Rally Drum
Great Lakes Brewing Co.

Rally DrumRally Drum
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From:
Great Lakes Brewing Co.
 
Ohio, United States
Style:
American Amber / Red Ale
Ranked #105
ABV:
5.8%
Score:
85
Ranked #21,323
Avg:
3.76 | pDev: 10.9%
Reviews:
38
Ratings:
199
Status:
Active
Rated:
Apr 22, 2022
Added:
Apr 07, 2012
Wants:
  10
Gots:
  39
With a tip of the cap to Cleveland baseball superfan and bleacher seat percussionist John J. Adams, our Red Ale fields a double header of bitter hop and roasted malt flavors.

MALTS: Harrington 2-Row, Crystal 77, Special Roast
HOPS: Simcoe, Cascade

45 IBU
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by CaptCleveland:
Photo of CaptCleveland
Reviewed by CaptCleveland from Ohio

3.77/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Draft pour 1120 AM Tribe opening day, April 5th, 2012.

New brew in honor of John Adams, the drummer at Tribe home games for 38 years. I have met John and he is a very personable, unassuming gent.

16oz pour into GLBC pint glass. Thick two-finger head a top ruby red elixir. Thick Belgian lacing and the head maintains a nice covering throughout.

Wonderful hop pine, a bit of grapefruit, and sweet, heavy malt.

This is a very nice red ale, well balanced, with a bit more hop presence than your standard fare. The bitterness comes through from start to finish.

Medium body, well carbonated, tangy.

A nice session ale. Also had the Firkin Rally Drum which was dry hopped with warrior hops. Improved with a smoother finish. Overall a nice red ale.
Apr 07, 2012
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 3.93 by Danzifer from Ohio

Apr 22, 2022
Photo of nicholas2121
Reviewed by nicholas2121 from Ohio

4.02/5  rDev +6.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Rally Drum brewed by Great Lakes Brewing Co, with an ABV of 5.80% This American Red Ale pours out of a 16oz tall can into a pint beer. The color is a nice reddish brown color with a nice off white head. Really digging the copper color of this brew. There is also a nice amount of lacing to this brew, it stick to the side of the glass well. The smell of Rally Drum is Rich with sweetness, mixed with mirror roasted grains and malts. There is also a nice slight hop bitterness at the end to tie it all together. So far this is a nice inviting brew, now for the taste, it is Bold with flavors. You pick up a nice amount of roasted grains and malts, then it ends with a sweet smooth hoppy ending. The body of Rally Drum is a solid medium. There is nothing overpowering about this American Red Ale, it has a super nice balance to it. This brew would go nice with lunch or dinner. The mouth feel is Bold, Rich, Roasted, Clean, Smooth and Refreshing. Overall I am going to give Rally Drum, a solid 4 out of 5. I would definitely look this brew up again givin the opportunity to. Great Lakes Brewing Co, did a super nice job with this style of brew.
Oct 16, 2020
 
Rated: 3.78 by Blogjackets from Ohio

Mar 19, 2020
 
Rated: 3.98 by Khaack from New York

Jan 24, 2020
Photo of davisrin
Reviewed by davisrin from Ohio

4.32/5  rDev +14.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
I poured it from the can into a glass and the head was incredibly large and long-lasting. The taste was a good balance, somehow both the malt and the hops seemed prominent? I greatly enjoyed this- sipping was good, and drinking it down was nice. Not sure how it would taste drinking straight from the can, but I bet it would be a winner that way too. The flavors really held their own against spicy food. Winner- will buy again!
Jun 04, 2019
Photo of tjwarren
Reviewed by tjwarren from Ohio

3.76/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
I am not used to having an aggressive beer from Great Lakes. What a surprise. This is a great beer. Very hoppy and bitter. Great mouthfeel. The smell seems a bit off to me. Taste is something else though.
May 29, 2019
Photo of SaltofOH
Reviewed by SaltofOH from Ohio

3.73/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
Can BB 6/12/19. GL Snifter.

A: pours a crystal clear deep red amber, with one finger of light tan head. Decent lacing, not super.

S: toasted malt, sweet and piney hops.

T: arrives dry, floral, and mildly bitter. Finishes quite bitter. Not sweet, malty, toasty, piney resinous bitterness at the end that lingers.

M: mouth filling, rich, but finishes dry and very clean for an amber.

