Lakefront Beer Line Review

Name: Lakefront Beer Line
Style: Barleywine
ABV: 12.5%

It's been a long time it seems since I had a barleywine, after all spring seasonals tend not the be heavier in alcohol content. That's why I bring to you Beer Line, the latest barleywine offering from Lakefront Brewery. From what I gathered, this actually hasn't been brewed for quite a few years and Lakefront only recently brought it back.

It seems to me that Lakefront also has a thing for brewing organic barleywines as this is the second one I've had from this brewery; The first being Chad Barleywine, which was released under the "My Turn" series.

Beer Line pours a dark hazy red color with a thin filmy head. The visible carbonation is on the milder side and the lacing is somewhat sparse.

The nose has a strong caramel malt base with some strong citrus hops, vanilla, some mildly roasted malts and an encompassing yeast-doughy scent. It smells a bit like bourbon almost!

The flavor is also very malt forward with notes of caramel, yeasts and some citrus hops that make themselves more known as it warms up. As a whole it's very similar to the nose, though I can't help but feel that this should be barrel aged. There is also no booziness here and considering the ABV, that's quite an accomplishment!

The palate possess a very heavy body but with some mild carbonation. The overall texture is quite smooth, which makes this very easy to drink.

Beer Line is an excellent example of how to do an English-style Barleywine right. It's got a nice flavor profile and it's extremely easy to drink. My only gripe about this beer is that it had the beginnings of a nice bourbon barrel-aged flavor and I feel it really could've benefited from that. With that said, Beer Line is still definitely worth checking out, especially if you are into the barleywine style!

Lakefront Beer Line - 9/10

Flat Earth Angry Planet Review

Name: Flat Earth Angry Planet
Style: American Pale Ale
ABV: 6%

Flat Earth Brewing is a brewery based out of St. Paul, Minnesota and have recently opened up their new location at the old Hamm's Building. Their beers are, for the time being, only available in Bombers or Growlers. They have a pretty solid year round line-up and some pretty awesome seasonal offerings.

Since they have moved to their new location, I have not yet been on a tour of their new facility. I did, however, take a tour of their old facility which was located right down the road from Summit Brewing about 3 years back. It wasn't what I would call large by any means. Still, the fact they were able to produce that much beer in such a small building is an accomplishment!

I'm going to start off with the beer that got me into Flat Earth, their Angry Planet Pale Ale, which is an American Pale Ale made with organic ingredients. 

Angry Planet pours a dark amber color with a fluffy 2 finger head. I can make out some carbonation along the sides of the glass. It also has some lacing along the sides.

The smell is a sweet aroma floral hops, caramel, yeasts, and malts. The flavor, on the other hand, give a much needed boost to what is in the aroma; with it's rich floral hops, oranges, caramel and yeasts.

The body is moderate in terms of body weight and the carbonation is quite moderate as well. It's easy to drink yet can be sipped and enjoyed at the same time.

Not only is Angry Planet local, but it's also organic and very tasty! I'll be adding this to my list of "Good for any occasion" beers.

Flat Earth Angry Planet - 9/10