Lakefront IBA (India-Style Black Ale)
Pure Milwaukee Genius Series 4: Black IPA - We took all the stuff people love about IPA’s and gave this beer plenty of crystal and dark roasted malts. This dark coffee-colored beer pours a rocky, light tan head that leaves plenty of lacing on the glass. the hoppy pine and floral aromas ready your palate for an immediate bitterness. Instead, the sweet, caramely crystal malts blitz through, followed immediately by a sharp piney flavor from the Zeus and Cascade hops. The smooth body leaves a long lasting hoppy finish.
3.4
173 reviews
Milwaukee, United States
Community reviews
Cola coloured pour with big fluffy beige head. Hops and caramel, fruity, light coffee aroma. Caramel, slight pine bitterness, sweet, smooth, a little watery finish but otherwise good
Poured from bottle into a pint glass. Deep brown color with a slight creamy white head and good lacing. Tastes hoppy, but not too overbearing. Great hints of coffee, and caramel with an enjoyable finish. Good seasonal IPA from Lakefront, this one did not disappoint.
12oz bottle 3/9/14 (Binny’s Plainfield Mix A Six)-42° in Shaker-Pours light black with a small loose tan head. Aroma of hops, caramel, and malt. Taste of the same with more hops and malt coming thru on the back end. This medium bodied brew is well balanced and nicely done.
Bottle at Fiddlesticks in Elkhorn. Unexpected seasonal on their limited menu. Pours almost black with one finger sticky head. Mild hoppy nose; very smooth / sweet initial taste. Some piney hops but not overly bitter...too bad in some ways. Tasty but not too much.
---Rated via iPad
Big beige head dark pour soft looking but medium carbonation the aromas pine caramel floral hops the flavours coffee roasted cocoa pine apricot medium bitter grapefruit a dryness vanilla the finish best tastes roasted flavours malt lasting bitter dryness okay a fair go at the style
Darker colored, nearly black, moderate sized tan head, decent lace/retention. Aroma is chocolate, grapefruit, roast, citrus, caramel. Medium bodied, moderate to low bitterness, decent.
FROM NOTES: August 12, ’12.
Poured from a 22 ounce bomber into a Spiegelau tulip.
A: A dry fruity citrus of lemon and lime with some very subtle bready malts, almost a roasty aroma.
A: Pour a deep chestnut brown, almost black, with a foamy, two-finger kahki head and great retention. Spotty light coverage on the lace.
T: A bit more malt forward than the nose. Dark malts blend nicely with grapefruit and piney hop tastes. Finishes with a slightly bitter hop aftertaste, fairly clean for a Black American Ale (Black IPA).
P: Medium bodied with a moderate carbonation.
O: A very nice black ale, misses a bit on the nose, but delivers elsewhere. You won’t be sorry you tried this one.
Aroma-hops, pine, a little citrus. The look is definitely deceiving. Some floral.
Very hoppy, fairly bitter.I don’t really get the malt taste as expected from the description..if it’s there, it’s just for a very very quick second.
Pretty hoopy, a little bit of sweet comes and goes, I’ll give them that.
Pours almost black. Medium to large frothy creamy beige head, partially lasting with good lace. Aroma is fairly balanced but a bit underwhelming, subpart for the style. Piney hops, dome sweetness, a light roastiness. Lighter side of medium body. Moderate bitterness. Minimal roast. Everything leads to pretty easy drinkability but not much character of complexity. Seems to have a very good balance though I suppose. A very safe beer. I do like that it doesn’t go freaking overboard on everything...
Pours dark brown with an off-white head.
Nose shows roasted malt, caramel and soft pine. The caramel note is lovely.
Similarly malty flavours in terms of more sweet caramel with a little roast later. Some spicy and piny hops but quite light on for and IBA.
Nice moderate carbonation and body.
Pours a black hue w/ a large frothy beige head and thick lacing. Big malt and floral hop aromas. Initial flavor is light sweet w/ a moderate bitter finish. Tastes are roasted malt, dark breads, and grapefruit. Medium bodied, watery mouthfeel, lively carbonation.
