Great Lakes Dortmunder Gold - Great Lakes Brewing Company

northyorksammy

Ontario (Canada)

4.08/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A beautiful color. One of the best beers we have had that goes with almost any meal because of its overall balance. I have never had a bad beer from this legendary brewpub. Worth a night in Cleveland. Too bad not available in Canada, eh? Very popular and three people over dinner will finish a six-pack.

Serving type: bottle

11-30-2003 23:23:23 | More by northyorksammy

BuckeyeNation

Iowa

4.58/5  rDev +11.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Beautiful bright amber: sunshine in a bottle. The light ivory head is good-sized with the typical Great Lakes characteristics; that is, good head retention and a fair bit of lacing. Several thick rings of lace can be seen on the pint glass.

The aroma is somewhat subdued, but becomes bolder with warming. I'm definitely picking up some hops in there. The flavor is supremely well-balanced; malt and hops both making themselves known. I didn't expect a Dortmunder to be this hoppy, but I approve. There's also some citrus zest that is bright and a little lemony.

I haven't had a whole lot of lagers yet, but I didn't expect a mouthfeel this wonderful either. It feels more full and more creamy than most; more like an ale.

Whether Gold is more like a lager or more like an ale doesn't really matter. The bottom line is that it's great beer. Great Lakes Brewing hasn't let me down yet; not even close. This would be a perfect beer to convert macro drinkers to good (make that outstanding) beer. Unobtrusive, yet more than solid across the board. What's not to love about Dortmunder Gold?

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I plan to do a re-review in the future, but thought I'd update the scores today. After many more bottles of Great Lakes Dortmunder Gold, I've come to the conclusion that this is one of the most delicious, most drinkable lagers on the planet. Actually, that isn't so different from my original impression back in 2004. Edited: 7/5/2009.

old scores: 4.0, 4.0, 4.5, 4.0, 5.0... ... 4.3
new scores: 4.0, 4.5, 4.5, 4.5, 5.0... ... 4.45

Serving type: bottle

01-10-2004 20:22:54 | More by BuckeyeNation

mikesgroove

South Carolina

4.08/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

12oz bottle poured into an 8oz hotel glass, cause its all I had and it was better then paper or plastic!

A – This one poured a very clear and very light golden amber with no head, and I don’t mean virtually no head, I mean no head at all on this one. Only the slightest amount of lace was present and it was rather unremarkable and did not hang around long after it formed. There was some carbonation present, but to be honest not much and it was not helping the foam layer on top that was for sure.

S – The aroma was full of grain and bread like smells, which completely dominated the entire profile from the first moment you took a whiff of it. This was not a bad thing in fact it was kinda what I would be looking for in the style and it really came off with the aroma of a classic German lager. Very to the point, clean, simple, done nothing hidden or complicated. No warming to bring out the subtleties, it was just there take it or leave it; you kinda have to like that.

T- This followed along very nicely with the rest of it. Really putting the emphasis here on just clean good classic German styled lager. A big-time bready and malt heavy lager this just did not mess around and came right at you. Nice light profile that was just full of bready grains and a bit of an earthy sort of twang to it that was hard to place, but was a little different. The finish was great; a nice big kick of hops to finish it off did it nice drying it all out and getting you ready for your next sip.

M – Very light bodied, but that is what you would expect of the style. This one was pretty much exactly on point to what it should feel like. Decent carbonation kept it from getting dull and the light feel was never slick or watered down, always just about right. Again another nice dry finish to it just set it as smooth sailing.

D – Just an awesome session lager. You could have this one all night long and never really get sick of it. It just had a nice light feel with a great amount of carbonation and light flavorful profile. A winner from the first sip and really nothing at all bad you could say about this.

Overall I liked this one; it was a nice classic German lager with a good hop kick in the back. A nice little different one for me in the midst of everything being so complex with different things added and different temperatures. Sometimes you just want to grab something and not have to think about it. Here you go; this is the one for that.

Serving type: bottle

01-19-2008 00:13:18 | More by mikesgroove

womencantsail

California

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

Bottle courtesy of Matt. Thanks!

A: Poured into a nonic pint, this is a fairly clear beer, amber in color with a finger of soapy off-white head.

S: Lager yeast is obvious on the nose, and there's a nice bread character to it. Earthy and slightly citrusy hops (orange peel, for the most part), and a subtle toasted character. A touch of pepper is there and maybe a hint of grass.

T: Flavor is surprisingly heavy on the citrus peel and grass. A slight hop bitterness with a decent earthy quality. Bread, toast, and hints of toffee provide the malt character. The lager yeast is also prominent.

M: Light to medium in body with a moderate carbonation.

D: Easy to drink, clean, and crisp--just like a good lager should be. I wish this was a more prevalent style.

