Photo courtesy of Lakefront Brewery
Lakefront Brewery has been around along as I’ve been alive. You do the math. The brewery filled with the brotherly love of Russ and Jim Klisch has been making waves with their beer since the homebrew days. Most recently one of their flagship beers, Eastside Dark, a Bavarian Dark Lager, gained recognition and a gold medal from the prestigious European Beer Star Awards that were held this year in Germany.
This beer has a long history of awards that include a 2013 silver medal European Beer Star, 2014 gold medal European Beer Star and 2015 bronze medal from Great American Beer Festival, all in the Bohemian/German-Style Schwarzbier category.
"This year it has been more difficult than ever to win a medal in the European Beer Star," says Oliver Dawid, CEO of Private Brauereien Bayern, which has been organizing this competition since 2003. With 2,103 beers from 44 countries, the competition for one of the most sought-after prizes in the international brewing world recorded a record number of entries.
Photo courtesy of Lakefront Brewery
The European Beer Star is a competition for breweries around the world that are committed to the traditional European style of brewing. This Champions League of beers earned their high reputation through the 124-strong jury of experts, who blindly taste and assess beers purely on sensory criteria as the consumer: color, smell, flavor, aromatic profile and overall impression. Only one gold, one silver and one bronze medal were awarded in each of the 57 different beer categories.
“To receive a gold medal recognition from the prestigious European Beer Star is a true honor for our brewery and brewmaster, Luther Paul,” said Russ Klisch, founder and president of Lakefront Brewery. “The international competition was astonishing again this year. To know we walked away with a gold medal in a German-invented category that was judged blindly by German brewmasters and entered by numerous European breweries - it’s just the best accolade we could have asked for.”
Photo courtesy of Lakefront Brewery
And continuing the big month for Lakefront Brewery, is their sixth annual Black Friday event that will be taking place Nov. 25. If you’ve never been, you might not be a Milwaukeean. Kidding, of course. The annual sale of their Black Friday Imperial Stout brings out everyone from the beer nerds who camp out the night before, to people just getting in on the day’s fun.
So what about the beer, you ask? “Our Black Friday™ was brewed back in February, then aged in bourbon barrels for 10 months, where it picks up the vanilla and oak notes that really bring out the beer’s big chocolatey and roasted malt flavors,” said Klisch.
I have stood in line for the last couple years and everyone has always been super friendly, unless you cut in line. They even have lovely people selling cups of local coffee for a dollar or two to the beer warriors waiting in line. Doors open at 8 a.m., with sales of their Black Friday beer only happening while they last along with their famed Pumpkin Lager in 6-packs. Their exclusive Black Friday winter hats will also be on sale. On a day that is usually referred to as the Armageddon of shopping days, Lakefront is not only a less fatal way to shop, but a local one as well. As always, if you love it or hate it, let me know on Facebook and/or Twitter.
