United Nations of Beer

Riverwest Stein beer

by Jason Pinkowski
(Beer Delegate, WI, USA)

Riverwest Stein beer
Lakefront Brewing Company, WI, USA

Produced by Milwaukee's Lakefront Brewing Company, Riverwest Stein is a wonderful beer that crosses the divide between beer snob and 'Joe Sixpack'.

Riverwest Stein has been a hometown favorite beer here in Milwaukee for years because of it's wonderful ability to not be too 'over the top' for the drinker that is trying to quench his thirst, yet is still complex enough for the beer snob to be able to capture all of its subtle flavors.

Riverwest pours with a wonderful amber color and a nice white foamy head. While the brewery considers this a Vienna-Style lager, I feel it is much darker, more spicy and full than most other Vienna-style lagers.

The first thing you notice from this beer is a great noseful of malt. The use of CaraMunich malt in the grist helps to give this wonderful malty backbone, while the addition of some roasted barley helps to give a small hint of roast to this brew.

The beer goes down smooth and leaves an amazing white lace around your pint glass as you enjoy your glass of this Lakefront offering.

To me the place this beer stands out is in its hop choice. For the bittering hop the beer goes with the Cascade hop. This hop is wildly popular in the IPAs and APAs from many local brewpubs and has a wonderful citrusy and floral flavor and aroma to it.

Since Cascade is used as a bittering hop, most of the citrus and floral characteristics of the hop are driven away in the long boil.

Lakefront then chooses Willamette hops as the flavor/bittering addition for Riverwest Stein beer.

Like Cascade hops, Willamette are derived from the UK Fuggle hop, but maintain more of the earthy spicy aroma that was lost in Cascade. This spicy flavor of the late addition Willamette hops is what punctuates this brew. The flavor is pleasant without being overwhelming.

All in all, this is a very easy drinking beer that can satisfy the most simple tastes, while its spicy hop additions really draw in the beer connoisseur. I will recommend Riverwest Stein beer as a brew that should be one of your first (if not also your last) sampling upon your arrival in Milwaukee.

Lakefront offers tours of its brewing facilities all throughout the week. Located on the river here in Milwaukee, it is a great place to start your riverfront brewery and brewpub crawl.