Draft at Haymarket, Chicago. Pours dark brown with a medium beige head. Aroma of roasted malts, pine, caramel and grapefruit. Flavour is moderate sweet and bitter. Medium bodied with soft carbonation.
22oz bomber from The Wine Shoppe (Brick NJ). Pours a watery black color with a big three finger foamy tan head. Aroma of caramel, roasted malt, ripe grapefruit, and slightly vegetal. Taste of acidic citrus and pine up front, but finishes with caramel, chocolate, and nice notes of roasted coffee. Decent beer overall.
Big bottle, shared round the table @ the brewery. Dark brown with a light brown head. Aroma is blackened malts with fruity sweet undertones. Roasted malt and fruity berryish hop flavour in equal weight, with moderate to low bitterness. Nice flavours, but not a hop bomb or bitter bomb.
Bottle from mane liquor. Pours black with beige head that holds well. Nose shows typical black ipa aromas of pine, some hops and light fruity notes. Taste is quite thin and lacks oomph. Would have liked it to have some more bitterness etc.
Bottle from Mane Liquor. Looks and smells nice but the taste just lacks that bitterness I expect in a black IPA. Watery on the palate and doesn’t really have a finish
Bottle from totalwine. Pours black with brown head. Taste is hoppy and malty drinks good
Draught samples@source during & after brewery tour 23viii13. Fruity (berries) malts, pine+bitter fruits hardcore hops, mid-bodied. Another enjoyable Black IPA, which seem to shine in balance.
Draft at Cafe Benelux in Milwaukee. This beer screams "porter" all around ... bland and ashy. It does deliver this differnet earthy hoppiness at the end, but here we go again with this "style" ... I don’t get it. Citric hops and porter characteristics don’t blend well in my palate. (#5152, 7/5/2013)
Sweet and hoppy. Lots of caramel and bubbly mouthfeel. Sticks on the tounge. Dark color with a tan head.
Bomber. Almost completely black, beige head, nice lacing. Creamy, smooth and almost porter like. Great IBA to bad its only seasonal.
Drought. Dark brown with large creanmy beige head, floral aroma nice and balanced hoppy taste, long finish. A good way to start your lunch!
On tap at BeerDeLuxe. Well balanced. Aromas of nuts, coffee, hints of liquorice. Taste is sweet and bitter, with long length. Velvety, and medium bodied. Black, with a frothy head.
Bottle. Typically dark. Aromas of grapefruit, pine fruity hops, caramel, and earth. Flavor is more bitter but well balanced. Nice soft silty feel. Very drinkable.
Tap at the Blind Tiger, Manhattan, 20/05/13.
Dark mahogony brown with a thin beige head.
Nose is hops, pine, mineral notes, grapefruit, orange pth, juicy tropicals.
Taste comprises berry fruits, sugar, hops, pine, bitter grapefruit.
Medium bodied with fine carbonation, hop bitterness in the finish.
A solid Black IPA.
Bomber. Black with a nice head. Nose of lemon, chocolate, licorice, light wood and coffee. Light to medium bitterness. Nice and drinkable. Not really special but solid.
bomber at brewery. very nice color, tan head. pretty florally and piney aroma. flavors match pretty well. a good beer
22 oz bottle. Pours a deep dark brown with a thick tan head. Tons of sticky lacing. Aroma of roasted malts, coffee, and an odd dark fruit scent. Very thin, taste is of coffee grinds, roasted malts, caramel malts, and pine hops. Nice bittery pine finish.
On tap @ Sir James. Impressive to look at - expresso black-brown, Creamy head - brief. IPA bitter with a more robust dark roasted malt foundation. Follws through with a slightly heavier palate. You feel like there is a reason for the "B" in IBA with this one. Very drinkable, with a little more heft, without being heavy.
Thanks to Ian for the bomber. Big roasted grain, floral hop aroma. Much the same in the taste, smooth easy drinking IBA.