Great Lakes Nosferatu - Great Lakes Brewing Company

Wasatch

Utah

4/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks to trep for this brew.

Pours a dark amber color, nice carbonation, nice little fizzy head which does not last long, some sticky lacing to follow. The nose is malty, slightly hoppy, vanilla, cheeries, and caramel. The taste is a big malt bomb with a nice touch of hops, the vanilla gives it a nice sweetness and the cheeries give a nice tangyness, lots of caramel. There is a nice bite/bitterness to this brew. Medium body, a well rounded, complex brew. Very drinkable, another great tasty GL brew, very drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

08-01-2007 00:12:38 | More by Wasatch

rhoadsrage

Illinois

4.1/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

( Served in an American pint glass)

A- This beer pours a brownish-red clear body with a very gentle carbonation and a nice smooth tan head.

S-This beer has a nice fragrant lightly toasted malt nose with some green hop spiciness. A light note of biscuit malt is also in the nose.

T- The taste is very complex with some toasted malt and biscuit malt blended with an alcohol warmth and some hop spiciness.

M-This beer has a full creamy mouthfeel with some alcohol warmth that finishes nicely.

D- This is a very interesting beer. It has a good complex flavor with spicy hops, toasted malts and a nice alcohol warmth to pull it all together.

Serving type: bottle

08-23-2005 21:33:59 | More by rhoadsrage

mdfb79

New York

3.58/5  rDev -12.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

From 10/22/10 notes. Had on tap at the Big Hunt in DC last night.

a - Pours a nice amber color with two inches of creamy white head and light carbonation evident.

s - Smells of smells of caramel malts, citrus hops, fruity malts, and bready malts.

t - Tastes mostly of citrus hops and caramel malts again. Also a decent amount of alcohol in the taste and hints of fruit.

m - Medium body and moderate carbonation.

d - A decent enough red/strong ale, but nothing really stood out about it. I enjoyed the caramel malts and citrus hops, but would have liked more out of it. Would drink it again but wouldn't seek it out annd it wouldn't be my first choice.

Serving type: on-tap

10-23-2010 21:04:28 | More by mdfb79

jlindros

Massachusetts

4.05/5  rDev -1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Thanks to beerhan for this interesting looking beer.

Pours a nice creamy 1 finger head that fades... wait it doesn't fade at all just sits there waiting for instructions. Nice lacing starts to form on the sides as I swirl and move the beer around. The beer itself is a hazy yeast chunked bright cranberry blood red color.

Nose is nice but a bit too light, nice malts with a juicy reddish malt, nice caramel and even a bit of vanilla. There are nice hops that push their way to the front fairly quickly, with a floral grassy Hallertau like hop aroma.

Taste starts interesting and different a bit, some copper malts and a slight coppery like flavor (not the bad kind from lager, just a coppery malt flavor). Then reddish malts again, earthy slight biscuit reddish malts, with plenty of caramel and a slight sweetness, but thick and rich, as thick as blood one might say. A juicy malt like flavor fades as the hops come out slightly but not much. Some floral and spicy earthy hop flavors come out not strong but enough to let you know they are there. As it finishes it dries even more and smack come the spicy hops, it gets quite bitter but not over the top, like I chewed on a hop pellet a few minutes ago. A slight caramel malt flavor lingers as well.

Mouth is thick almost syrupy but more sloshy, like blood even which I'm guessing they were aiming for, with decent carb, and a slight hint of warming booze.

Overall it's nice. Good malts, decent hops, booze is almost there but drinks well. A nice blood thickness and almost chewy. Balanced and drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

10-22-2011 01:11:53 | More by jlindros

ppoitras

Massachusetts

4.18/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

12oz bottle obtained via trade with CRJMellor. Thanks for the opportunity...

Poured into an imperial pint glass, formed a 3/4" light beige head over the slightly murky amber brew. Head fights the good fight, and lasts for a long time, esp for the style, and lacing is good. Aroma is of malty husks, slight dark fruits, and tinges of alcohol. Taste is follows the nose, except alcohol notes at the swallow seem more pronounced, and warming is obvious. Mouthfeel and drinkability are both great for the style. This is one vampire I'll try to revisit...

