Great Lakes Nosferatu

Brewed by Great Lakes Brewing Company
Style: American Strong Ale
Cleveland, Ohio USA

Nice sweet deep red ale. Piney aromas and bitter hoppy flavors make this one very enjoyable. Slight sweetness on the finish with a decent malt profile. I was into this one.

Big hop aroma, but it blends into this massive dark malt aroma that features dark fruit, rye, pumpernickel and burnt caramel. The body is a dark amber tinter brown and holds a limp wisp of a tan head. Dark toasted grains and thick black bread followed again by a fairly stiff dose of hops. I get some burnt brown sugar, molasses and caramel followed by a fairly bitter hop/burnt finish. Nice.

Pours a very deep red-amber with little head that dissipates down into a ring around the glass. Aroma is dark fruits and some sweet breadiness. Taste is a woody maltiness with a nice smoky flavor cleared off by mild citrus and dominant pine hops. Hops overpower the malts and make it a touch too bitter for my taste. Dry finish and refreshing.

Bottle, with 6 months or so of age on it. Pours a dark reddish amber with a creamy off-white head. Aroma of biscuity malts and citrusy grapefruit like hops. Not overly bitter, but quite nice. Flavor is very simple, dominated by caramel malts and piney hops, finishing in a quite sharp bitterness. Palate is probably the highlight of the brew, which comes on heavy, but finish very tight due to the perfect carbonation and bittering hops. This was a very nice offering from GLBC.

Rated 10/6/06: Stock Ale with a Vampire on the label, leave it to Great Lakes to always entertain me with their brews. This seasonal is very nice but not over the top. Good hearty aroma, wine-like sharpness with a generous helping of hops. Pour is a medium dark ruby red with some amber tones, minimal head and little lacing. Due to the higher abv I can’t complain too much about how this looks. Mouthfeel is powerful and unbelievably clean it hits you then melts away. Hops-a-plenty round out the high maltiness creating a nice sipper of a brew. Bitter and citrusy at first you think this doesn’t work but as you go forward it all melds too easily. I like this ale very much.

bottle courtesy of Willblake at the CL anniversary party. Pours deep amber. Aroma: Caramel malt with notes of orange and grapefruit. Taste is malty, with some biscuit and alot of caramel malt, hopping seems somewhat subdued in comparison to the commercial description of the beer. Still, it is pretty nice, notes of grapefruit/citrus blend nicely with caramel malt, creating a nicely balanced beer. Clean and enjoyable, although I have alot of other ASA’s I liked a bit better.

awesome dark, clear amber color. Smell is pretty good. Pours kinda flat, but the head that is there stays a while. Taste is very good, malty and caramel are there with a little hops. Very good brew.

My Bottom Line
Noble herbal hops and their citrusy wings float atop the chewy cereals. Another balanced masterpiece from Great Lakes which manages to please those in search of memorable flavors and those looking for a friendly pint.

Further Personal Perceptions:
-A sheet of foam covers the clear ochre red.
-Carbonation is perfect, helping drinkability and letting the malts build a smashing body.
-Herbal hop bitterness firmly greets the tastebuds before slowly fading away.
-Orangey fruitiness stems from the hoppiness and branches out into the sweet cereals.

Bottle.