #23,711 - Avg:
- 3.68 | pDev: 12.5%
- Reviews:
- 243
- Ratings:
- Status:
- Active
- Rated:
- Jan 17, 2024
- Added:
- Apr 12, 2002
- Wants:
- 23
- Gots:
- 84
Pours a clear, dark color with an off-white head. Hints of roasted malts find their way into the aroma, and form a pleasant background to the dark, rich flavor. The German lager yeast rounds out this brew with a smooth, complex finish. Winner of the 2014 and 2016 European Beer Star Gold Medal for Bohemian-Style Schwarzbier
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by bump8628:
Reviewed by bump8628 from Oklahoma
3.83/5 rDev +4.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5
3.83/5 rDev +4.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5
Dark brown with a thick, two-fingered, bone-colored head that leaves creamy lace behind.
Rich with bready malts that have a burnt toast edge as well as a dash of raw cocoa powder. Hop bitterness is rather firm and even a tad harsh (in a good way) and there's some earthy/spicy hop flavor to boot. Medium-full, almost creamy, in the mouth.
Packed with a lot more flavor than I was expecting. I was anticipating something more akin to an American Dark Lager, but am pleasantly surprised to find a beer somewhere between a Schwarzbier and a Munich Dunkel.
Quite nice drinking a fresh lager beer that was bottled less than two weeks ago - sometime during the first week of August.
Aug 18, 2010Rich with bready malts that have a burnt toast edge as well as a dash of raw cocoa powder. Hop bitterness is rather firm and even a tad harsh (in a good way) and there's some earthy/spicy hop flavor to boot. Medium-full, almost creamy, in the mouth.
Packed with a lot more flavor than I was expecting. I was anticipating something more akin to an American Dark Lager, but am pleasantly surprised to find a beer somewhere between a Schwarzbier and a Munich Dunkel.
Quite nice drinking a fresh lager beer that was bottled less than two weeks ago - sometime during the first week of August.
More User Ratings:
Reviewed by defunksta from Wisconsin
3.93/5 rDev +6.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
3.93/5 rDev +6.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Appearance: Pours a very dark, but clear, brown, black, but mostly dark ruby color with a mild tan head. SRM of 22. (4.00)
Aroma: Moderate aromas of dark and roasted grains upfront that are quickly finished by some caramel and roasted chocolate notes. (4.00)
Flavor: Strong flavors of malted grains, barley, with some caramel sweetness. Hints of some roasted cocoa present, but ultimately finishes clean, dry, with some roasted cocoa and vanilla off the end. (4.00)
Feel: Medium-bodied. Carbonation to match. Finish is rather clean and dry with a little bit of vanilla. (3.75)
Compared to Steel Toe Brewing Schwarzbier 1/2023: Pours lighter, milder aromas. Milder head. Less chocolate and grain flavors. Less flavor all around
Compared to Sprecher Black Bavarian 1/2023: Pours lighter, milder aromas. Milder head. Less chocolate and grain flavors. Less flavor all around
Compared to Lakefront Noche 11/2023: Pours darker, stronger aromas and flavors. More black malt, roast, chocolate. Less Vienna malt. More flavorful and rounded.
Overall: A nice German Dunkel here. Roasty off the nose. Dark malts, with some caramel, cocoa, and vanilla. Sweet but also roasty on the tongue. All the right flavors are there. Leans with slightly more brown caramel and vanilla and it's starting to grow on me. (Rating: 3.93)
Jan 01, 2023Aroma: Moderate aromas of dark and roasted grains upfront that are quickly finished by some caramel and roasted chocolate notes. (4.00)
Flavor: Strong flavors of malted grains, barley, with some caramel sweetness. Hints of some roasted cocoa present, but ultimately finishes clean, dry, with some roasted cocoa and vanilla off the end. (4.00)
Feel: Medium-bodied. Carbonation to match. Finish is rather clean and dry with a little bit of vanilla. (3.75)
Compared to Steel Toe Brewing Schwarzbier 1/2023: Pours lighter, milder aromas. Milder head. Less chocolate and grain flavors. Less flavor all around
Compared to Sprecher Black Bavarian 1/2023: Pours lighter, milder aromas. Milder head. Less chocolate and grain flavors. Less flavor all around
Compared to Lakefront Noche 11/2023: Pours darker, stronger aromas and flavors. More black malt, roast, chocolate. Less Vienna malt. More flavorful and rounded.
