I got home and fired up the grill, pork chops, I took out a beer and decided, no, I'll wait and enjoy with dinner.So I put it back. Grab one without looking, Crack it open and discover I had grabbed the wrong one, Lakefront White, an Organic (sic) Belgian. First taste, Oh My Gawd, this is great! smooth .... then it hit, what's that after taste? I look at the bottle. Corriander!
WTF?
Now I'm not saying this was bad beer, in fact it's probably good with the right food. According to their website should be enjoyed with moules frites or or charcuterie,whatever that is. I haven't had it once in my life. Being a big fan of Thai food, it might be good with that, but I doubt I'll ever buy it again (bought one in a pick six).
Why would anyone ruin a great beer with added flavor?
I am a big fan of rum, at least 30 if not 40 years. I don't understand all these flavored rums either.If you don't like rum , mix it with something or drink something else. Same with beer.
Am I the only one?
This could be great beer, but it is merely a small niche, so small I can't imagine anyone being a fan of it.
Anyone?

I'm with you. The only added flavor I like in my beer is hops and plenty of it!

Variety is the spice of life.

Agreed. Over-spiced Belgian knock-offs are some of my least favorite beers. That said, coriander is often used (to excess) in brewing Belgian witbier and German Hefeweizens. Avoid them if it bothers you. Or, if you'd like to give it one more chance, try New Belgium's Tripple. Not quite as spicy.

apparently Lakefront didn't read the article you posted.
they definitely went overboard on the coriander

which is too bad, because it could be a really great beer if they just held back on it, or better yet, left it out entirely

quote Jeriatric: "Variety is the spice of life.
"

yes..the more variety and flavors the better in my book. I was stuck in IPAS for a long time...branching out into Saisons and sour ales.. a new adventure!

IMO, what you are really saying if you need some fruit, herb, etc. in your beer, is that you really don't like beer.

Corona and lime, it's to get rid of the skunk taste
the other purpose is to save a bad beer

if I want to taste coffee, or rasberry, or chocolate, I'll have a freakin' cup of coffee (and certainly not some sea salt carmel mocha pizzwater), some rasberrys. or chocolate.

to each his own I guess, it's your money and bowel movement

IMO, it is similar to the marketing of beer

if you make a beer, you can't simply call it a beer, or even an ale or a lager,you gotta give it a name to attract attention, to stand out from the crowd, you gotta give it a name like Flying Squirrel's Twisted Boner or some other BS name. A name like Hamm's or Pabst just won't cut it.

Thus far I'd say at least half of the craft beer I have drank, and friends agree, they'd never buy again.

But that's alright, as long as the brewers come up with new beers, with new names, people will buy them, doesn't matter if they never buy it again, they'll just come up with a new beer.

And they'll never run out of flavors for the people who don't like the taste of beer.

All the new names are partially driven because of regulatory requirements. You have to register the unique name and even get the label approved before you can distribute.

As far as the extra flavors, to each his own. I'm game for just about anything except sours. Can't quite get my palate wrapped around those styles.

quote hooky: "All the new names are partially driven because of regulatory requirements. You have to register the unique name and even get the label approved before you can distribute."

you must of had one too many flavored beer, your statement makes no sense

quote hooky: "

As far as the extra flavors, to each his own."

I see now they are adding flavors to just about everything, whiskey, bourbon, brandy (which probably has the longest history of that)
I had a taste of peach brandy recently, geeze, what they really ought to be doing is adding alcohol to candy.

yes, I realize you can already get that

over half the rum section is flavored rum, and it is no wonder people need flavored booze, they don't carry the good stuff, or even half good, just the cheap stuff. So naturally people need added sugary crap to cover up the taste of the bad booze

The free market produces variety. We as consumers choose what will persist. That is the way it works.
There are more important things to worry about.

quote ZaraSp00k: "

quote hooky: "All the new names are partially driven because of regulatory requirements. You have to register the unique name and even get the label approved before you can distribute."

you must of had one too many flavored beer, your statement makes no sense

Of course it makes no sense, the federal government is involved.

Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau labeling requirements


The Beer Bottle Dictator


Then there's the issue with trademarked names.

Craft Brewers Running Out of Names


It's all a giant PITA and that's why you see the goofy names and labels.

quote hooky: "

quote ZaraSp00k: "

quote hooky: "All the new names are partially driven because of regulatory requirements. You have to register the unique name and even get the label approved before you can distribute."

you must of had one too many flavored beer, your statement makes no sense

Of course it makes no sense, the federal government is involved.


Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau labeling requirements


The Beer Bottle Dictator



Then there's the issue with trademarked names.


Craft Brewers Running Out of Names



It's all a giant PITA and that's why you see the goofy names and labels.



"

Yeah, you can only come up with so many different names for beers these days. Tons of breweries and tons of different name, Hard to keep track just in MN alone. The brewery I work for got hassled by Goose Island because we started making a beer called Goosetown (a historic area of town. think chinatown with geese). Before I worked there they had to change the name of their Blizzard Ale because DQ has the rights to the word Blizzard apparently.

It take weeks to get labels approved.

which is all a reason NOT to come up with a Funky name, whatever happened to good 'ol Hamm's or Grain Belt? Just name it after the guy that makes it.And rather than make a bunch of beers, how about making just one good beer?
A guy visiting from WI wanted some Nordeast, I asked why? the local burger/beer joint sold it for $2 a can all last summer. I suspect he wanted it for the same reason I wanted a Lakefront East Side and why you can never fish in front of your campsite, you always have to paddle to the other side of the lake.
just using Lakefront as an example, each employee has had their own beer. Is this necessary? Of all their beer I have drank, I only am a repeat buyer of one. New Glarus it is just as confusing, I couldn't tell you which I like best so I don't buy any after the sample pack I had.