Serving type: bottle

01-02-2005 20:28:37 | More by ppoitras

weeare138

Pennsylvania

4.45/5  rDev +8.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Thanks to kmpitz2 for this.
Freshness date of 9/23/05 but aged and enjoyed on 6/6/06...
Appears a copper toned amber with a frothy off white head that slowly dies down into a mild cap and collar. Tons of chunky streaks of lacing are all over the glass. Mild streams of carbonation slowly rise to the top.
Smell is of biscuits and caramel up front with a sugar cookie yeastiness followed by pine and sugar filled grapefruit hops.
Taste is of the same aromas with a nice sugary malt & piney blend the comes together nicely.
Mouthfeel is full bodied, very chewy, with palate bouncing, lip smacking sugary hops that lead to a bitter but sugary, semi-dry finish.
Reminds me a little bit of Legacy's Hedonism for some reason but more balanced and a bit more drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

06-07-2006 02:34:57 | More by weeare138

Zorro

California

4.22/5  rDev +2.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Clear deeply amber colored ale with a distinct red cast to it. Really red edging toward brown. Medium sized tan colored head.

Smell is sweet and malty with a strong fruity pine aroma. Caramel, oak and vanilla with graham crackers. I smell rye in this.

Starts out sweet with a strong oak taste and a graham cracker aftertaste. Lots of oak and vanilla with good strong grain flavor that I interpret as rye.

Mouthfeel is good.

Tasty ale and not as strong flavored as expected. This isn't a hop bomb. This is a rather friendly strong ale I will have again.

Serving type: bottle

11-27-2011 08:51:26 | More by Zorro

Kegatron

Pennsylvania

3.8/5  rDev -7.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

From a 12oz bottle poured into a pint glass.

Pours a clear muddy amber with a decent sized creamy off-white head that left some nice lacing down the glass. Aroma of sticky citrus and piney hoppiness with a oh so sweet caramel backing. Very nice!

The taste matches the bite of the aroma. Hops dominate up front but is nicely balanced by that thick caramel and chocolate backbone and ends nicely with a dry hop bitterness and some lasting sweet maltiness. The mouthfull is fairly thick and seems about right for a Strong Ale. A slight heat crops up in the end but that 8% ABV seems fairly well hidden.

Wow, this beer certainly does have bite! It reminds me alot of some hoppy ambers I've had but that thick mouthfull and punched up ABV certainly bump it up into the Strong Ale area. Definitely not a beer I would have more than one of in a sitting but rather one to savor and warm up with during those cold Fall evenings.

Serving type: bottle

10-15-2007 12:01:49 | More by Kegatron

Viggo

Ontario (Canada)

4.22/5  rDev +2.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours with a slight haze, red/orange in colour, big loose off white head forms, good retention and nice lace rings around the glass. Smell is caramel and dates up front, very malty, but chocolate and citrus/floral makes it way into the nose. Taste is very sweet and malty up front, but with a clean caramel and citrus middle, floral and raisins, little vanilla in the finish. Mouthfeel is medium bodied with medium carbonation. Amazingly balanced, doesn't give away its 8% and 75 IBU status. Fantastic example of an American stock ale, thanks DrJay!!

Serving type: bottle

03-22-2006 05:09:56 | More by Viggo

Bighuge

Minnesota

4.93/5  rDev +20%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Cherrywood appearance. It glows. The haze is slight. The head is eggshell colored. And creamy. The lace is adequate. The aroma is sweet and malty and fruity. Hell, the taste is sweet and malty and fruity. Great fruit tones. Passion fruits. Some bready malt tones that ooze caramel from their pores. Alcohol is hidden very nicely beneath all the complexities here. The mouthfeel is like a dimestore hooker...smooth, curvy and easy. And the drinkability?? Out of this world.

I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that Great Lakes makes the most drinkable and tasty beverages across the board out of any brewery I know. Whether they be low alcohol session brews or high alcohol sippers like this, they are the one brewery that impesses me the most in all facets of the game.

Thank you cokes for the scary looking bottle (and the contents inside).

Serving type: bottle

02-08-2005 05:19:42 | More by Bighuge

Beerandraiderfan

Nevada

3.08/5  rDev -25.1%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Not the greatest beer, especially coming from Great Lakes, a good Midwest brewery.

The look is good for the beer, a mix of brown, red etc. . . definitely looks like whatever a "vampire" beer would look like I guess. It looks goth.

