Lakeman Brewing Company Reviews

jbruner	3.5 Lakeman Done & Dusted Pours a hazy golden yellow on tap with dense white foam that dissipates to leave good lace. Aroma of fruity and grassy hop notes, catty resin, with a wheat base. Taste is moderately sweet from the malt, lightly bitter from the hops, soft palate. Hops smell like they were warm stored, and they probably were using American hops in NZ. Monday, March 18, 2024
jbruner	2.9 Lakeman Big Hairy APA Pours a clear golden yellow on tap with wispy white foam that leaves moderate lace. Aroma of catty hops and diacetyl over a hint of bready malt. Taste is moderately bitter from the hops, lightly sweet from the malt, which from the diacetyl. Meh. Monday, March 18, 2024
jbruner	3.9 Lakeman Primate Pilsner Pours a clear pale yellow on tap with dense white foam that dissipates to leave moderate lace. Aroma of lemon and mint hop notes over light cracker malts. Taste is moderately bitter from the hops, lightly sweet from malt, clean and crisp. Solid pilsner, one of the better lagers I've had yet in NZ. Monday, March 18, 2024
jbruner	3.7 Lakeman Taupo Thunder Pours a clear golden orange on tap with dense white foam that dissipates to leave moderate lace. Aroma of new school zesty earth and citrus, what you expect from a NZ pale, with hint of biscuit malt behind. Taste is moderately sweet from the malt, moderately bitter from the hops, clean balance. Solid hoppy pale. Monday, March 18, 2024
jbruner	3.7 Lakeman Stout Pours a deep brownish black on tap with dense cap of tan foam that dissipates to leave moderate lace. Aroma of moderate roasted malt and cold brew coffee with hints of cocoa underneath. Taste is moderately sweet from the malt, lightly bitter from the dark malt, smooth for the abv. Old school, non-adjunct stout, I can dig it. Monday, March 18, 2024
TrappistRates36	3.8 Lakeman Buzz Me $ 9.99 for 440 ml can from New World , Ravenswood (26/12/22) : Lovelly yellow beer with a small tight head ... intriguing herbaceous green hop aroma , nice ... mellow malty palate , good base , sweet honeyish : Yum ! It's an OK , interesting brew . Sunday, February 11, 2024
TrappistRates36	3.8 Lakeman Black Jack Gold $ 7.99 for 440 ml can from New World , Rangiora (03/12/21) : Inky black beer , good head which dissipates quickly ... unctious thick syrupy chocolatey aroma , espresso .... sweet palate , chocolatey mocha , rich malt , delicious . Sunday, February 11, 2024
TrappistRates36	3.9 Lakeman Hairy Craic $ 9.79 for 440 ml can from PakNSave , Rangiora (21/04/21) : Black beer , massive tan coloured head , steady audible pop of bubbles ... mocha nose , toasty malt ... smooth creamy palate , mocha , vanilla , sharp bite , very bitter , full body . Sunday, February 11, 2024
TrappistRates36	3.9 Lakeman Hairy Wonka $ 5 for 500 ml bottle ( ex $ 9 ) from Liquorland , Leith St , Dunedin (02/06/19) : Beautiful copper colour , OTT foamy head ... oaky aged resiny nose .... Lanes Emulsion flavour , resiny ... finishes sour , resiny ... Sunday, February 11, 2024
TrappistRates36	3.7 Lakeman Big Hairy APA $ 4 for 330 ml tinny (28/05/19) : Nice gold-yellow colour , clear , good beads & head .... aromatic nose , zesty citrusness , mellow composty earthiness ... frothy mouthfeel , green herbaceousness , grapey ... finish clean , lingering marmalade taste . Sunday, February 11, 2024
TrappistRates36	3 Lakeman Hairy Dust $ 4 for 330 ml can from New World , Rangiora (11/05/19) : Straw colour , light bead , no head , flat ! ... wallop of hops on the nose ... frothy mouthfeel , bitter , heavy fruity flavour ... Sunday, February 11, 2024
TrappistRates36	3.8 Lakeman Hairy Hop IPA 330 ml can for $ 4 (02/11/19) : Glorious amber colour , light bead , small head ... citrus blossom aromatics , hoppy , malty : nice .... Cointreau citrus flavour , nice , like this beer ... would try again . Sunday, February 11, 2024
