Great Lakes Glockenspiel Weizenbock

4.1/5

AROMA 9/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 17/20

12 ounce bottle into weizen glass, best by 11/28/09. Pours very hazy and cloudy reddish orange color with a small foamy 1 finger off white head with decent retention that reduces to a ring of lace pretty quickly. No glass lacing. Aromas of big caramel covered bananas, biscuit, molasses, light orange zest, spices, and a bit of alcohol to round it out. Some excellent aromas here, very inviting. Taste of big banana, caramel, pepper, biscuit, clove, and molasses. No bitterness on the finish; but there is some lingering notes of caramel, banana, bread, molasses, and spices on the finish for a bit. Medium carbonation and body; with a very nice creamy and smooth mouthfeel that drinks easily. No alcohol noticed other than a slight warming after the finish. Overall this is an excellent and delicious Weizenbock at almost 2 years past freshness date. I wonder if they will ever bottle it again.

This held up very well in the beer store I found it. Still using my 312 weizen glass, I ought to get another one from Weihenstephaner or something. Excellent stuff though, I hope they bottle it again.

Great Lakes / Cellar Rat Berlot

3.6/5

AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 14/20

12 ounce bottle into snifter, about a year old now. Pours extremely hazy and cloudy golden orange color with 1-2 fingers of a dense off white head with excellent retention that reduces to a fairly thick lacing cap. Some very nice lacing clings to the glass as well. Aromas of vinegar, grapes, tart fruits, and some spices. Extremely interesting aromas, but i guess thats what the wine barrels will do. Taste of light vinegar, tart fruits, spices, and grapes. No bitterness, but there is lingering notes of spice and light fruits on the finish. Alcohol is surprisingly well hidden with only a small warming on the finish noticed. Medium carbonation and medium-full bodied; with a fairly creamy mouthfeel. Nice balance of all flavors is present as well. Overall an interesting and unique beer, but it was quite nice and enjoyable for what it offers.

I finally got around to having the last beer in the Ohio collab 12 pack. It is quite unique and interesting stuff.

Great Lakes Commodore Perry IPA

3.9/5

AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 16/20

12 ounce bottle, best by 07/08/11. Pours slightly hazy amber color with a fairly dense 2 finger white head with good retention that reduces to a thin lacing cap. Aromas of mango, pineapple, and caramel; with some pine and bread as well. Aromas are on the weak side though. Taste of good amounts of grapefruit, pine, and spiciness; with caramel, bread, and a bit of pineapple as well. Fairly strong bitterness on the finish that lingers with citrus and pine flavors. Alcohol not present in the taste but a decent warming noticed on the finish. Very nice balance of sweetness and bitterness. Medium-high carbonation and medium bodied. Overall, this is a delicious and quality IPA.

A very nice offering from Great Lakes. Different from most IPAs I am used to being that it is an English styled IPA, but still an enjoyable experience.

Great Lakes Lake Erie Monster Double IPA

4.5/5

AROMA 9/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 9/10 PALATE 5/5 OVERALL 18/20

12 ounce bottle into tulip, best by 08/08/11. Pours slightly hazy amber color with a huge 3 finger off white head with fantastic retention that reduces to a thin lacing cap. Some decent lacing on the glass. Aromas of tons of mango and pineapple; with a bit of grapefruit and caramel. Love the aromas, probably the most mango I have ever smelled in a beer yet. Taste of a lot of pineapple, grapefruit, pine, and a bit of caramel. Fairly strong bitterness on the finish that lingers with pineapple and citrus flavors. Incredibly smooth drinkability for over 9% ABV, and great balance of bitterness and sweetness. Medium carbonation and medium-full bodied. Overall an incredible Double IPA, this is the best beer I have ever had from Great Lakes so far.

Absolutely an incredible IPA when it is super fresh, no idea what a few months will do to it, but right now it is amazing.

Great Lakes Conways Irish Ale

4/5

AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 16/20

12 ounce bottle. Pours crystal clear reddish amber color with a foamy 2 finger off white head with very good retention that reduces to a fairly dense lacing cap. Leaves some nice dense lacing on the glass as you drink. Aromas of plum, apple, caramel, bread and spices. The aromas are very strong and smells very malty with a bit of a sour twang to it. Taste matches the nose pretty well: Bread, caramel, some fruits, spices, and a slight amount of hop bitterness on the finish that lasts for a bit. Mostly malt forward, but there is also a fair amount of hop flavor in the brew. Very smooth drinking with very minimal alcohol presence, only some slight warming after the finish. Medium carbonation and body. Overall it is a very tasty brew that has very good drinkability, and it actually reminds me of Christmas Ale in some aspects. An all around solid and tasty brew in all aspects.

Another great seasonal from Great Lakes!

Great Lakes Christmas Ale

3.9/5

AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 16/20

12 ounce bottle. Pours a light copper color with a 1 finger off white head with good retention, and has decent lacing. Aromas of cinnamon, ginger, and caramel. Taste matches aromas, and the finish is very smooth with a small amount of alcohol warming. Taste of ginger and cinnamon lingers after the finish. Medium body and carbonation. Overall this is a fantastic holiday brew. Very interesting, and have not had anything like it before.

This beer definitely screams Christmas, and is one of the best spice beers I have had. Really enjoyable.

Great Lakes Nosferatu

4/5

AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 16/20

12 ounce bottle. Pours clear copper color with a dense 2 finger off white head with amazing retention that leaves a nice cap and glass lacing. Aromas of pine, resin, grapefruit, and caramel. Taste of pine, caramel, grapefruit, rye, and some spices with a nice bitter finish. The finish lasts for a bit afterward as well. Medium carbonation and body with creamy texture. some slight alcohol warming on the finish. Highly enjoyable brew with the bitterness I love.

Great Lakes makes a lot of good beer. Too bad this is only available in the Fall.

Great Lakes Edmund Fitzgerald Porter

4.3/5

AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 9/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 18/20

12 ounce bottle. Pours opaque dark brown color with a two finger light tan head with good retention and good lacing. Aromas of chocolate, coffee, and roasted malts. Taste is a bit sweet on the front with roasted malts and bitter chocolate and coffee on the finish. Medium carbonation and body. Very smooth and creamy drink. Amazing porter!

This is definitely one of the top 3 best porters you can buy today, and it is year round brewed.

Great Lakes Holy Moses White Ale

4.1/5

AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 9/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 16/20

12 ounce bottle. Pours hazy amber color with a small white head that recedes quickly. Aromas of spices, floral, and citrus. Taste of nice herbal spices and citrus. Light to medium carbonation with medium body. Citrus and herbal flavors linger on the finish. This is a very good Witbier!

Everyone else rated this one pretty average from what I saw. I don't even like Wit's that much, but I thoroughly enjoyed this. Great Lakes makes a lot of good stuff.