Great Lakes Dortmunder Gold

Brewed by Great Lakes Brewing Company
Style: Dortmunder/Helles
Cleveland, Ohio USA

I’m really starting to like this brewer - have had 3 of their beers and they are all solid. this one is surprisingly clear like their Pale Ale, but I’m impressed with that given the solid aroma and taste. This one is hoppy - almost like a cross between a lager and a pilsener. Aroma has some bread and malt in addition to the hops.

12 oz bottle
I finally acquired and tried a bottle of this after hearing non-RB people have about it for years. I don’t know what they get out of it. I think both this and the 20th are passable but hardly amazing beers. On the other hand if this gives Great Lakes the funds to crank out Barrel Aged Blackout Stout and Lake Erie Monster more power to the people who keep them in business.

Aroma / Appearance - The yellowish body was more coppery than golden. Transparent with a bubbly carbonation it looks like a safe alternative to the fizzy liquid that many people associate with the term "beer". Fresh oak chips and a little bit of hops do not stir any sort of excitement. A hint of citrus is about as complicated as this gets.

Flavor / Palate - The taste, from start to finish, is just like a teaspoon of honey spread over toasted wheat bread. Pedestrian with a weak finish you could drink a sixer of these before you figured out what was actually going on. There’s nothing particularly flawed about it; it just lacks anything special that would make me want to buy a bottle with my own money when so much more flavorful stuff is on the shelf at the same price point.

not bad, but not a whole lot too it...I like a good big nose in a beer, and there wasn’t much of one...kind of bland but I think it was supposed to be...

Dark amber color with a medium white head that settles quickly and leaves moderate lacing. Aroma of licorice and black pepper. Flavor has licorice, lots of hops and lots of malts. Could be better balanced.

Golden pour with a light offwhite head. Aroma is light pils, some biscuity malt, and light floral notes. Body is medium light, with light carbonation. Flavor is nicely floral, sweet toasted malt, with some biscuit, and a clean lagered finish. Nicely done

Dammit, just missed getting rating 666 for this brew. Bottle courtesy Googers and co. Sweet malty nose, straw and Pils malt, light floral notes way in the back behind the faint citrus. Clear golden pour with a sudsy white head. Taste is clean, crisp, packed with flavor. Floral notes are much farther to the front and mingle nicely with biscuit and bread crust. Bright, meaty offering up front, darkens and dries into the long aftertaste (though it still cloys a bit with volume). Silky, smooth medium-full body. Easily among the best three or four Dortmunder made in America, and competes with the best that Germany has to offer.

Refrigerated bottle poured into a glass. Pours a deep golden color with a nice amount of head. Taste is mostly bready malt. Good beer, but not one of my favorites and I really cannot put my finger on the reason why not.

Are we sure this isn’t an ale? I usually wouldn’t consider spending "good" money on a lager, but GL did a well...great job convincing me lagers can be full of taste. Not the best aroma, but I really don’t care...just hurts the overall a little.