Great Lakes Lake Erie Monster - Great Lakes Brewing Company

Baraka

Missouri

4.5/5  rDev +11.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours a beautiful golden with a solid, bubbly head. Smells of grassy and citrusy hops with some maltiness thrown in. Very complex body. There are a ton of tongue-searing hops a solid bready and caramel base. The bitterness is prolonged after each sip, handily overpowering the malt backbone. Lots of grassy, piny and some citrus hop flavors. Very delicious and full-bodied. Some alcohol flavors creep in, especially as it warms, but do not detract from the delicious hops.

Serving type: bottle

10-02-2010 21:51:43 | More by Baraka

BuckeyeSlim

Ohio

4.29/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

12 oz. bottle poured into a NB snifter.

A - Beer pours a pale golden color. A one-finger head of eggshell-white rather loose foam sets up and then quickly falls down to a 1/4 finger head that lasts for several minutes. When this finally disappears, a thin sheen of lace rests on the surface with a very fine ring around the edge of the glass. Held to a full-spectrum light, the beer is a rich golden wheat, moderately opaque with a bit of cloudiness, with just enough sight to be able to see a few tiny streams of bubbles very slowly rising up from the bottom through the center of the glass.

S - Citrus and resin hops mix with caramel malts with a subtle background of somewhat astringent alcohol. Ruby red grapefruit sitting right beside freshly made buttered French toast. Orange marmalade on a lightly toasted English muffin. As it warms, the caramels of the malts push even more forward into the nose, along with some subtle, lighter floral hops. The hops and the malts become very well integrated, trading off in the nose rather than one dominating. At the end of the glass, notes of lemon and vanilla were noticed. If you like to experience a number of different nose profiles, be sure to give a glass of this plenty of time to warm up.

T - Grapefruit and orange, just like it smells. Solid, full base malts support rich caramel malts that bathe the tongue with bits of English butter cookies. A little boozy on the back-end, but overall, the ABV is hidden. Piney, almost woody hops through the finish that really wash away any cloying from the richness of the malts. It's a really interesting, positive effect.

M - Decently fizzy. Moderate carbonation. Moderate body with a nicely integrated structure made of solid components. Clean finish that's well-balanced; neither noticeably sweet nor dry. It tails off slowly, leaving echos of both the malts and the hops to savor and encourage further tasting - a really nice effect.

O - This beer is a good example of why to do tasting notes. As a result of this, I'm going to pair this with a breakfast of a citrus bowl, French toast, and grilled light sausages - for dinner. In general, I don't enjoy standard IPAs because I find them unbalanced. This beer, and other Imperial IPAs I've tried, however, seem to be brewed with a much richer malt bill (and higher OG) that stands up to the IBUs, so not only is the sum of the parts bigger and fuller, it's also much better balanced. Another great creation from one of best breweries in the region.

Serving type: bottle

05-23-2013 23:44:06 | More by BuckeyeSlim

ThirstyHrothgar

Ohio

4/5  rDev -1.2%

05-23-2013 23:08:04 | More by ThirstyHrothgar

msinger1002

Ohio

4.75/5  rDev +17.3%

05-23-2013 21:04:44 | More by msinger1002

Derka29

Ohio

4/5  rDev -1.2%

05-23-2013 20:43:00 | More by Derka29

pk18

Wisconsin

4/5  rDev -1.2%

05-23-2013 17:38:01 | More by pk18

Eriktheipaman

Virginia

4.75/5  rDev +17.3%

05-23-2013 13:47:02 | More by Eriktheipaman

PJHOY

Ohio

4.75/5  rDev +17.3%

05-23-2013 02:43:05 | More by PJHOY

mikeincharleston

South Carolina

4.25/5  rDev +4.9%

05-23-2013 02:04:10 | More by mikeincharleston

UWBadgerFan4Life

Wisconsin

4/5  rDev -1.2%

05-23-2013 01:53:14 | More by UWBadgerFan4Life

Wally

Ohio

4/5  rDev -1.2%

05-23-2013 00:05:03 | More by Wally

Turney

Ohio

4/5  rDev -1.2%

05-23-2013 00:03:16 | More by Turney

falcon1

Ohio

4.25/5  rDev +4.9%

05-22-2013 21:39:49 | More by falcon1

donovado

Ohio

3.5/5  rDev -13.6%

05-22-2013 21:35:23 | More by donovado

MarkJBurch

New York

4/5  rDev -1.2%

05-22-2013 20:48:18 | More by MarkJBurch

bob_d_j

Michigan

4.25/5  rDev +4.9%

05-22-2013 19:59:39 | More by bob_d_j

crytion

Ohio

4.25/5  rDev +4.9%

05-22-2013 08:05:47 | More by crytion

SmellsofMahagony

Texas

4/5  rDev -1.2%

05-22-2013 03:21:28 | More by SmellsofMahagony

kustard

Illinois

3/5  rDev -25.9%

05-22-2013 03:02:05 | More by kustard

ddedhed

Ohio

4.5/5  rDev +11.1%

05-22-2013 00:24:19 | More by ddedhed

indybearsfan

Indiana

4.25/5  rDev +4.9%

05-21-2013 23:37:17 | More by indybearsfan

Lynn

Ohio

4.5/5  rDev +11.1%

05-21-2013 21:24:59 | More by Lynn

Pellinore1

Illinois

3.75/5  rDev -7.4%

05-21-2013 14:05:31 | More by Pellinore1

nstorts

Ohio

4.5/5  rDev +11.1%

05-21-2013 02:09:40 | More by nstorts

boilermakerbrew

Indiana

4.18/5  rDev +3.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

A- Pours a medium orange-gold hue that is moderately clear. Only a slight haze disrupts the view through the body of the beer. Small, bubbly head is around a little bit, then is reduced to just a whisper of lace on the top. Lacing isn't that great, but it does have some alcohol legs.

S- Fairly strong hand of hops here, but not as strong as expected. Hops are extremely piney with a strong resin scent. Smell eludes to a hint of balancing malt sweetness on the back end.

T- Hops that were somewhat lacking in the scent come rushing back in an attack on the palate. The hops flavors are still very heavy in the pine and resin department. Hops are dominant and aggressive, but not overwhelmingly so. Towards the end, a hint of light malt flavors mix in before a final, bitter hop bite finishes the drink cleanly.

M- High in carbonation, to the point that it is almost "stinging." Medium body is slightly heavier due to the strong hop profile, but not so much to make it a sipper. Alcohol is not noticeable in the taste, but could easily catch up with you after drinking one quick or having two.

Overall, a solid IIPA. This and Burning River remind me a lot of Sierra Nevada Pale Ale and Torpedo in tandem. Only difference is that this is a little more sharp with the hops than Torpedo. In the end, a very good IIPA.

Serving type: bottle

05-21-2013 01:49:24 | More by boilermakerbrew