Great Lakes Brewing Black Donnelly

Brewed by Great Lakes Brewing (Ontario)
Style: India Pale Ale (IPA)
Etobicoke, Canada

Serve in Shaker, Tulip

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Aroma has plenty of orange hops and some devine malt, hazy brown, with a small tan head. Flavour has a big orange start, followed by a subtle malt pressence. Medium bodied, unbalanced in the over the top hops department, almost burns the throat. A unique dark IPA.

December 23, 2010 - cask at Volo. Very thick-looking cloudy deep reddish-brown with a large frothy/foamy tan head. Aroma is oddly of toffee and butterscotch with tons of "C" hop resin bitterness, dry and a bit leafy (7+). The taste follows, but it’s a bit of a let-down - the butterscotch brings a bit too much sweetness to the fore. Thick, very bitter, mild carbonation, a weirdly long bitter finish, considering how sweet it tasted up-front - I will have to re-rate this if I get the chance.

On tap at Volo
Aroma slight sourness , charcoal ,green raw hop nose. 7-
Appearance medium hazed brown looking ale with medium beige top. 3+
Flavor and Palate : medium bodied , clean with slight sourness. Top notched by hop character , organic feel with softer finish. Good.

On tap at Volo. Pours a deep brown verging on black with two fingers of off white head that lingers well. Aroma of pungent hops, evident malt back. Flavour is sufficiently bitter, dark malts and then a curious almost perfume like note near the end. Mouthfeel is good and finish lingers well. Very good.

Ridiculously complex and interesting beer. Citrusy dark IPA with as much of a thick texture as a beer can possibly have. Cloudy and aromatic - very floral with strong hints of orange. Spicy. Good.

On tap at Uncle Mikes in K-town. Black as night with a beige topper of moderate size. Nice mix of hops and dark malts with some caramel, pine, citrus and orange. Taste was balanced with the darker lightly roasted malts up front and a citrus & orange burst on the finish. Smooth bodied with moderate bitterness, pretty good stuff.

2010-03-18. Very dark brown-black body, nice foamy beige head. Aroma of hops, leafy vegetation and lots of it. 7+ Flavour has a good amount of bitterness, hoppy, leafy vegetation, dark malts below but the leafy hops dominate. 7+ Average plus palate for cask. Rather nice. Cask at Volo, Toronto

Cask @ Volo. Hazy brown with green hop flecks floating throughout and a big creamy off white head. Incredible citrus rind and pine aroma. Not so pretty to look at, but that aroma! Well balanced, medium mouthfeel. Smooth. Not bitter in the typical sense, but a warm hop zing at the back of the throat after each sip. Sip, repeat. Wasn’t expecting much from Great Lakes, but it was the beer of the night for me.

UPDATED: MAR 19, 2010 [2811-20100318] Cask. Navel orange and generally pulpy, rich citrus hops aroma. Hazy, brown black body with a medium-lasting creamy off-white head. Bitter rich orange hops flavour has wood barrel hints and a little tangerine. Full body is surprisingly bitter. Sooooo orangey, just a big ol’ citrus punch.
My 500th Ontario rating! Huzzah!
(@ Volo, Toronto, ON)

This one reminded me of Southern Tier’s Inquity, and was an exellent cask beer. Enjoyed at Bar Volo’s St. Patrick Day lineup. Black bod with wonderful white foamy head, and lots of lace. Definite hoppy arom, hoppy taste. Average mouthfeel, not a plate shredder.