Beer Review - Lake Louie Brewing Dank Beast IPA

 

Lake Louie Brewing began as a midlife plot twist: an engineer named Tom Porter cashed out his 401(k), bought a skinny‑dipping pond from his Uncle Louie, and turned a metal storage shed in tiny Arena, Wisconsin (population: “not too many”) into a working brewery in 1999. 

What started as a three‑barrel “cartoon” business plan and 106 barrels of beer in year one has since grown into a carefree, lake‑living brand that now brews a few thousand barrels a year and shares DNA with Wisconsin Brewing, all while keeping its identity rooted in that original patch of driftless countryside and water you probably shouldn’t ask too many questions about. 

If you look at Lake Louie’s current lineup, the story is less “tech bro disrupts beer” and more “Midwestern day off in liquid form.” Amber lagers like Badger Club, easygoing IPAs like Kiss the Lips, backwoods‑smuggled Scotch ales like Warped Speed, and a general house style built on “easy‑drinking and fun‑loving” rather than enamel‑stripping extremity. 

The copy reads like someone who actually has grass stains on their shorts, rope swings, lawn chairs, golden hour that never ends, and the beers are framed as companions for those scenes rather than centerpieces, which is exactly the kind of modest swagger you want from a Wisconsin operation that once bragged mainly about being the biggest brewery in Arena because it was the only brewery in Arena. 

Dank Beast is what happens when that lake‑cabin personality decides to stomp out of the shallows and see what’s lurking in the deep end. It''s an Imperial IPA “crafted for the bold & brave,” available in tallboys and stovepipes, promising a “bold and flavorful” ride that stays “wildly smooth” while still packing a kick “that’ll shave the fur right off ya.” 

For all the monstrous branding, Lake Louie is quick to reassure you that this beast “doesn’t bite” and “aims to please,” which suggests they’re chasing dank intensity and high gravity without abandoning the brewery’s core promise that their beers are still something you’d happily drink on a dock instead of just ticking on a spreadsheet. 

In other words, Dank Beast isn’t a lab exercise in hop saturation so much as a lake‑party escalation: the same Wisconsin livin’ ethos, just wearing bigger boots and tracking in more pine and citrus. 

It slots into a portfolio that’s increasingly willing to play with bigger flavors, session IPAs, cult‑favorite Bunny Green Toe IPA, and other experiments, but still insists on approachability as a non‑negotiable, a reminder that Lake Louie’s soul is still that converted shed on 18.5 acres outside Arena, not a faceless production plant chasing the next hype cycle.

Now, to the beer!

Tbe beer pours a deep, cloudy orange color in appearance. On the nose, there are bold notes of orange peel, candied apricot, banana peel and clove, which are complemented by additional notes of clover honey and allspice on the palate.

Overall, this is a very good beer. It feels well-balanced with a pleasant mouthfeel and is not overly hot for the high ABV. The profile is medium in malt and the fruit notes pop, while being balanced by the hops. This is highly recommended if you come across it in stores or on tap.