TrappistRates36	3.7 Lakeman Hairy Godfather 330 ml tinny for $ 4 (02/11/19) : Lovelly red beer , light bead , small head ... rich malty nose , coriander ... refreshing brew : bitter , a touch of raspberry gose , citrusy ... would try again , nice Sunday, February 11, 2024
TrappistRates36	3.7 Lakeman Summer Shout $ 9.99 for 440 ml can from New World , Ravenswood : Pale yellow colour , slow lazy beads , small head ... resiny-oily aromas , graoefruit/pineapple hints ... balanced beer to taste , good body , bitter , quite oily-resiny : Yummy ! Saturday, February 10, 2024
nickd717	2.1 Lakeman 5 O'Clock Somewhere Can. Slightly hazy golden with a foamy white head. Aroma is pineapple, hop cones. Flavor is light sweet medium bitter tropical fruit and hop cone. Medium body. Meh. Friday, December 15, 2023
danlo	3.5 Lakeman Stout Sample courtesy of Grumbo, cheers Graham! New region #303. Dark brown colour, foamy tan head and aroma of malt, toffee, dark fruits, chocolate & coffee. Taste is roasty malt, molasses, chocolate, coffe, dark fruits and earthy bitterness. Medium bodied, soft foamy carbonation, roasted bitter finish. Nicely drinkable. Sunday, November 12, 2023
kor_	3 Lakeman Taupo Thunder 그냥 저냥 마실만한 페일에일 Friday, November 3, 2023
kor_	2.5 Lakeman Primate Pilsner ...별루다 Wednesday, November 1, 2023
kor_	3.1 Lakeman Lager 나쁘지않다. 좀 많이 라이트하긴 하지만 그럭저럭 괜찮은 라거다. Monday, October 23, 2023
ITFCfan	3.7 Lakeman Stout Can shared with Grumbo and ITFCDan at the Ekstraliga beer share. Aroma of roasted malts, dark fruits, coffee, blackcurrant and hints of treacle. A bit thin and carbonated. Nice dry finish. Saturday, October 21, 2023
Grumbo	3.6 Lakeman Stout 21/10/2023. Can shared at EBGP. Courtesy of Gus, cheers! Region #444. New Zealand region 14/16. Pours black with a large frothy beige head. Aroma of roasted malt, dark chocolate, dark fruits, vanilla, caramel, light coffee, slight waxy ashy edge. Medium sweetness and light to moderate roasted bitterness. Medium body, average carbonation. Good. Saturday, October 21, 2023
kor_	4.2 Lakeman Big Hairy APA 기분 좋은 시트러스 Thursday, October 5, 2023
beer-yum	3.5 Lakeman Stout Coffee malt aroma in a jet black pour. Hop forward balance with a rich malt body and clean bitter finish. Goes down a treat - but nothing special in the end. Thursday, September 7, 2023
nickd717	3.5 Lakeman Valley of Dreams Can pours hazy golden with a lacy white head. Aroma is tangerine, mango, passionfruit, papaya. Medium plus sweet, light-medium bitter, very tropical flavor. Medium full body. Solid overall if a bit sweet. Monday, July 31, 2023
mountdad	4 Lakeman Buzz Me 440ml can. Pours an almost clear pale gold with a modest white head. Aroma is malt & honey. Beer is smooth, with some residual sweetness & despite the "pared back malt base" a malty backbone. The flavour has good depth & lasts well but with next to no bitterness. Not sure how different this is to their last double IPA but it makes the most of the higher ABV & is very drinkable. Nice beer. Friday, February 17, 2023
Samtzu	3.4 Lakeman Passion Smash 440ml can. Pours a strawberry pink/red with tiny amounts of white head. Luscious citrus and zest nose with hints of passionfruit and mango. Medium to light body with mild carbonation. A soft forward which develops into zest and the passionfruit and mango fruits behind. Tuesday, January 17, 2023
LesArgen	3.2 Lakeman Taupo Thunder Solid pale ale with a nice malt backbone. Aromas of grain, lemon, bread and a little papaya. Hops dominate in the mouth. Not bad. Monday, October 10, 2022
LesArgen	3 Lakeman Lager Gentle aromas of straw, lemon and just a hint of banana. It's got quite a sudsy palate, and you really notice that intense carbonation. Nice body, with the citrus keeping it from being cloying, as bad lagers can be. Monday, October 10, 2022
Samtzu	2.3 Lakeman Sundowner 330ml can. Pours a dark gold with strong haze and small amounts of off white head. Strong tropical froward nose. Light to medium body with lighter carbonation. A soft palate with white and tropical fruits,hints of zest, which fades very quickly. Thursday, September 29, 2022