Overall: A nice German Dunkel here. Roasty off the nose. Dark malts, with some caramel, cocoa, and vanilla. Sweet but also roasty on the tongue. All the right flavors are there. Leans with slightly more brown caramel and vanilla and it's starting to grow on me. (Rating: 3.93)
Rated by NCSapiens from Indiana
3.92/5 rDev +6.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
3.92/5 rDev +6.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
Had fresh on brewery tour. Light and easy drinking, nice malts and good for the style.
Jul 23, 2022Reviewed by TheOccasionalBeer from Wisconsin
2.52/5 rDev -31.5%
look: 3 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 2.25 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 2.5
2.52/5 rDev -31.5%
look: 3 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 2.25 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 2.5
Mild scent of coffee, toasted malt, and a bit of hops came away from the bottle when the cap did. A two-finger head of beige formed on the pour, only to be quickly subsumed back into the transparent red-cola brew. The toasted malt also seems to have gone missing as I'm now detecting a hops-over-coffee scent. The taste is even more hopped-up the more I drink it. There is still a hint of coffee bitterness in there, but it becomes less evident every sip. Not what I was wanting at the moment, and likely not at any other moment.
May 01, 2022Reviewed by JohnnyHopps from Indiana
4.38/5 rDev +19%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
4.38/5 rDev +19%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
Appearance - The beer poured a dark brown color with little visible carbonation and a slight layer of bubbles crowding the glass.
Smell - Light notes of roasted malts rose from the glass. Darker coffee notes were also present.
Taste - Dark malts seem to get progressively more bitter as they go to the back of the tongue. Yet the overall profile was not overly bitter. A soft creamy lager feel smoothed out the bitterness. A soft lingering roasted bitterness finished the taste.
Mouthfeel - With light carbonation and lager yeast, the body was smooth.
Overall - This beer is criminally underrated. With the world beginning to appreciate lagers, hopefully it gets its just due
Mar 27, 2022Smell - Light notes of roasted malts rose from the glass. Darker coffee notes were also present.
Taste - Dark malts seem to get progressively more bitter as they go to the back of the tongue. Yet the overall profile was not overly bitter. A soft creamy lager feel smoothed out the bitterness. A soft lingering roasted bitterness finished the taste.
Mouthfeel - With light carbonation and lager yeast, the body was smooth.
Overall - This beer is criminally underrated. With the world beginning to appreciate lagers, hopefully it gets its just due
Reviewed by GuyFawkes from Illinois
4.17/5 rDev +13.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
4.17/5 rDev +13.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
"Best by 6/14/22"; drank 2/1/22 @ the Yarchives.
Semi-opaque brown/orange appearance.
An even pour yielded a minimal khaki head; decent lace.
Rye bread, mild cream & faint caramel notes in the nose.
Medium mouthfeel. Rye bread, caramel & faint cream.
Lots of pleasant flavor but easy to drink. I like this!!
Feb 02, 2022Semi-opaque brown/orange appearance.
An even pour yielded a minimal khaki head; decent lace.
Rye bread, mild cream & faint caramel notes in the nose.
Medium mouthfeel. Rye bread, caramel & faint cream.
Lots of pleasant flavor but easy to drink. I like this!!
Reviewed by magikbagel from Wisconsin
4.1/5 rDev +11.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
4.1/5 rDev +11.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
A very delicious beer. Looks like coca cola after the pour, thin tan head. A slight nutty, malty scent. The flavor is seriously great, toasty malts, a dash of cocoa, and a little savory smoke. Its very rich and indulgent yet easy to drink. Definitely one of my new favorite beers.
Oct 17, 2021
Eastside Dark from Lakefront Brewery, Inc.
Beer rating:
83 out of
100 with
613 ratings
We love reviews (150 characters or more)! Check out: How to Review a Beer. You don't need to get fancy. Drop some thoughts on the beer's attributes (look, smell, taste, feel) plus your overall impression. Something that backs up your rating and helps others. Thanks!