Serving type: bottle

03-04-2011 21:54:15 | More by womencantsail

Thorpe429

Illinois

4.58/5  rDev +11.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

G: Pilsener glass emblazened with the Pilsner Urquell logo.

A: Poor a rich dark gold with a single-favor ivory head. A very good amount of carbonation coming up, although it does not appear to be overcarbonated a la many BMC lagers. Other than the colored hue, this is pretty much transparent. Head retention is quite good.

S: Sweet grains, Batman! The grains come through with a mild sweetness. Slightly hoppy, but the hop aromas are only barely present.

T: Very rich and slightly sweet, with a definite grain-malt backbone. Very fresh and clean--especially given that this baby's best buy date is a mere two weeks away.

M: A good amount of carbonation, although the whole beverage is so smooth it's almost as if it's not ever there. Only the slightest hint of the 5.8 ABV.

D: This one is hard to put down, and after taking the first few sips of my first, I already know that I'd like another. Excellent drinkability. This is not to mention the fact that I'm in Chicago, where it's currently a blistery 29 degrees--I can't imagine how much more appropriate this'll be in the middle of the summer while grilling up a few items.

Serving type: bottle

03-03-2009 23:37:08 | More by Thorpe429

ChainGangGuy

Georgia

3.95/5  rDev -3.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Let's get one thing straight, folks, I am a Dortmunder Export Snob. Its a bold statement, I know, but I just want everyone to know I won't be pulling any punches on this review.

Appearance: Pours a light copper body with a full, lathery white head.

Smell: Bready pilsner malt aroma with a bit of orange zest and spicy, floral hop scents.

Taste: Clean pils malt flavor with a light sweetness, a bit of breadiness, and a slight, subtle hint of juicy orange peel. Flowery, spiced hop flavors with a mild bitterness. Touch of yeast. Drying, crispy finish.

Mouthfeel: Medium-thin body. Light, spritzy carbonation.

Drinkability: A very nice, easy drinking Dortmunder. I'd say I would have it around regulary, but Great Lakes beers are regrettably unavailable in my state.

Serving type: bottle

02-17-2008 23:36:41 | More by ChainGangGuy

brentk56

North Carolina

3.43/5  rDev -16.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Appearance: Pours a clear golden color with a foamy head that laces well

Smell: Wet hay and a touch of Germanic noble hops

Taste: Starts out with a grassy flavor that grows increasingly tart, mid-palate; after the swallow, the grainy flavors dominate and lead to a bitter, grassy finish

Mouthfeel: Light to medium body with moderate carbonation

Drinkability: Clearly to style but I'm just not a big fan of Dortmunder Lagers

Serving type: bottle

04-11-2007 23:19:48 | More by brentk56

Phyl21ca

Quebec (Canada)

3.38/5  rDev -17.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Bottle: Poured a clear light copper color beer with a nice clean white bubbly head with pretty good retention. Aroma of floral malt and subtle hops. Taste is very refreshing with a good malt presence, a full body (for the style) and medium bitterness at the end. Very good for the style.

Serving type: bottle

10-31-2005 18:17:43 | More by Phyl21ca

BEERchitect

Kentucky

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

On tap, its tough to find a better beer. This stuff is what beer is meant to be. Starts off with a rocky, silky smooth, and withstanding head retention. Follows up with a golden / orange hue with a clean, clear look. Smells and tastes very fruity with oranges, peaches, and appricots. Very ripe and fresh. Quite hoppy with the English variety, showing very stable citrus and pine flavors, but with no real aggression. Very smooth and clean to drink. An ultimate thirst quincher. Plenty of character, but never offensive. Simply a great brew.

Serving type: on-tap

12-03-2006 20:56:26 | More by BEERchitect

oberon

North Carolina

4.4/5  rDev +7.1%
look: 5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

great color full bodied.Lemony undertones,can hold up to almost any food.Glad I finally tried it.All the GLB beers I have had have bben great,still need to try the Eliot Ness,being its my fav type,the vienna style.

Serving type: bottle

02-28-2002 18:50:05 | More by oberon

NeroFiddled

Pennsylvania

4.3/5  rDev +4.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

Slightly hazy with a very nice golden color. The foamy bright-white head holds fairly well before dropping to a decent collar. The aroma offers a clean and mildly grainy maltiness but no noticeable hops (which is OK for the style).The body is medium/light with a fine, moderate carbonation that leaves it crisp and smooth in the mouth. The flavor offers a grainy, lightly bready and softly honeyish malt that's well entwined with grassy and mildly floral hops. It finishes dry with a mild lingering maltiness. Very well balanced. I recently spent a week in Cleveland and enjoyed this quite regularly on draft. It's widely available and makes a refreshing change of pace. It's easy to drink and quite enjoyable pint after pint. I appreciate that they've kept it restrained and well balanced. Well made. Very nicely done.