O: this has inspired me to revisit hopback. It is unquestionably an amber ale, in its malty richness. However the hoppiness is stronger than I’ve had in any other amber ales except Hopback, Nugget Nectar, and Happy Amber, each of which I hated. This is hoppy, but I like whatever hop is in play. I love Great Lakes, and really like this beer. Not my favorite amber, but a solid one worth trying, especially if you like hoppier examples of the style.
Apr 05, 2019
Photo of superspak
Reviewed by superspak from North Carolina

4.13/5  rDev +9.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
16 ounce can into signature pint glass, best before 6/12/2019. Pours crystal clear deep orange/amber/light copper color with a 1-2 finger fairly dense and rocky light khaki head with fantastic retention, that reduces to a nice cap that lasts. Thick foamy lacing clings on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation. Fantastic appearance. Aromas of big red grapefruit, tangerine, lemon, peach, pineapple, apricot, passion fruit, mango, honeydew melon, wood, citrus peel/rind, peppercorn, pine, caramel, brown sugar, brown bread dough/crust, toasted biscuit, roasted nuts, light toffee, and herbal/floral/grassy earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of citrus/fruity/tropical/earthy hops and dark/bready/light roasted malt notes; with great strength. Taste of big red grapefruit, tangerine, lemon, peach, pineapple, apricot, passion fruit, mango, honeydew melon, wood, citrus peel/rind, peppercorn, pine, caramel, brown sugar, brown bread dough/crust, toasted biscuit, roasted nuts, light toffee, and herbal/floral/grassy earthiness. Light-moderate pine, citrus peel/rind, herbal, woody, floral, grassy, peppery hops; and light roasted bitterness on the finish. Lingering notes of red grapefruit, tangerine, lemon, peach, pineapple, apricot, passion fruit, mango, honeydew melon, wood, citrus peel/rind, peppercorn, pine, caramel, brown sugar, brown bread dough/crust, toasted biscuit, roasted nuts, light toffee, and herbal/floral/grassy earthiness on the finish for a good bit. Awesome complexity, robustness, and balance of citrus/fruity/tropical/earthy hops and dark/bready/light roasted malt flavors; with a great malt/bitterness balance, and no lingering hop astringency after the finish. Light-moderate increasing dryness from lingering bitterness. Medium carbonation and body; with a very smooth, moderately creamy/bready/sticky, fairly resinous/rindy, and lightly chalky balanced mouthfeel that is great. Zero warming alcohol for 5.8%. Overall this is an awesome Amber amber ale. All around awesome complexity, robustness, and balance of citrus/fruity/tropical/earthy hops and dark/bready/light roasted malt flavors; very smooth and easy to drink with the modestly bitter/resinous/drying finish, not overly aggressive. Awesome Simcoe/Cascade profile. Very juicy, vibrant, and fairly dank/earthy hop complexity; with a great clean and rich balanced malt backbone. Mild residual sweetness with lingering resin dryness. A really enjoyable offering, and impressive style example as expected. Very hoppy, but still meets expectations for the base style.
Apr 01, 2019
Photo of DaveyCream
Reviewed by DaveyCream from Ohio

1.5/5  rDev -60.1%
look: 2 | smell: 1.25 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 1.25 | overall: 1.75
I love Great Lakes, but this beer taught me I am not a fan at all of Red Ales. I am sure since it is GLB, it is a good red ale, but that is just not the beer for me. Was able to finish it, but a couple times I considered pouring it out, which is rare for me to even think that way. If you like Red Ales with a lot of hops, you will most likely really like this.
Mar 24, 2019
 
Rated: 3 by AllanPatchin1016 from Ohio

Jan 01, 2019
 
Rated: 3.49 by KurtisCarman from Ohio

Oct 11, 2018
 
Rated: 3.46 by Higdon from Maryland

Oct 05, 2018
 
Rated: 3.61 by Flathead5173 from Ohio

Oct 05, 2018
Photo of rapayn01
Reviewed by rapayn01 from Kentucky

4.1/5  rDev +9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
I had a tall boy can at the end of May. The can said consume by June 5 and was fine. Indeed, I really like hoppy red ales and this was a good example of the style. For me, the baseball theme on the cans hinted at greatness. I would have gone back and purchased more if the freshness date had not been approaching.
Aug 13, 2018
 
Rated: 3.69 by khargro2 from Tennessee

Jul 09, 2018
Photo of MikeWard
Reviewed by MikeWard from Pennsylvania

3.76/5  rDev 0%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
16oz can into a pint glass. enjoy by 7/25/18, so a few weeks under the wire here.

crystal clear reddish amber body. decent streams of carbonation replenish an off white head creating good lacing initially.

faint malty aroma.

malty tasting too, and right at the end, a strong sour bitterness. tingly on the tongue. no sweetness at all.

between medium and full on the mouth, sour and bitter on the finish.

overall, while not an unpleasant drink, it seems a bit unbalanced to this particular palate. a little more sweetness, and a little less in the sour bitterness would suit me a bit better.
Jul 07, 2018
Photo of Brian_L-2056
Reviewed by Brian_L-2056 from West Virginia

3.8/5  rDev +1.1%
look: 4 | smell: 2 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Pours a clear reddish-brown color with plenty of head. Only slight carbonation though. Smell is kind of an odd hop scent. The initial taste is sweet and pleasant with only a slight finish. The feel is not heavy at all. Overall I think that this is a great summertime brew that I hope to enjoy more of
Jul 06, 2018
Photo of jr5639
Rated by jr5639 from West Virginia

3.77/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 3.75
ehh
Jul 06, 2018
 
Rated: 4 by Trboley from Ohio

Jul 03, 2018
Rally Drum from Great Lakes Brewing Co.
Beer rating: 85 out of 100 with 199 ratings