Great Lakes Dortmunder Gold - Great Lakes Brewing Company

uberabr

California

4.47/5  rDev +8.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Had this on tap this Christmas at a restaurant in the Cleve. There seems to be really good beer around that area. Some of the supermarkets have illusive Stone ales that I've ironically had a hard time finding here in California.

I was happy to stumble upon this brew. Poured a dark amber with a frothy head that left good lace. Aromas of pine and citrus, and that distinct aromatic lager hop. What struck me about this brew was the hybrid of crisp european lager flavors with the more aggressive, hoppy American micro-brew ones. Accenting the buttery malts with a sharper hop really kicks this one up from just another German-styled American lager to a unique craft brew. The malts are very true to their heritage and the hops are refined enough to not wear out their welcome.

A highly drinkable choice, with tons of flavor at that ABV. It might come on strong for a session beer but it could certainly do as one. It's really fun to find a lager with the flare and craft of some of the better American ales. Definitely worth a try if you find it.

Serving type: on-tap

01-02-2010 08:13:16 | More by uberabr

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

mattsucks

Ohio

3.5/5  rDev -14.8%

05-18-2013 14:18:52 | More by mattsucks

Punky_Brewster

Ohio

4.5/5  rDev +9.5%

05-18-2013 02:43:13 | More by Punky_Brewster

judkinst

Vermont

4/5  rDev -2.7%

05-18-2013 00:27:01 | More by judkinst

superspak

Michigan

4.23/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12 ounce bottle into lager glass, best before 5/8/2013. 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. Spotty soapy lacing clings down the glass, with a moderate amount of streaming carbonation. Aromas of pear, apple, grape, pepper, floral, grass, bread, cracker, honey, and herbal earthiness. Very nice aromas with good balance of hop, malt, and moderate ester notes; with good strength. Taste of bread, toast, cracker, pear, apple, pepper, floral, grass, light honey, and herbal earthiness. Lingering notes of light fruits, bread, toast, pepper, floral, honey, and herbal earthiness on the finish for a good bit. Fantastic balance of bready malt and spicy hop flavors; with light-moderate fruity ester notes and zero cloying flavors after the finish. Medium carbonation and body; with a smooth and crisp mouthfeel that is very nice. Alcohol is very well hidden with only a slight warming after the finish. Overall this is a highly excellent Dortmunder as expected. Great balance of hop and malt flavor; extremely smooth and crisp to drink. A highly enjoyable offering.

Serving type: bottle

05-17-2013 04:26:41 | More by superspak

vtn

Virginia

4/5  rDev -2.7%

05-16-2013 23:50:58 | More by vtn

GinsuDave

Michigan

4/5  rDev -2.7%

05-15-2013 10:22:48 | More by GinsuDave

JoyHelfrich

Illinois

4.25/5  rDev +3.4%

05-15-2013 05:30:26 | More by JoyHelfrich

FreshHawk

Illinois

4.25/5  rDev +3.4%

05-14-2013 23:26:49 | More by FreshHawk