Great Lakes Lake Erie Monster - Great Lakes Brewing Company

generalnotsew

Tennessee

3.95/5  rDev -2.5%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a really good cottony head but the body is a lighter orange rather than dark amber or even banana yellow. Smell is biscuity sweet caramel malts and touch of tropical fruits. Should probably note that best by date is next week. I guess it at about 3 months. What it does have in the smell it has a lot of. Much more hoppy than I expected. Bitterness especially hits in the end. Biscuity and caramel malts dominate with that tropical zing in the end and a healthy dose of bitterness, especially at 3 months old. I don't recall caring for this last year but it seems pretty stellar right now.

Serving type: bottle

08-29-2011 03:38:07 | More by generalnotsew

superspak

Michigan

4.2/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

12 ounce bottle into tulip glass, best before 7/26/2013. Pours lightly hazy golden amber color with a 1-2 finger dense white head with great retention, that reduces to a nice cap that lingers. Nice soapy lacing clings on the glass. Aromas of big mango, pineapple, grapefruit, orange zest, lemon zest, pine, floral, grass, honey, and floral earthiness. Fantastic aromas with great hop complexity and moderate malt balance. Taste of big mango, pineapple, pine, grapefruit, lemon zest, orange zest, floral, grass, honey, bread, and floral earthiness. Moderate pine bitterness on the finish; with lingering notes of tropical fruit, citrus, pine resin, floral, grass, honey, bread, and hop earthiness on the finish for a while. Damn nice complexity and balance of hop flavors; with a moderate malt balance that doesn’t overshadow the hops, and zero cloying flavors lingering after the finish. Medium carbonation and medium-full bodied; with a moderately creamy and sticky mouthfeel that is nice. Alcohol is very well hidden with only a small warming noticed after the finish. Overall this is a highly excellent DIPA! Big hop flavor complexity with moderate malt balance; and dangerously smooth to sip on. A highly enjoyable offering.

Serving type: bottle

05-24-2013 03:56:22 | More by superspak

megamass

New Jersey

3.75/5  rDev -7.4%

05-24-2013 01:42:23 | More by megamass

dbert21

Ohio

4/5  rDev -1.2%

05-24-2013 01:36:18 | More by dbert21

anticipation23

Wisconsin

4/5  rDev -1.2%

05-24-2013 01:10:31 | More by anticipation23

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