Smellwise, I just really caught the whiff of alcohol. Taste was just kind of blase, nothing stood out. Not well hopped despite what some suggest. Its very bitter, but the hop taste profile gets lost. Seemed more of a maltbomb IMHO.

Serving type: bottle

11-26-2009 00:27:23 | More by Beerandraiderfan

johnmichaelsen

Oregon

3.9/5  rDev -5.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

The beer pours a reddish copper color with fair head retention and lacing. The nose is huge in this beer - I can smell it from a foot away. The beer comes across as very sweet and malty, with underlying honey dew melon, cherry cough drop and vaniall. On the palate the beer is not quite as attractive, as there is some noticeable alcohol burn in the finish. Also, this beer is a bit sweeter then I like, which only heightens the noticeable alcohol in this beer. Still, this is a pretty nice beer, with a medium mouthfeel and a decently long finish. Drinkability is not this beer's strong suit; it's a bit heavy on the palate, which I'm sure is partially due to the sweetness and noticeable alcohol.

A good solid beer and one I'm glad I had the opportunity to try. I had a couple of bottles, and thought it might improve with some bottle age. Have held this one back for around 6 months now, but can't say it's changed appreciably. Oh well...

Serving type: bottle

04-29-2009 13:23:35 | More by johnmichaelsen

Gusler

Arizona

4/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

The beer disinherits the 12-ounce brown bottle and adopts my glass a luminous copper color with a planetary sized head that is light tan in color and semi-creamy in texture and after its slow demise the lace left over forms a thick sealing blanket upon the glass. Nose has a sweet malt aroma, hints of yeast and maybe some hops, crisp and clean to the senses, start is sweet and rich in malt, the top moderate in its feel to the palate. Finish is light to medium in acidity, the hops potent in their spiciness, also a hint of alcohol bitterness in the dry long lasting aftertaste, a belly warmer and a very nice beer for a fall afternoon when the works day is done.

Serving type: bottle

10-06-2004 23:12:21 | More by Gusler

DrJay

Massachusetts

4.2/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Medium amber, honey colour with a dark cream, almost yellow head. Good retention and some lacing resulted while emptying my glass. Great hop aroma - powdery, resinous, citrus. Also light breadiness and caramel in the nose. Solid malt flavour with caramel balancing a moderate to strong bitterness and a bit of orange hop flavour. The finish has a mild alcohol warmth as well. Creamy texture and medium bodied, the carbonation was a little on the low side. A highly drinkable beer and another strong offering from Great Lakes.

Serving type: bottle

03-26-2006 19:09:11 | More by DrJay

plaid75

New York

4/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured a deep copper hue with a one finger chunky white head. There was good retention and lacing.

The smell featured a sweet caramel malt and a resiny hop aroma.

The taste was rather well balanced and consisted of a robust grainy malt with hints of caramel and dark fruits. A peppery hop dried the beer out and contributed a welcomed spiciness.

The mouthfeel was of average fullness with a dry finish.

Overall a tasty and potent strong ale. Remarable drinkable considering the ABV.

Serving type: bottle

10-25-2007 02:32:54 | More by plaid75

biegaman

Ontario (Canada)

4.18/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Enjoyed in celebration of Halloween 2007.

A deep and rich ruby coloured beer. A polished body and gleaming clarity. Copper-white head to which swirling only produces more. An absolute pleasure to observe.

The aroma has a metallic-toned bouquet of hops. If it is rich in one thing it certainly hops. Amber malts are also prevalent. The aroma is understated despite the big hops. I might ask a little more of it to really be impressed, in all honesty. Although I'd be lying if I said it didn't please me as it is...

The mouthfeel is perfectly balanced. With no alcohol detected, each sip begins with a crisp bitterness, delving then into a rich and silky texture only before finishing a sweet and lasting note of caramel. Only a wild note of alcohol is ever sensed. It has weight, it has texture, it has some understated strength. This makes for a wonderfully drinking ale, rather delicious. A now must have for my yearly Halloween treats!

Serving type: bottle

10-31-2007 05:50:15 | More by biegaman

mothman

Saskatchewan (Canada)

4.03/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks to thebouch01 for this one! I have been really curious about this one ever since I opened my box up!

Poured into Rare Vos Glass

An american strong ale... oh how I love this category... here it goes

Pours 1 finger of light tan head. Good retention and really nice lace walls. Color is a robust barrel copper brown.

