Great Lakes Commodore Perry IPA

Bottle. Clear amber orange color. Grassy, oily sweet sugar hop nose, very nice smelling. Properly bitter, nice and biting on the lips and tongue, with crisp, fresh grassy, even tinny, but in a good way. Very enjoyable, fresh, properly hoppy IPA.

Very nicely crafted, its only flaw in that it’s not being aggressive enough with the hops. Golden bodied with a well sustained, fine lacing head, it’s got an aroma of grapefruit, pine, and wildflowers over a solid caramel base. Caramel and toffee support the strong citric and resinous bitterness, all well balanced, until the hops surge forward for a prolonged, bitter finish. Sessionable, even at its 7.5% abv.

<font size=-4>From <a href=http://www.ratebeer.com/ViewUser.asp?UserID=1 cellar.<font size=-1>

Dark golden color with a moderate off white head. Nice heavy pale malt aromas mix with Light citrus and a pinch of pine. There is a rough raw hops aroma that sticks out a touch and throws things off a touch. Smooth with just enough crispness to make things light on the back of the tongue. Peached and cream start the sweetness and then lead to a more citric bite and light grapefruit. Hints of alcohol in the finish and linger. I’m likely higher with my rating as I like the malt backbone, something I miss in too many IPAs out there right now. A solid offering.

Bottle @ TimE’s House: Gold color, light yellow and a thin white head and some moderate lacing. The nose is strong with carbonation and a sharp grassy citrusy hop note, nearly no malt in the nose. The flavor is grassy and citrusy with a fumey grapefruit note, lacking a malt biscuit backdrop giving this a high school musical feel to it. Real emotion, but cheap props. The finish delivers though with a full body and a clean finish, nice hoppy tail, plenty of malt in the mouthfeel. Decent, needs a bit more bitterness and alcohol for me, falls right into the regular ipa category for me.

Draft at brewpub. The brewmaster,Luke, had just finished this batch, but had not put on tap. He was good to me and poured me a glass. Hazy amber with a large rocky white head. Large hoppy aroma. Medium body with full texture. Very good well balanced hoppy flavor with a long smooth bitter finish.

Thanks to JPDIPSO for this one. Pours deep dark straw colored, with a hop, bready malt, apricot, and lemongrassy aroma. The flavor was hoppy, piney, and malty, with a lot of apricot, some honey, and some lemonrassy hints. Medium palate that was very smooth on a hot Delaware day.

Bottle from Archer Liquors. Pours a very light copper with a good finely bubbled near-white head. The floral aroma is to die for. Medium body with creamy carbonation. Flavor is lots of floral/fruity hop. There’s some malt, but who cares. Seems to be something like peach/apricot and citrus. Finishes rather dry, and the fruity bitter stays through and on. Wish I lived near where this is retailed. With time a few hot bits pop up, but the fruit endures.

Dark amber orange body with a lightly off white head. Aroma is classic grapefruit and almonds. There is a nice floral character to the hops. The taste has some rich pancakes and hints of vanilla. There is also some muted grapefruit behind that character. A nice full mouthfeel, but it is not alcohol laden as I may have expected. Great Lakes continues to impress. Not for those that want a slap in the face, hop wise, but a great, well balanced IPA.