Lake Ontario
Lake Effect Brewing Co.

The test of whether or not this is "Retired" or re-released is if someone else reviews it. (If you do review, tell BA via Beer Tools.)

Evidence #1: I drank my copy from a can (bought from a store known to turn-over its inventory) and two other reviews from 2017 refer to a bottle. But I make no fuss because bottle or can, Lake Ontario was a good experience.

Despite the can mistakenly over-hyping Lake Ontario as "one of the most important wine regions in North America," this Wild Looks slightly better than its competition because its foam sticks around. Smells are mostly about fruit, which is a good thing as I am funk-adverse when carried to extreme. And Lake Ontario Tastes balanced. Oddly, I might guess that I'm drinking 25% wine... but I know differently. Nicely refreshing and finishes dry.

I only had Lake Ontario with two dry cheeses, so I can't determine how meal-friendly it is... but it might be more so than most Wilds. At any rating, I will not have Lake Ontario again; but I will keep an eye on Lake Effect's progress in interpreting the Belgian tradition.

Pours a slightly hazy golden orange with a frothy white head. The foam quickly falls into lacing and patchy head.

The aroma is fruity and funky. I'm not sure if this has brettanomyces in it, but it sure smells like it. Over ripe pineapple, grape skins, a little citrus, some earth, a funky cheesy smell (in a good way), light malt graininess and sweetness.

Taste is very lightly tart. Again notes of over ripe fruit, pineapple, grape, a little berry like sweetness. There's some slight notes of cheese and hay and other rustic notes in the finish. I occasionally catch notes of vanilla and oakiness from the barrel. I can get notes of the red wine barrel, but it doesn't really stand out.

The mouth feel and finish is quite dry. There's a little tannin from the barrel. It goes down well, but I'm happy to sip and savor.

I like this beer. It's complex, a little funky, and melds really well. At $10 a bottle, the price is great too. This would be a great beer to share among a couple of friends out on a patio. It's light and refreshing, but has a lot to enjoy and savor.

 

 

 

Hazy orange, two fingers of foam initially that settles to a thin layer of compact foam and eventually to a broken skim after a few sips. Sticky collar of delicate lace all around the glass.

Aroma is fantastic. Tart white grape fruitiness, grapeskins, lemon rind, passionfruit, and woody spice complexity meld seamlessly. Light cheese rind Brett funk.

Taste is fruit forward with dynamic barrel character supporting it. Tart white wine grapes, light dry bitter tannin from the skins. Woody and complex, some cheesy Brett funk in the periphery. Lightly carbonated with a supple mellow feel, allows one to easily savor it. The fruity Niagara grapes take centerstage. Although red wine barrels were used, there's not much overt red wine character. The woodiness had a complex spice element to it, likely attributed to the wine barrel.

Overall this is great stuff, and this series has been pretty solid so far. One of the underrated ones for sure. Only a charlatan would say upstate NY’s wine region is overhyped. The barrels for this beer came from there, and Niagara grapes are native there.