Aroma: This smells more like DIPA to me than a 'strong' ale. Huge floral hop aroma. Notes of caramel, toffee, and citrus. Very pleasant.

Taste: Hmm, this is very interesting. The amount of toffee that sticks out here is heavily. I get some vanilla notes with caramel. A huge floral hop taste. A big blend of citrus doesn't leave the mouth either. Very strong and fairly boozy.

Mouthfeel: Very bitter and boozy. Medium bodied with medium amount of carbonation. Ends with a big floral hop, boozy flavored aftertaste. Not saying that I enjoy it, but it fits the style and nothing I really didn't expect.

Overall, it a pretty decent beer, definitely not what I expected. It kind of reminded me of a big DIPA, but with more malts and a nice toffee profile. I am glad I got to try this one. For 8%, this is drinking fine.

Serving type: bottle

10-30-2009 02:33:40 | More by mothman

Dogbrick

Ohio

4.33/5  rDev +5.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

On draught at Barley’s Smokehouse. Billed as the big brother to Burning River, I'd also say it is kissin' cousins with Arrogant Bastard. Pours a luminous red color with a medium and creamy light tan head. Thin rings of lacing throughout. The aroma is a nice blend of malt, fruit and hops. Rich and tart with robust bitterness. Hops, malt, fruit and alcohol play nicely together. The finish is nicely bitter hops, with a pinch of citrus and sweet malt. As usual I am impressed with this scary good offering from GLBC.

Serving type: on-tap

10-04-2004 22:09:56 | More by Dogbrick

tavernjef

Minnesota

4.68/5  rDev +13.9%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Deep dark clear coppery auburn color. Hmmm...remindes me of the color of that cleansing/prep liquid the surgeons use just before cutting you open. Coincidence? Castle-on-a-hill towering, fluffy, kinda crunchy topping of lightly parched yellow foam sits for eternity. Lots of big moth-holed sheeting lace is plastered like cob webs all over the glass. Some in the shape of bats!?

Aroma is a hop hum dandy of toasted candy caramel, toasted grains, leafy crisp hops and a delicate natured little squeeze of grapefruity pine resin. And dare I say a bit of dampness of thick forest air seems to be lurking underneath. Must be the pine?

Taste is yum, yum, suck the flavor from my tongue. Great hoppy taste with a finely bittered tone and snappy crunch to it. Bright, brittle, leafy, citrusy grapefruitified and resin loaded with light piney parchments. Wow! Quite a fun ride of goodness. The flavors really pop and are bright with a intensity of a vampires' eyes. Just a bit of the toasted stuff makes its way through the fog of hops. As the hops play their part drenchingly deep of uncontested mastery and well-balanced, high toned, flavor sucking, palate quenching goodness!

Body of the beer is crisp, lasting, and bright. Nothing a caped casket dweller would prefer, but damn suiting none-the-less as it fits the profile immaculately! Crunchy, snappy, hoppy, and superbly balanaced in the way a nice IPA would be. Surprising. Super clean finish with a dryish pine, citric, toastified fluffy bite on the palate. No turtle neck or stake needed here as its creamy, slick and oily backing is so drenchingly satisfying.

If this were the nectar I needed to survive by sucking the necks of beautiful women or big brown bottles the world round then let it be so. This stuff's better then blood any day, or night. Mmmaaaawww...HaaaaHaaa...

Serving type: bottle

10-12-2007 02:08:43 | More by tavernjef

JohnGalt1

Idaho

4.38/5  rDev +6.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

12oz received as a very thoughtful extra in a recent trade with aqsprint. Poured into my Smokestack goblet.

1" head.. took a while to die back.. good looking coating of lace surrounds the top of my beer... color is reddish copper brown... orangey highlites when held to a light.

Alot more hops than I remember .... not a bad thing... citrus and some caramel notes... but really.. mainly hops.

Flavor mirrors the nose... but with quite a bit more maltiness and some sweetness throughout... toasty and caramel.. great bitterness... and a bunch of piney citrus hops from front to back... the finish on this lasts forever.. the body is full and smooth.. the carbonation is fairly light adding to the overall mouthfeel... drinkability is high just because I want another sip.. but I have to control myself and appreciate the finish..

