Great Dane Dark Mild

Brewed by Great Dane Pub & Brewery
Style: Mild Ale
Madison, Wisconsin USA

From the beer engine in Madison: clear, though incredibly deep garnet…full, persistent light brown head – served at a perfect cellar temp (which is increasingly hard to find in the US). Wonderfully subtle, charred sweet raisin aroma with ever-so slight piney undertones. Even and balanced palate flirts with bitterness, but decides on malt…why can’t more brewers produce these under appreciated beers?

Little/no nose but a moderate white head. Head fell but lingered as a white wisp and laced a little. Nice clear ebony color. No real taste. Zippo. water. Very full on the palate, but really no taste. Odd. How do they do that? Could easily drink a million of them...but no compelling reason to...but in this day of over hopping, over malting and over alcoholing..kinda nice to drink a true session beer.

Dark brown body with a blush of purple. Definitely a mild beer. Light malty aroma. Very light wheat bread flavor with caramel and light leafy hops. Finishes with a mostly bitter, cracker dryness. A touch of stemmy hops, too.

On hand pump, Madison brewpub. Deep ruby color, quicly diminishing white head, light-medium body, some dryness. Somewhat raisin sweet up front, but finishing dry. A good session pint.

Sample at the Madison location. Very dark umber admits just a smidgeon of light; caramel and a bit of wood in the nose; watery texture does not totally undo dark, smoky malty character. Blackberries, currants, cowboy coffee: complex and really interesting flavors alas damaged irreperably by thinness. Still, I’m getting closer to liking milds.