http://beeradvocate.com/news/stories_read/704

We're on an eternal quest to try as many new beers as we can in this
lifetime, but sometimes beer selections can become stagnant or new
beers are simply hard to find-or find in good shape. So we nearly
geeked in our pants when we found a unique variety eight-pack from the
Lakefront Brewery in Milwaukee, WI, on the shelves at Whole Foods in
Cambridge. It was on its own, but an employee assured us that they had
just gotten it in a week or so ago, so we scooped it up and thought
we'd explore each of the beers within the pack over the next eight
weeks-lucky you.

Lakefront Brewery variety 8-pack, including Fuel Cafe coffee flavored
stoutStarted in 1987, Lakefront Brewery is a locally owned craft
brewery located along the Milwaukee River near downtown Milwaukee. And
according to Milwaukee Magazine and Maxim, they have one of the best
brewery tours in the area. They also currently brew roughly 14 beers
throughout the year, including this week's tasting: Fuel Cafe, a stout
brewed with a house blend of Alterra coffee from the Fuel Cafe in
Milwaukee. Let's dig in.

The Taste
A massive, fizzing, dense coffee-colored head rises from the pour and
settles to a foam lace. Deep, rich, nearly opaque black, with ruby
hues around the edges. Soft but distinct fresh coffee grounds in the
nose, along with chocolate and roasted notes. Smooth, firm and even in
the mouth, and not too heavy. Quite acrid up front, with a mouthful of
roasted astringency, char, a sharp and semi-sour bite and a weakish
watery hop flavor of the rind-like citrus variety just beneath the
sourness. Minimal sweetness provides little balance, and allows the
dryness of the beer to dominate. Smoky undertones. Bone-dry finish
with residual roasted, stale-ish coffee grounds and acrid flavors
lingering-not overly pleasant, too tannic-like.

Final Thoughts
Unfortunately, this is a bit of a letdown, and several user reviews on
our website seem to concur. For us, a coffee stout is all about
balance, which this lacked. A stronger malt backbone would have gone
down well and provided something to push back the overbearing, acrid
coffee grounds as well as wet the dryness with more interesting
complexities. Luckily, we have seven more beers to try. Fuel Cafe is
5.93 percent alcohol by volume, and is brewed year-round. A variety
eight-pack set us back $14.99.

For more info: lakefrontbrewery.com and fuelcafe.com

Respect Beer.