The beer as an experience reminds me of Arrogant Bastard but not nearly as brash.. I love it... and would buy 6'ers constantly if I had it available. Huge thanks Jon.... badass.

4/4/4.5/4.5/4.5

Serving type: bottle

10-23-2008 07:41:19 | More by JohnGalt1

thagr81us

South Carolina

3.78/5  rDev -8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Big thanks goes out to sproser (Secret Santa '10) and crashdavisinoh for sending these to me so I could have multiple bottles! Enjoy by 12/30/10. Batch 7243AE. Served from bottle into a Delirium Tremens snifter. Poured a deep red-orange with a two finger off-white head that subsided to one finger slowly. Maintained nice lacing throughout the glass. The aroma was comprised of sweet malt, caramel, and subtle sweet alcohol. The flavor was of sweet malt, caramel, and caramel hops. It had a medium feel on the palate with medium carbonation. Overall this was a fairly decent brew. The aroma on this one was pretty good if I'm honest. The flavor however was decent at best. Really wish some of the sweet alcohol from the aroma would have carried over into the flavor. However, the sweetness aspect was pretty big on the flavor though. Definitely worth trying at least once.

Serving type: bottle

04-05-2011 18:07:22 | More by thagr81us

RoyalT

Ohio

4.25/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Appearance – This was one of the most beautiful heads that I’ve ever seen. It was an off off-white, more like a creamy not quite yellowish-white, and seemed a mile thick. It left wonderful lacing on the inside of my Chimay glass and little quarter-sized pits of foam on top of the liquid.

The beer itself was a thick, hazy orange tinted with brown. I mean, I wanted to take a picture of this thing and frame it up on my wall.

Smell – The sharp, rank malts are like a Barley Wine. They are pungent and very exciting to whiff. The sharp sweet aroma is hard core sugar, most like table and cane. There are also some serious hops in here that I missed at the smell. It’s like BW in the day time and IPA at night.

Taste – This is like a good BW but with a strong malt backbone. The sugar is pure cane now. Together this is raw, kind of winey malts with big, harsh sugars.

Mouthfeel – This ASA is medium-bodied with little sense of alcohol. It’s actually bitter in back of the tongue and has a nice, gliding feel on the cheeks.

Drinkability – This is dangerous it’s so good. That’s the fasted I’ve ever drank a Strong Ale.

Comments – Thanks to BuckeyeNation for sending me the Nosferatu. This beer “bites”.

Serving type: bottle

05-13-2005 02:29:44 | More by RoyalT

largadeer

California

3.8/5  rDev -7.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Got this one as an extra from bakerslp - thanks.

Appearance: Dark but semi-clear, amber-colored. Pours with a great big fluffy tan head, great retention, tons of sticky lace. Nice.

Smell: Rich and sweet, a big malt backbone with notes of pine and grapefruit from the hops. Slightly fruity. Reminds me a whole lot of Arrogant Bastard, but not as clean.

Taste & mouthfeel: A nice mix of chewy malt and resiny hop flavor, with malt taking the slight edge. Rich caramel sweetness and a touch of pineapple precede the oily, bitter finish. Full-bodied, a bit too heavy on the residual sugars for my liking, but a very nice beer all the same.

Serving type: bottle

12-04-2008 03:07:04 | More by largadeer

Stinkypuss

Pennsylvania

3.73/5  rDev -9.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

a. Darker brown with some head. Tightly carbonated, looks like a heavy hitter.

s. Strong hop aromas fill the room, also some fruity esters.

T. Very bitter grapefruit hops steal this show. A light malt backing provides some smoothness, light whiskey barrel also apparent in taste.

m. Medium bodied and smooth,.

D. Pretty good for an ale of such strength. More bitter than anticipated. A bit more roasted malt flavor could do to balance this, also more some brown sugar too?

Serving type: bottle

01-30-2009 01:43:01 | More by Stinkypuss

OWSLEY069

Pennsylvania

3.65/5  rDev -11.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Pours a clean deep amber-ish color with a light tan head. Aromas of a dry fruitiness and a hint of hops. In the taste, a dry fruitiness and a small hop bitterness, and a bit alcoholic. A watery mouthfeel and a dry hoppy aftertaste. A nice fall into winter beer. Nice hop presence and smooth, yet a small abrasiveness.

Serving type: on-tap

10-11-2007 20:26:22 | More by OWSLEY069