Boutip (9769) reviewed Dortmunder Gold from Great Lakes Brewing 20 years ago
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7
Bottle: Poured a clear light copper color beer with a nice clean white bubbly head with pretty good retention. Aroma of floral malt and subtle hops. Taste is very refreshing with a good malt presence, a full body (for the style) and medium bitterness at the end. Very good for the style.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 5 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7
Pour is a cloudy yellow with an egg shell white head. Aroma is of coriader and oranges. Flavor is a bit weak but there are notes of lemon and spice. Nothing really stands out and finishes pretty weak and bland.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 5 | Flavor - 5 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7
Pour is a nice tan with a large white fluffy head. Aroma is slightly hoppy. Flavor is a bit on the thin side. There some piney hops in there but nothing really stands out. I know this is a APA and not a IPA but this could use more in the hops and malts dept. The beer is ok i guess. Clean and refreshing.
Clarkvv (16523) reviewed Blackout Stout from Great Lakes Brewing 20 years ago
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 5 | Flavor - 5 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 5
Best Before 7/11/2005 bottle consumed on 10/13/2005. Tiny bubbles create a small, tan head that almost immediately runs for the edges. Body is a deep brown, transluscent at points and when held to the light there appears a soy sauce colored brown-red with almost fuschia tinges to it. Smells of deep prunes and concord grapes, milk chocolate and bitter high alpha hops. Don’t get too much roast, do get a lot of alcohol, unfortunately. Fruits, raisins, light choco-caramel mostly. Quite hoppy. Flavor begins chocolatey, vinous and very hoppy. Very low carbonation is immediately apparent. Prunes, black malt, bitter piney-like hops on end. Some chocolate covered graham crackers. Wow, the flavor sure is hoppy. Tons of black malt and/or roasted barley too. VERY bitter. Body is medium to medium-full. Mouthfeel is almost syrupy, though very undercarbonated, which is good. Bottle conditioning adds a nice touch. But ultimately, alcohol is a bit too apparent and really hurts the finish/aftertaste which seems to have problems already, from the extreme bitterness. Retronasal has some hoppy notes. Light lacing on the glass, more like sticky bubbles, though. Coffee comes out, lightly, on the end, as it warms, which is pleasant. Alcohol really ruins this, though. Thanks to MAP for the bottle!
Late 2005 or early 2006 bottle consumed 4/22/06
Wanted to give this one another try, but I was less than impressed again. A bitter, unbalanced façade of roast and hop acids certainly does not set the tone well as the beer opens. Dry vanilla and roast are only minimally offset by some pale malt sugars. Crunchy, dry, rather hard, with a lacking texture and loose carbonation. Some fruitiness arrives late, but it’s not well-integrated, as a result and at odds with the almost ash-like roastiness. I don’t get the hype on this beer at all.....
McDermottDrink (4593) reviewed Nosferatu from Great Lakes Brewing 20 years ago
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8
Draft, at GLBC. I should save this for rating #666, but who knows if I can hold on to the notes that long. Orangey brown color, light lacing still in the sampler glass after I’ve been throught the other samples. Smells of honey and a touch of cinnamon. Still has a big hop bouquet to go along. Despite its ABV’s, not much of an alcohol burn. A fine finish to a great sampler tray at Great Lakes.
Extra note, 11/20/06: Five weeks ago I was pouring beer at the Balmoral Park Oktoberfest, and I took a growler of this beer home from the tap at the end. As of now I’m still pulling off it, and even from a jug of dubious sanitation, this is still a burly beer, with lots of malt and lots of hop. Strong enough to survive some very beer-unfriendly conditions! And still very yummy!
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 8
Draft sampler at GLBC.Light brown body under a thin head. A pleasing bitterness is the first thing you encounter. Body in fine and malty to balance, I’d almost declare is "kickass." Darn good example of the style.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7.5
Draft sampler at GLBC. Pours white with a yellow creamy center. The banana taste is subdued, thank goodness, leaving a nice coriander wit taste. Finish picks up with some lemonade and bitter European hops.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7.5
Draft, at GLBC. Rats. I didn’t take many notes on this because I thought I’d already rated this. But anyway: A light hoppy smell, unusual to find in a dark beer. This was toward the end of my sampler tray, there was still a thin head that clung lacily to the glass. Roasts are just moderate, to keep this very smooth. Excellent beer to be trying on draft!
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6.5
Draft, at GLBC. How did I miss trying this until now? Good pils color and a nice German hops smell. Thin head. A striking pale malt taste – yes, a pale-type lager with taste – with that slight note of hardened water. Nicely done.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7.5
Draft, at GLBC. Well, I was there this weekend as they were just putting out that batch Tmoney99 referred to. So it’s fresh out of the tank. A big fresh grapefruitty smell. Color is a lighter orange than in other IPAs. Nicely sweet, yet. Also get notes of pineapple and oak leaves. Big on bitter aftertaste. Hey, if it ain’t bitter, it ain’t beer!