Serving type: bottle

11-21-2002 17:12:51 | More by NeroFiddled

TMoney2591

Illinois

3.68/5  rDev -10.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Served in a Budweiser pokal.

Pours a clear golden straw with about a finger of white foamy head that stays around for a while, leaving a small amount of lacing as it goes. The smell is of vague grains (mostly wheat), sweet corn, and a light breeze of floral hops. The taste follows pretty closely, though the floral hoppy bitterness is higher than in the nose. The sweetness of the corn is also toned down a peg. The body is rather light, with moderate carbonation and a fairly dry finish. Overall, a refreshing, if not all that exciting, gold lager. Not bad.

Serving type: bottle

06-12-2010 00:42:07 | More by TMoney2591

feloniousmonk

Minnesota

4.05/5  rDev -1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Clear, peachy-golden-hued in appearance, very promising, with a solid heft of head above, soft and near-white in color.
Aroma, neutral, a bit grainy, right on for the average lager, airy and inoffensive. Nice enough.
Taste: smoooth, mild, big and malty, little hops on the palate, but everything slides very easily down. Grainy taste is easily met by light fruit, the body is medium, finish is long and lasting. Flavor sits forever in the mouth, that's is the biggest thing this brew has going for it. It's not one of those In-&-out-lagers, in the mouthfeel. big points for that, for the persistence, and the pleasure, and the all-out pleasant-ness going on here. If I were somewhere where this was the most intriquing selection, though I'm no lager lover, it's a beer I could happily sit with. Or stand, even.
Actually, it tastes better the more you get into it...very nice. Yum, top notch lager!

Serving type: bottle

07-15-2004 07:16:53 | More by feloniousmonk

WesWes

New York

3.68/5  rDev -10.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

The beer pours a nice golden color with a thick frothy white head that slowly fades to lacing. The aroma is good. It has a light pale malt scent along with a faint hop aroma. It's dry with just a hint of malt sweetness. The taste is decent. It has a very smooth pale malt flavor that goes down so easy and finishes dry and hoppy. I wish it wasn't as bitter as it is. The malt bill seems just about perfect. The mouthfeel is fine. It is a low/medium bodied beer with adequate carbonation. This is a decent lager. I love the malt flavor, but I'm not a huge fan of the hop character in this one.

Serving type: bottle

09-01-2007 00:36:35 | More by WesWes

drabmuh

Maryland

4.15/5  rDev +1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

My second dortmunder ever, the other was also from this brewery. Served in a Great Lakes shaker pint glass. Beer is yellow and clear with absolutely no carbonation that I can see in the glass. There is a thin white head of really tiny bubbles, its broken and on the edges of the beer, leaves behind a lot of lacing.

Aroma is very slight, minimal malt and no hops or anything else.

Beer is really smooth and finishes cleanly. Lots of malt in the character, clean and finishes really nicely. Mouthfeel is great, there is a very mild sweetness and then some malt flavors come through, slightly (very slightly) bready overall. Drinkability is high and my overall impressions are positive.

Serving type: on-tap

01-13-2010 18:38:50 | More by drabmuh

Mora2000

Texas

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

Bottle provided by hudsonphotog.

Pours golden orange with a small white head. The aroma is bready malt with some hops and honey. The flavor is clean bready malt with some hops, honey, toffee and lemon. High carbonation and thin-medium mouthfeel. I have not had too many beers of this style but I really enjoyed this one.

Serving type: bottle

01-11-2010 20:18:23 | More by Mora2000

zeff80

Missouri

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

A - Poured out a clear, amber color with hints of ruby. It had a small, off-white head that left some minimal trails of lace.

S - It smelled slightly funky and somwhat earthy. A light caramel malt aroma was present.

T - It tasted of light caramel roasted malt. Nice spicy hop presence,too. A nice blend of sweet and spicy.

M - It was very crisp and sharp. A light to medium-bodied beer.

D - This is an excellent lager. One you don't want to put down.

Serving type: bottle

07-22-2008 17:39:00 | More by zeff80

metter98

New York

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

Bottle at Cork City, Hoboken, NJ

A: The beer is clear golden yellow in color and has a light amount of visible carbonation. It poured with a finger high white head that has good retention properties and consistently left a thin head covering the surface.
S: There are moderately strong aromas of bready malts in the nose along with hints of grassy hops.
T: The taste has flavors of bready and grainy malts and a touch of spices in the finish. There is a light amount of bitterness.
M: It feels medium-bodied on the palate with a moderate amount of carbonation. There is a good amount of dryness throughout the taste.
O: This beer has a good balance between malts and hops. It is an excellent representation of the style and the dryness is particularly refreshing.

