Cream City Pale Ale - Lakefront Brewery

Vitals:

Name: Cream City Pale Ale

Style: American Pale Ale

IBU: ??

ABV: ~5.7%

Gravity: ??

Purchased at: The Old Fashioned (BYO 6-Pack)

As with many beers, the more detailed stats (IBU, Gravity) are nowhere to be found on this one. Not much of a real concern, just bothersome to me.

Descriptions:

Appearance: Pours quite a bit darker than I expected, without much head (what was there left very quickly), which was bone white in color. The beer itself is amber-ish as you can see in the picture, maybe a dark copper.

Smell: The smell on this beer is EXTREMELY weak; I could barely even pick up a hint of anything. It seems to be a bit citrus-y and maybe slightly floral. When you think of pale ales (or at least when I do) I think of a huge aroma that leaves your mouth watering...this doesn't quite do it for me but obviously I will give it a shot.

Taste: The beer comes across very sweet from the outset and then has a slightly citrus-y bitterness that lingers a bit. The contrast is good, but the tastes are not quite up to par for me. There is some sort of unpleasant lemon taste in this beer that just doesn't do it for me. The malts are bland to the point of barely coming through and there just isn't the hoppiness that I'd expect from a pale ale. This beer honestly tastes like the brewer was really short on supplies so he threw in the rest of what he had and then tossed a couple of lemons into the mix. Not a fan. The 5.7 ABV is not noticeable, but if I'm going to drink a lot of this type of beer I'd rather have something that either hits you with good taste and hops or is quite a bit less alcoholic.

Mouthfeel: The mouthfeel on this beer is very watery, an extremely light body and it seems to be quite carbonated. You could definitely sit back and drink a bunch of these on a summer day if you wanted, if you can get by the taste.

Overall Grade: D+

Comments: This beer (I believe) is brewed year-round, so you can try it at any point. I have heard that the Lakefront Brewery tour is quite good and am going to try it out at my bachelors party in a few short weeks. Apparently they give you a bunch of free beer and it's a really good tour. If this beer is any indication, they are shooting for quantity over quality, but maybe I just had a bad bottle. Honestly, I would not have pegged this as a pale ale if I hadn't seen the label prior to drinking it. Nothing really stands out about this beer to me, in a good way at least. I wouldn't waste your time on this one, unless you are doing the Old Fashioned 150 beers Wisconsin Beer Tour - then you have no choice :-P. Which reminds me, I have to drink another one of these for that...damn.

Cheers,

Hurls