Lakefront Brewing - Multiple Beers

So you all probably don't remember but last spring I gave a less than favorable review on Lakefront ESB. Well the other day I received an email from a dude at Lakefront (who shall remain nameless for his protection) and believe it or not he was actually really fucking nice and said it was too bad I didn't like the beer and it was probably just skunk from the long truck ride. I told him that since most brewers/owners who don't like my reviews just leave shitty anonymous comments or ignore me, it would only be fair if I tried their beer again and gave it a another shot. I went to my local bottle shop that evening and picked up three different Lakefront styles. Without being a fucking smartass, this is what I think of them:
When I poured this beer out there was so much sediment it looked like those badass old school Orbitz drinks (the ones with the suspended gelatin in them). I am no stranger to sediment and realize why it exists but this was a little ridiculous. I have not even seen this much sediment in any other beer I have ever consumed (including Belgians).

See what I mean? Anyway, I still drank the shit out of it. If you know what I like in a beer, you would know that this is the exact color and clarity I desire. It comes as no surprise then, that I was pretty fucking excited about trying it. It has some nice citrus/floral notes but it seemed a little watery. Just a little empty and unbalanced. I don't think I have ever said this about an IPA before but more malts would be nice. The hop flavor, however, was perfect. Overall I thought it was just okay but on the verge of being excellent. Tweek the recipe a tiny bit and you have yourself a winner. 3.5 out of 5.
This is a coffee stout that got the job done. It tasted like coffee and was a real light, easy drinking stout: not thick, not heavy. Even chicks would like this stout. I thought it was pretty good and since it was brewed for a coffee shop/cafe I think they hit it spot on. Stout aficionados, however, would completely disagree. 3.75 out of 5.
The final beer I got was a dark lager. Coffee, chocolate, and caramel flavors dominate this beer. Very malty but easy drinking. Out of the three this one definitely had the biggest flavor and it felt like I was drinking a full bodied beer. As far as style is concerned this one beats the other two by a long shot. It is a good example of a dark lager and would probably fare well in a blind taste test, which I cannot say about the other two. 4 out of 5.

All in all I am still not totally impressed with Lakefront but I am glad I gave them another shot. It might be the travel time, it might be my preconceptions, or they might just not be able to compete with the high caliber microbrews of the Pacific Northwest (that's right, I said it). Whatever the deal, I will not go out of my way to purchase their bottles in the future but I sure as hell would not turn one down if handed to me. If I saw them on tap somewhere I would totally order it in hopes of greener pastures.