Stein attempts to stymie
Written: May 28 '01 (Updated May 28 '01)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: This child of German descent belongs to Lakefront Brewery.
Cons: The hoppy bitterness, man, the hoppy bitterness.
The Bottom Line: The hops attack leaves a crater of bitterness in its wake and that, my friends, is too much for me to take.
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| sleestakk's Full Review: Lakefront Riverwest Stein |
So it's Memorial Day and I'm partaking in that time-honored tradition of Spring-cleaning. Naturally it's just as important to imbibe fine beverages on an equally fine cool summer day. Okay, so my Spring-cleaning has fallen behind and lapsed into summer but it surely doesn't feel like summer even with the terrific sun peaking through the overcast. On a day designed for scheduled housekeeping, I wasn't looking for something to sit heavy in my belly. So when I propped the refrigerator door I reached through the maze of stouts and grabbed a bottle of Lakefront Brewery's Riverwest Stein Beer.
"Good choice," I thought even though it's not November when malt lagers of this kind are typically enjoyed. But one step onto my back porch and the quick shiver down my back that followed re-affirmed that it feels closer to autumn than it does summer. So what the heck. Besides, the Riverwest Stein is a lighter beer than I normally drink and less likely to fill me up over the course of the day. What I didn't expect was that it would take longer than usual to drink just one bottle. At least for me anyways.
I suppose my reluctance in finishing a glass in my usual timely fashion had more to do with the fact that I didn't take so well to the Riverwest Stein. Sure it's a capable lager full of happening hops and all, but the bitterness it brings to the table really ain't my bag. I'm more of a sucker for those thick, meaty beers where the hops are masked by bold barley malts. This isn't to say that can't appreciate those beers that fall outside of such dark brew parameters because I do. But when it comes to Lakefront's Riverwest Stein, I'm not into it.
The cloudy amber garnet with the bright beige head does make for a nice looking glass for this medium-bodied lager. And the nose produces a rather fruity effervescence with a lemony almost Pledge® scent being the most distinct. Or that could've just been the fumes from my cleaning gettin' in the way. But the grassy citrus aroma is where all goodness ended for me.
The huge hoppy mouthfeel is strikingly bitter. It's this sensation that I often associate with Bitter Beer Face™. And this isn't a face I make often. The hops bite is a bit overwhelming but one I'm sure hops-lovers treasure. And it isn't so much the hops that imprison my mouth but the bitterness that it leaves in the aftermath. Sure, the intensity of the hops is certainly a powerful thing, yet it's the supporting cast of the bitter that invades the finish and lingers after the swallow that floors me. Ack. I'm not keen on that. And the headache that came later I'm blaming on this beer. Why not?
For me, the Riverwest Stein is a beer I wanted to finish sooner than later just to get it over with, but the large-scale hops attack didn't seem to facilitate that maneuver. This is truly a beer for those that crave that bitterness. Yet a fruit fly did manage to find its way inside my glass, attracted to the strong citrus smell no doubt. I wonder if he came to the same conclusions before I plucked him out?
The cold fermentation (or lagering, as it's known) of the Riverwest Stein helps to provide its crisp quality, which gives the hops that extra snap. Lakefront is precise in its method to store their lagers for two weeks at 50° followed by two weeks at 35° until moving the beer to conditioning tanks and adding carbonation. Then it's bottled and distributed for your drinking pleasure. Or in this case, displeasure. Ya gotta love the careful attention microbreweries give their children.
Despite my unfavorable take on Riverwest Stein I will say that it is easier to handle after about a third of the way down and it picks up a subtle caramel sweetness behind the onslaught of hops. And while this Stein might stymie me it doesn't mean you will feel the same way. Six-packs for six bucks can be found throughout the better Chicagoland beer stores (Sam's Wine & Spirits is where I purchased mine, Jazzman) and all the usual Wisconsin outlets. Yes, it's another regional brew distributed regionally.
Although I didn't do this - and I probably should have, the Stein beer is best served as a good meal compliment. Go with spicy or greasy fare that will tone down that wallovhops dramatically. That'll learn me next time. Regardless of this particular experience, I'm still very fond of Milwaukee's Lakefront Brewery as noted in my Eastside Dark Lager review. While I'm at it, I highly recommend their Eastside Dark if you really want a no-brainer, great lager from Lakefront. I may not have enjoyed Riverwest Stein today but at least I have one darn spankin' clean kitchen and a swell headache to boot.
Jeers!
Recommended:
No
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sleestakk
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Member: Jay Stakk
Location: Chicago
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