Samtzu	3.4 Lakeman Mornin' Glory 330ml can. Pours a mild gold/yellow with soft white head. Punchy tropical fruit nose. Medium to light body. Light white fruits and tropical fruits forward with hints of sweetness. Thursday, September 29, 2022
mountdad	3.1 Lakeman Stout 440ml can. Pours black with a small but lingering tan head. Aroma is mild dark malts & a bit of coffee. Beer is medium bodied with a smooth, slightly creamy feel. Taste is all about the dark malts with a moderate bitterness. Hints of coffee as opposed to chocolate. Simple stout done decently well. Note this is a lot cheaper than most 440ml craft cans. Cheap & cheerful. Wednesday, September 14, 2022
Samtzu	4 Lakeman Against the Grain 440ml can. Pours a mild gold with small amounts of white head. Thick oily nose with strong dankness, grass, pine, white fruits and soft tropical fruits at the back. Medium to full body with lower carbonation and hints of heat at the end. Resinous hops through the palate with grass and pine being dominant. Mild biscuity malts leaving soft sweetness and a strong kick of bitterness. Thursday, May 26, 2022
Samtzu	4.3 Lakeman Jack Frost 440ml can. Pours a mild gold with string bubbly off white head. Huge white fruit and tropical fruits on the nose with subtle pine, grass, and dankness. Medium body with semi thick oils behind and strong bitterness. Luscious white and tropical fruits at the front which develops into pine and grass with fantastic dankness with soft biscuity malts. Strong frontal flavours but they fade quickly. Wednesday, May 25, 2022
mountdad	3.2 Lakeman Hop Rush 440ml can. Pours a slightly hazy pale gold with a decent white head. Aroma is hops. Beer is light, with a light & slightly sweet malt base & quite a lot of hops. I get the pine & grapefruit flavours but they are quite soft & the middling bitterness does, as they say, not last too long. Reasonable IPA but when half the cans in the fridge are IPAs I'm not sure this is anything special for the $$. Tuesday, October 12, 2021
mountdad	3.4 Lakeman Lager 330ml can. Pours a light green/gold with a small white head. Aroma is clean lager, a bit of hops & malt. Beer is light, smooth & easy to drink. There is a bit of sweetness, a little bitterness & as per the can, a hint of lemon. A well done NZ lager. Monday, October 11, 2021
mountdad	4.5 Lakeman Ghost Ship II (Bourbon Barrel Aged) 440ml can. Pours black to he very edge of the glass with a minimal tan head. Aroma is fruitcake, booze (bourbon I guess) & dark malt. Beer is medium to full bodied with a thick, sweet mouthfeel. Flavour is complex & has good depth making you want to savour it, not a quaffer. I get the bourbon, fruit cake, sweet molasses, oak & some coconut with stewed fruit. Very well done aged sweet stout. Wednesday, September 29, 2021
mountdad	4 Lakeman Hazy IPA No. 1 440ml can. Pours a hazy pale yellow with a small white head. Aroma is typical of a good hazy with tropical fruit, this one at the softer melon & papaya end. Beer is medium bodied, very smooth & easy drinking with soft tropical fruit flavours very true to the aroma, low bitterness & a sweet malt base. This is close to an imperial IPA at 8.4% & I do prefer the scenic label to their usual version. Very good if not quite a "session" IPA. Wednesday, September 29, 2021
mountdad	3.1 Lakeman Big Hairy APA 330ml can. Pours a pale brown with small white head. Aroma is fruity hops & mild malt. Beer is fairly light, sweet malt & mildly fruity hops. Low bitterness. The "big as Texas" flavour claims have been rather blown away by the flood of hazy IPAs that have far more fruit hops flavours. Fine. Tuesday, September 28, 2021
mountdad	3.4 Lakeman Black Jack Gold 440ml can. Pours black with a small tan head. Aroma is sweet dark malts, some rum & perhaps the raisins giving it some fruit cake. Beer is medium bodied with an upfront sweetness. There is a good depth of very dark malts, some oaky rum & a bit of fruitcake. I should like this a lot but either the hop bitterness or perhaps the over roasted malts give it a bitter, catch in the throat nature which together with too much sugar spoil the stout for me. Close but no cigar. Monday, September 27, 2021
