Lakefront Brewery's Eastside Dark Lager

In short, Lakefront Brewery's Eastside Dark Lager is fantastic.  First, the brewery itself is an innovator in organic and locally-sourced ingredients.  They are a brewery that takes pride in their city and state and that pride carries over into their beer.  As for the beer, the Eastside Dark Lager is one delicious brew.  It has a moderately-opaque dark color (as you can see in the picture), and the flavor is a delightful mix of chocolate and carmel maltiness.  It finishes smooth and leaves you reaching for another.  There is a reason the New York Times rated this as its second favorite dunkel-style lager a few years ago.   The only problem with this beer is that it can be hard to find (according to their brewery tour, Lakefront sells the majority if its beer to Canada, which needs to change).

Lakefront Brewery

Milwaukee, WI

ABV: 5.6%

IBU: 14-17

Great Divide Brewing Co.'s Hibernation Ale

Great Divide Brewing Company's Hibernation Ale is their winter seasonal ale and it is easy to figure out why this is a great beer to keep you warm during those cold months.  It is a dry-hopped beer, which gives it a strong, hoppy bite.  Add in a rich malty layer and you have a very robust and complex beer.  However, the hops and the high ABV give it a strong bitter flavor that lingers around in your mouth.  It can be a bit overwhelming and at 8.7% ABV it will overwhelm you if you drink them too fast.  As a result, I tend to only drink one of these at a time.


Great Divide Brewing Company
Denver, Colorado
English-Style Old Ale
ABV: 8.2%