So, yer sayin just name em all 'beer'? Pipe it right into yer maw? Never mind the flavor, gimme alcohol.

Interesting life.

If I were to visit my small town brewery and look and ask around what everyone was drinking, I would find that the customers were drinking several different brews. Since every beer drinker in town is familiar with the offerings of the brewery, what could account for their ordering different products?
The answer is that different individuals have different tastes. There is no one "best" beer. My wife and I have different tastes in beer. If we were to visit an establishment where only one "best" beer was served, one of us would be disappointed.

All I ask is that brewers produce the best product that they can, of each variety. I do remember the ones I like best but I also like a change of pace occasionally.

The desirably of variety applies to most thing in life; ice-cream, fishing plugs, cars, and canoes, for instance.

quote schweady: "So, yer sayin just name em all 'beer'? Pipe it right into yer maw? Never mind the flavor, gimme alcohol.


Interesting life.
"

you need to drink a beer lower in ABV so as to not cloud your comprehension

c'mon, people are attracted to the name, and are intrigued by the possibility, then comes the disappointment when they taste it, on to another and the cycle continues
it's a great business model, keep producing crappy beer and keep changing the name, the fools will keep buying it as long as the ABV is high enough (so on that you are correct, except that you were talking about yourself)

:)

quote ZaraSp00k: "

quote schweady: "So, yer sayin just name em all 'beer'? Pipe it right into yer maw? Never mind the flavor, gimme alcohol.



Interesting life.
"

you need to drink a beer lower in ABV so as to not cloud your comprehension


c'mon, people are attracted to the name, and are intrigued by the possibility, then comes the disappointment when they taste it, on to another and the cycle continues
it's a great business model, keep producing crappy beer and keep changing the name, the fools will keep buying it as long as the ABV is high enough (so on that you are correct, except that you were talking about yourself)"

Why are you even in this forum?

why do you read and respond to this thread?

Added "flavor" is nothing new (not sure what you mean by flavor). Unless you are abiding by the reinheitsgebot, then why not. You would hate Belgian beers (as you had tired)because they add a ton of sugar (to dry it out) and coriander quite often. They have been doing this for a very long time (very). Delirium Tremens has spices and is a legendary beer. I have always said, when any beer style (or beer for that matter) is done technically well (this means no flaws, fermentation temp, pitch rate, etc.) then I will at lest enjoy the attempt. Some are executed well some aren't. We don't eat the same food everyday, so why drink the same type of beer every time?

If a person is concerned that he might taste something less than extraordinary, he can make good use of RateBeer or BeerAdvocate. Looking at RateBeer, I see that Lakefront White Beer is rated a middling beer by the rater collective.....at the 48 percentile, overall.

In the commercial description, the coriander is mentioned.

Since taste is subjective, I am not surprised that a number of people rated it at 4 or higher. A few people liked it a lot. More did not. The low raters will buy something else next time and the ones who loved the product will probably buy it again. Raters in the middle may or may not buy it again. So what?

Gotta tell you, I had a glass of New Belgium's Citradelic IPA with lunch yesterday. Fantastic, in spite of the fact that I should have not liked it because it was infused with tangerine peel. Not a heavily fruity taste, no, the wonderful Citra hops flavor shone through. Highly recommend.

quote schweady: "Gotta tell you, I had a glass of New Belgium's Citradelic IPA with lunch yesterday. Fantastic, in spite of the fact that I should have not liked it because it was infused with tangerine peel. Not a heavily fruity taste, no, the wonderful Citra hops flavor shone through. Highly recommend.
"

I got to admit I like this one also.

quote schweady: " Not a heavily fruity taste, no, the wonderful Citra hops flavor shone through.
"

therein is the key, I am referring to the beers that go overboard, I have nothing against an added flavor if subtle, which is the key any good chef knoews with spices

IMO, the beer I originally started the thread with, Lakefront White, the problem is the finish leaves you with the taste of coriander, and a rather potent one, and a lasting one. I don't know about you, but I don't know anybody that wants anything to leave them with the memory of coriander, although maybe if they fall face first in a cowpie that might be a welcome taste, given the alternative.

You are right Z-Sp00k, a little coriander goes a looong way.

quote ZaraSp00k: "...I don't know anybody that wants anything to leave them with the memory of coriander..."

You do know that we agree wholeheartedly on this one, right? The very reason I approach unfamiliar wheat beers with caution.

I'm glad I tasted it, as I said in the original post, it is not a bad beer, I've had many beers I enjoyed less, it's just that I thought it could be a great beer if they hadn't gone crazy on the spice. All the "cofee" beers fpr example. Talk about ruining both a coffee and beer experience at the same time! Blech!

FWIW, since posting I have kept my eye out for it sold in six packs and have yet to find it other than a sampler pack, which tells me a lot of people feel the same way I do about it.

I enjoy many styles of beer and try hard to compare them to a similar or same style. That said, when I try a beer and it's way out of whack...well I typically don't like it.

quote ZaraSp00k: "All the "cofee" beers fpr example. Talk about ruining both a coffee and beer experience at the same time! Blech!"

Try Surly's Coffee Bender and tell me what you think.