mountdad	3.8 Lakeman Hillbilly Milk 440ml can. Pours a hazy gold with a small white head. Aroma is all tropical fruit, I get mango & lychee could well be in there. Beer is medium bodied, very smooth with almost no bitterness and a good deep tropical hazy hop flavour. If you have wanted the smoothness of an oat milk stout with the tropical hop flavours of a hazy IPA then this is your beer. Very good. Monday, September 27, 2021
mountdad	2.1 Lakeman 5 O'Clock Somewhere 330ml can. Pours a hazy murky yellow. Aroma is mild hazy IPA with a citrus tilt. Beer is light in body with a short, citrus based hop flavour on a chewy light malt base. Rather one dimensional hazy & not one of the better ones. Sunday, September 26, 2021
mountdad	3.4 Lakeman Cactus Juice 440ml can. Pours a hazy gold/yellow with a small but lasting white head. Aroma is mild with some tropical hops. Beer is medium bodied, very smooth with very little bitterness. Main impression is of sweetness and a shallow tropical hop feast. Not much lasts beyond a sweet passionfruit flavour. It is almost like a desert beer that I could imagine sipping late in the evening on a winters night. Interesting, but a bit too sweet for most occasions. Sunday, September 26, 2021
mountdad	2.7 Lakeman Taupo Thunder 330ml can. Pours a clear gold with a small white head. Aroma is mildly hops. Beer is lightish with a fairly generic malt & hops flavour. Couldn't find much passionfruit or citrus here. Just a bit ordinary really. Saturday, September 25, 2021
mountdad	2.4 Lakeman Primate Pilsner 330ml can. Pours a clear pale gold with almost zero head. Aroma is mild and just vaguely beer. Beer is light but with a smooth mouthfeel, medium malt base and an odd bitterness. Flavour fades fast apart from the malt sweetness & a bit of the odd bitterness. Maybe I don't like pacific jade hops but this is a just very ordinary pils. Saturday, September 25, 2021
mountdad	3.1 Lakeman Hairy Hop IPA 330ml can. Pours a deep copper, clear with a small white head. Aroma is some malt & a bit of hoppy pine. Beer is medium bodied with a very smooth mouthfeel so it slips down all too easily. Decent malt base & a medium but persistent bitterness. Nothing but the bitterness lingers long. Easy drinking but not as good as previous reviews had me hoping for. OK. Friday, September 24, 2021
Pdubyah	4 Lakeman Black Jack Gold A really quite interesting beer. It's quite good at being soft to the palate, the prickly bitterness and dryness aren't an issue, there's some quite indistinct but present flavours, lead by a woodiness. Whilst I don't or can't discern those other things doesn't detract from that this is really nice beer. It is by many measures 'smooth' and really pleasant, and I quite like that. Wednesday, September 8, 2021
mountdad	3.2 Lakeman Black Jack Stout 440ml can. NOTE my can said Black Jack Gold Stout but the description & ABV seem identical to the older bottle beer. Pours a very deep brown, near black with a small but lasting tan head. Aroma is some coffee, fruit cake and dark malts. Beer is medium bodied and the taste is sweet chocolate, quite a decent bitter hit, some fruit cake (from the raisins maybe) and a bit of boozy wood. I can't pick the coconut but it is a good desert stout as long as you do want a decent amount of hop bitterness. Tuesday, August 10, 2021
mountdad	3.8 Lakeman Hairy Jafa 440ml can. Pours black with small tan head. Aroma is chocolate and dark malts. Beer is medium bodied and smooth in the mouth, almost no bitterness but only slightly sweet, good chocolate & malt goodness and just a hint of orange. Luckily it avoids the artificial orange flavour that you get from real Jafa sweets. Gppd. Monday, May 17, 2021
KiwiSwe	3.3 Lakeman Primate Pilsner Sunday, February 14, 2021
cwhitby	2.9 Lakeman Primate Pilsner Monday, December 7, 2020