Serving type: bottle

04-07-2012 07:16:55 | More by metter98

TheManiacalOne

Rhode Island

4.08/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Acquired via trade from FtownThrowDown, so a big "thank you" goes out to him.
Poured from a 12oz. bottle into a pilsner glass.

A: The beer is a bright gold color, with a thin white head that fades slowly and leaves a decent lace on the glass. There’s also a seemingly endless cascade of bubbles streaming from the bottom of the glass.

S: The smell is of wheat, grainy malt, some hops and a little honey.

T: It has a mildly bready flavor containing wheat, pale hops, honey and a hearty malt backbone. The wheat & malt linger in a faint after-taste.

M: Smooth and very crisp, light-to-medium body, high carbonation, very clean finish.

D: This beer has a simplistic taste, isn’t filling at all, and is extremely easy to drink. It’s a very poundable beer.

Serving type: bottle

10-19-2006 02:16:19 | More by TheManiacalOne

russpowell

Oklahoma

4.78/5  rDev +16.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Cheers to pwoods for this one, thanks Patrick!

Pours an effervescent honey with 1+ finger of cream colored head. Good lacing & average head retention

S: Flowery & perfumy hops, pears & peach

T: Honey malt, grassy hops, & a touch grainy bread up front. More fruittyness, breadyness/crackery notes & a touch of dryness along with more grassy hops. Finishes with grassy & soapy hops & more grainyness

MF: Medium bodied, moderate carbonation & great balance

Great drinkability, spot on for the style, damn near flawless

Serving type: bottle

04-08-2009 02:46:12 | More by russpowell

Knapp85

Pennsylvania

3.9/5  rDev -5.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This beer poured out as a nice clear looking golden color with a fizzy white head on top. The smell of the beer was much like any other lager out there, it had some grassy notes along with some grainy malts aromas. The taste of the beer had a good amount of hops in there which I liked, the taste was pretty well balanced without having too much of a pilsner like flavor to it. The mouthfeel of the beer was pretty good too, it had a solid crisp bit at the end too. Overall it's a good lager, very traditional in style but remains to be very good.

Serving type: bottle

12-24-2011 22:22:29 | More by Knapp85

Halcyondays

California

4.03/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

12 oz. bottle,

A: Dark gold, almost amber, with thick white 2-finger head, great retention and lager look.

S: Bready malts, earthy noble hops, and perhaps a hint of honey.

T: This is definitely an American take on the Dortmunder. The 35 IBUs definitely show their stuff, with a delicious caramel malt note in the background.

M: Smooth, dry, very much like a Czech pilsner in that respect.

D: Easy, quaffable, on par with the best German lagers, would be a great crossover beer for novice beer drinkers, it's bitter, shows the hops but inviting.

Serving type: bottle

07-10-2007 22:10:18 | More by Halcyondays

Gavage

New Jersey

4.63/5  rDev +12.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Appearance: golden yellow in color with a 1" head that lingers around a while. Some mild lacing shows up on the glass.

Smell: little malt sweetness and some grass are detectable by the nose.

Taste: nice malt profile with some lemon zest, grass, slight breadiness, and a nice bitterness level. Well balanced and very flavorful.

Mouthfeel: medium bodied. Crisp throughout. Mildly refreshing.

Drinkability: this beer is superbly easy to drink and is a clear session ale during any season, whether sitting alone watching TV, or out on the town. Great beer.

Serving type: on-tap

10-01-2009 23:00:45 | More by Gavage

jwc215

New Jersey

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

Pours deep golden with a thin white head that descends to a bubbly cover. Very full color for style.

The smell is of grainy malt with fresh-mowed hay.

The taste is of fresh grain with hay/grass characteristics. Malty, but with supporting hop dryness. Finishes crisp and clean. Robust taste for the style.

This reaches into medium-bodied while remaining appropriately clean and crisp. Very refreshing. Malty grain lingers.

Wonderfully drinkable. This one stands out for the style. A friend of mine recently brought this back from Ohio. If it were available around here, it would be a staple in my fridge for the hot summer days. A well-deserved medal winner!

Serving type: bottle

05-23-2007 03:10:52 | More by jwc215

biboergosum

Alberta (Canada)

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

On-tap at the Oak Cafe in suburban Detroit.

This beer pours a clear burnished golden hue, with one finger of foamy off-white head, which leaves some scattered specked lace around the glass. It smells of crisp biscuit malt, and floral earthy hops. The taste is bready, crackery malt, and leafy hops. The carbonation is average, the body medium smooth, but slightly zingy. It finishes off-dry with an even maltiness, and light lingering hopinesss.

A very drinkable German-style lager. Overseas deployment and hockey stories go well with it.

Serving type: on-tap

09-23-2011 00:56:45 | More by biboergosum