Great Lakes Dortmunder Gold - Great Lakes Brewing Company

Optifron

Illinois

4.73/5  rDev +15.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

11/15/2012 out of the bottle

Appearance: Pours solid gold, crystal clear, with a dense white head. Great lacing

Aroma: Clean, pale malty, bready aroma. Smooth, earthy hop aroma.

Taste: Wow. Just wow. I had a bias coming in since I don’t typically love lagers, and this is fantastic. Incredibly clean flavor. Wheat bread maltiness up front, with a great hop finish. I don’t imagine this is an American hop. Not as in-your-face as most of the American varieties I’m used to. Likely one of the noble hops? (looked this up. Bittered with cascade, but flavor/aroma are hallertau).

Mouthfeel: A little on the dry side of the middle. Very nicely smooth.

Overall: Great Lakes has wowed me again. This might be the best lager I’ve ever had. Drinkability is outstanding as well, but without sacrificing a rich, full flavor of great bready malt and clean hop balance.

Serving type: bottle

11-28-2012 20:58:44 | More by Optifron

BeerYoss

Pennsylvania

4.96/5  rDev +20.7%
look: 4.75 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 5

goblet

Appearance: Gold, nice full head. a bit of carbonation

Smell: very crisp and inviting smell

Taste: This is what a lager should taste like. crisp and refreshing, a touch of sweetness (apricot maybe) with hops laying underneath to give some great depth.

Mouthfeel: light-medium. some carbonation up front. coats and lingers in the mouth just a little bit, really the perfect amount. slightly dry finish

Overall: almost perfect, everything goes together so well. drinkability is 100/100. if I had only one beer to drink for the rest of my life this may be the one

Serving type: bottle

05-26-2013 02:07:46 | More by BeerYoss

MikeMcCl

New Jersey

3.5/5  rDev -14.8%

05-25-2013 00:09:16 | More by MikeMcCl

sir_rucker

Ohio

4.5/5  rDev +9.5%

05-24-2013 12:30:19 | More by sir_rucker

megamass

New Jersey

4/5  rDev -2.7%

05-24-2013 01:41:34 | More by megamass

Thecasehead

Ohio

4.5/5  rDev +9.5%

05-23-2013 23:17:32 | More by Thecasehead

msinger1002

Ohio

4.75/5  rDev +15.6%

05-23-2013 21:33:55 | More by msinger1002

Derka29

Ohio

4.75/5  rDev +15.6%

05-23-2013 20:42:19 | More by Derka29

cet128

Indiana

3.5/5  rDev -14.8%

05-23-2013 15:03:18 | More by cet128

boilermakerbrew

Indiana

4.46/5  rDev +8.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A- Pours a clear, pure golden-orange. Very small head that only sticks around a short bit before turning into a little bit of foam on the edge. Lacing is just ok with such a small amount of head.

S- Semi-sweet malts and a slight hint of hops. Somewhat faint in the scent, but a decent amount of caramel malt mixes in with lighter malts scents. Slight bready/biscuit scents kick in towards the end.

T- Complex blend of primarily caramel and light malts. Somewhat sweet, but lots of bready flavors dry it up a bit. Very slight hops bitterness at the end. The overall combination of flavors gives the beer a somewhat dry and brown sugar like flavor.

M- Medium body, medium carbonation, and classic lager smoothness makes this one an immensely drinkable beer. Complex flavor might keep you from quaffing it, but it could be enjoyed at about any pace.

Overall, this is a great everyday beer. I can't even imagine the feel of this on tap, but out of the bottle it's pretty damn good. Easy to drink and pretty complex and refreshing.

Serving type: bottle

05-23-2013 02:29:25 | More by boilermakerbrew

Wally

Ohio

4.25/5  rDev +3.4%

05-23-2013 00:04:52 | More by Wally

Mark88

Ohio

4/5  rDev -2.7%

05-22-2013 23:50:17 | More by Mark88

Kyrojack

Indiana

3.5/5  rDev -14.8%

05-22-2013 23:04:56 | More by Kyrojack

Rdc67

Kentucky

4/5  rDev -2.7%

05-22-2013 20:33:54 | More by Rdc67

erialbill

New Jersey

4.25/5  rDev +3.4%

05-22-2013 18:16:18 | More by erialbill

nstorts

Ohio

4/5  rDev -2.7%

05-21-2013 02:08:27 | More by nstorts

smartassboiler

Illinois

4/5  rDev -2.7%

05-20-2013 19:59:46 | More by smartassboiler

jburd19

Ohio

4/5  rDev -2.7%

05-20-2013 17:54:19 | More by jburd19

JerzDevl2000

New Jersey

3.98/5  rDev -3.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Picked this up at the recently renovated ShopRite Liquors in Little Falls last week, having never had a Dortmunder before. This reminded me a bit of a Munich Helles Lager, but this wasn't as bright and had a bit more bite and biscuity malt to it. It took a bit of getting used to, but this was quite enjoyable and the alcohol wasn't detectable at all, leading this to be a beer that I had to pace myself drinking instead of downing it too quickly!

The pour to this was a dark golden with a frothy head and some lacing the slid down the sides of my pint glass after each sip. However, I wish the aroma was a bit stronger, as it was the only subpar feature of this beer. There was a bit of grass and bread to the nose, which was stronger in the taste. The mouthfeel was quite soapy and with lots of carbonation, led this to finish relatively clean after each sip. Because this beer had the look and feel of brass, it finished richly and the cracker-like malt here felt a bit burnt as it lingered well after the suds went down.

Thankfully, the alcohol was spot-on but I wish this had a bit more hops here or some wheat to fill this out a bit. While this wasn't an empty-feeling taste, this wasn't what I was accustomed too and it was a bit darker than the average lager in a few ways. It's probably me, as there are so few examples of this style on the shelf these days but on its own, this is an enjoyable beer that deserves a wider audience, since it's quite enjoyable and likely to not offend anyone.

Serving type: bottle

05-20-2013 09:01:48 | More by JerzDevl2000

NJB145

Michigan

4.25/5  rDev +3.4%

05-20-2013 01:00:38 | More by NJB145

craftbrew502

Kentucky

2.75/5  rDev -33.1%

05-20-2013 00:43:11 | More by craftbrew502

MJSJr

Ohio

4.25/5  rDev +3.4%

05-19-2013 17:25:34 | More by MJSJr

colsandurz

Massachusetts

3/5  rDev -27%

05-18-2013 22:12:23 | More by colsandurz

jl28r1

Texas

4/5  rDev -2.7%

05-18-2013 16:40:11 | More by jl28r1

Kgrubb1224

New Jersey

3.75/5  rDev -8.8%

05-18-2013 15:01:14 | More by Kgrubb1224