Milwaukee has long been famous as a beer town, but more
for it's bigger brewers like Schlitz and Miller than it's smaller ones. That
is certainly changing these days, and successful micros like Lakefront are a
good reason why. Started in the garage of proprietor Russ Klisch back in
1985, the brewery has grown considerably over the years and now produces a
different beer just about each month of the year. The Cherry Lager is
released in June just in time for the hot summer months. As a lager, it is a
departure from most fruit beers, which tend to be ales.
Lakefront Cherry Lager pours to a beautiful rose color with a light creamy
head and an enticing cherry nose. The palate is light but noticeably malty,
there's a crisp and biscuity character that serves as the perfect background
to the real star here: the Wisconsin Cherries. Crushed whole cherries are
added to the fermenter, just as with a Belgian Kriek beer. Two pounds of
them are used per gallon of beer, and they add flavor and provide food for
the yeast for two entire weeks in the primary fermenter. The cherries impart
a quenching tart and sour character to this perfect summer refresher, this
is not a sweet fruit beer to be sure. The sourness builds into the finish
and only allows the Mt. Hood hops to provide a touch of bitterness. I like
the way the fruit and malt complement each other in this beer; the malt
serves as the crust and the cherries the fruit for this slice of pie in a
glass. Enjoy it as a dessert beer with what else? Cherry pie.
And remember, try a new beer today, and drink outside the box.
*Pricing data accurate at time of review or latest update. For
reference only, based on actual price paid by reviewer.