Still Possibly My Favorite Microbrew: Klisch Pilsner From Milwaukee's Lakefront Brewery

Where I was raised in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, beer is like a gang of angels soaring from behind the clouds to saturate the spirits and livers of my hometown. Milwaukee has a rich tradition of German and Bohemian breweries. Milwaukee was and still is to some extent, home to many of the Macrobreweries. Blatz, Miller, Schlitz and Pabst all created mega-gigantic breweries in Milwaukee that somehow maintained a solid, delicious, consistent if somewhat mild product over the years.

As time went by, consumers demanded a return to the European beer making traditions of more potent tasting beers. Milwaukee's smaller breweries: Sprecher, Leinenkugels and my favorite Lakefront Brewery, renewed Milwaukee's roots in the beer brewing arts. Lakefront makes a varied array of flavorful beers, including one called Fuel Cafe brewed with coffee and therefore caffeine! Beer has come a long way from it's ancient roots in Sumeria, China, Iran or Iraq (depending on who you wanna believe) from way back in five, six or seven millennium B.C.!

The best microbrew from Lakefront, the beer of beers in this humble writer's opinion is: Klisch Pilsner. It was named after the brewery's founders Russ and Jim Klisch. Their family has a tradition in beer starting with their Grandfather who used to work for Schlitz Brewery. He would bring home "short fills" and the brothers recall what a great job that would let you bring home beer from work!

The brewery's take on Klisch according to Lakefront's website:

"A beautiful, brilliant blonde-gold pour with a light hoppy aroma. Malts and a slight hop bitterness round out the flavor of this classic style. Klisch is a smooth and full bodied golden lager you'll remember forever."

They go onto say that the beer goes well with traditional German or Bohemian food, I think it goes along well with fresh (not smoked) kielbasa. Klisch is a pilsner and therefore commands a slightly more hoppy flavor, but not so much as to knock you over. On the other hand, I am someone who searches for rock solid hop flavor in beer, not a smidgen or nuance. A real beam of hop taste needs to be present from start to finish. That's the difference between Klisch and other pilsners. The hoppy flavor is piqued just right so as to be vigorous but not overbearing.

I believe Klisch to be the best beer ever because of the consistency of flavor. The blend of hops and malt is balanced better than any other beer I've had, and that flavor is durably maintained whether you drink one or four. That's not to put down all the many other great beers out there! Truth be told there is hardly a beer that I don't like! But Klisch Pilsner has a distinct mixture that captures something intangible. It also is a beer that has many nuances: hints of molasses, chocolate, sage, maple bark and prairie flowers. Klisch doesn't contain any of these ingredients as far as I know, they are just sublime flavors that come out depending on what you're eating while drinking the beer, or according to aromas already present in your environment.

Pilsner is credited as being the first light colored beer back in the 19th century. Klisch is light compared to more robust ales. But another more subtle appeal of Klisch is the slightly more amber coloration of the beer, much more concentrated tone than say, a light beer. The color lends itself to the slightly caramel taste that lands in the heavenly middle ground between bitter and sweet.

Tours of Lakefront Brewery located at 1872 North Commerce Street, Milwaukee, Wisconsin USA begin at 3 P.M. call ahead 414-372-4800. Also, according to Milwaukee Magazine, the brewery's restaurant The Palm House has the best Friday night fish fry in town. There you can witness the full power of The Brew House Polka Kings as well as a brewery tour starting at 530 P.M. Call ahead for reservations 414-273-8300.

Find Klisch pilsner from Lakefront brewery and you too can taste the best microbrew ever!