Robin Shepard
Milwaukee’s Lakefront Brewery just had its 30-year anniversary. Over the past three decades, the brewery received numerous awards and was the first American craft brewery to make a gluten-free beer. Lakefront was also the first certified organic brewer in the U.S. Lakefront products are found in 30 different states, its annual production is nearly 47,000 barrels and it employs over 120 people in Milwaukee. “It’s been a fun ride,” says brewery president and owner Russ Klisch. “The industry is always dynamic and constantly changing,” he says. To mark 30 years of brewing Lakefront just released a bourbon-barrel aged Eisbock and it’s well worth grabbing a bottle and toasting the brewery.
What is it? Eisbock from Lakefront Brewery of Milwaukee.
Style: “Eis” means ice in German. An eisbock is a strong lager made by freezing, which concentrates both flavor and alcohol. That happens because water freezes at a higher temperature than alcohol, so when the ice is removed it increases the alcohol by volume. The underlying style of Lakefront’s eisbock is a doppelbock, which is a full-bodied, strong bock, with dark amber color and malty sweetness. Doppelbocks often range from 6.5 to 8 percent ABV. However, when made as an eisbock they become considerably stronger (4-5 percent higher in alcohol by volume can be quite common).
Background: “We wanted to make something different, more than just putting a beer in a 22-ounce bomber for our anniversary,” says Lakefront head brewer Luther Paul. The beer begins as a traditional doppelbock recipe that features German malts and hops. The beer is fermented for about two months at very cold temperatures, around 26 degrees Fahrenheit — cold enough that ice crystals form inside of the fermenter. It subsequently ages in Heaven Hill bourbon barrels at cellar temperatures for about nine months. Paul estimates that the freezing technique added about 5-6 percent alcohol by volume to the beer, for a final strength of around 11 percent ABV.
Lakefront has made a few small batches of doppelbock over the past few years. This is the first one the brewery has put into bottles. It’s also the first eis-style beer the brewery has ever released. “We’ve had a little experience with frozen beer in the past when it happened accidentally — a ring of ice grew in the fermenter when it was too cold. But this is a first time we intentionally did it and with such a high alcohol beer,” says Paul.
Lakefront is releasing 5,000 bottles of Eisbock. It’s expected to appear periodically as a limited number of cases find their way into local stores over the next month, most likely in the more extensive craft beer stores (I purchased my bottles at City View Liquor). The beer is sold in 750 mL bottles for around $30 each.
Fans of Lakefront should watch for more one-off and limited batch beers in 2018. To package Eisbock in its distinctive champagne-style bottles, the brewery bought a special filler for 750 L and half-liter bottles. The brewery sees these unique sizes and shapes as drawing attention on crowded shelves. Paul is planning a trip to Germany this spring where he’ll evaluate ways to use the filler with more kinds of packaging.
Tasting notes:
- Aroma: Lots of oak and woody spirit aromas. Lighter notes of roasted chocolate and toffee.
- Appearance: Pours thick; you can tell it has body! Deep bronze color with a medium, soft tan head.
- Texture: Full-bodied, creamy, and soft.
- Taste: Malt-forward with caramel, chocolate and roasted toffee flavors. Warmth throughout.
- Finish/Aftertaste: Lots of barrel character with oak, bourbon sweetness and warmth that lingers.
Glassware: This is a snifter beer, best when sipped slowly and allowed to slowly warm to bring out the malty sweetness and warmth of the bourbon and oak.
Pairs well with: soft, buttery sweet cheeses.
The Verdict: I really like this big bold eisbock. Its smooth, robust caramel and toffee notes lend a lot of sweetness. All that malt goes well with the accents of oak, bourbon and the warmth of the 11 percent ABV. Sip it slowly and allow it to warm for maximum smoothness. At $30/bottle some will find it a pricey treat, but I like it as a great after-dinner beer.
