Great Lakes 15th Anniversary Ale

Had this quite a long time ago in both a bottle and on tap. Poured a slightly hazy golden color. Quite peppery in the nose. Flavor is spicy with a nice alcohol burn in the back of the thoat. Nice Belgian from a brewery that doesn’t do to many.

Sat in my fridge for a solid year before I tried and I really enjoyed it. Hadn’t been online much but my notes of this beer were very good and as all good things come to an end so did this one.

Deep golden in color verging on a light orange. The head quickly dissipates though there is still plenty of carbonation, especially when swirled a bit. Scents of yeast, spices, rock candy and a touch of banana. In the mouth this is medium-bodied and seamless as the entry nicely builds into the midpalate and lingers on. The palate shows yellow and orange fruits along with a mild spice. Really a seamless brew and lingering finish that makes this a very enjoyable beer to just sit back and enjoy.

Date: 05/29/2007
Mode: Bottle
Source: Roadtrip

hazy gold, wispy white head, sweet malt aroma with a nice spicyness and a lightly tart musty funk, yeasty and spicy flavor with a lot of funk, the strong yeast character takes over the beer,

Aroma: 5/10; Appearance: 6/10; Flavor: 5/10; Palate: 6/10; Overall: 9/20
Rating: 2.5/5.0
Drinkability: 5/10
Score: *4

Rating #900 / 1-Year RateBeer Membership Anniversary...

7/13/2007: Great Lakes 15th Anniversary Ale is apricot in color with a small, creamy beige head that rapidly fades away. Plenty of carbonation is still visible in the foggy beer. This beer smells wonderful. The aroma is sweet and fruity (tropical fruits with a gummy bear quality). The maltiness and some aged alcohol can also be found in the aroma as well. This beer tastes much like the aroma, if not better. The flavor has a light maltiness and lots of fruit flavors (peach, pineapple, plum), some banana and bubblegum, and a soft spiciness. The aftertaste is distinctively apricot. It gently becomes more dry toward the finish as a warming alcohol sensation develops. The alcohol is there, but it is well-blended with the other flavors and fairly well-hidden or at least reserved considering it had started at 9.5% ABV (I bet it’s a bit higher now!). This beer feels medium-full in the mouth and is very smooth and even slightly creamy. It leaves sticky spots on the glass and lips. The juiciness of this beer is amazing. This is an excellent beer. Great Lakes should definitely produce this one again for a future anniversary!

12 oz bottle (Alcohol content 9.5% by volume. Best served at 45’F. Enjoy by MAR 11/04, 1449AL) from jsquire. Thank you so much Jeff! If it weren’t for your kindness and generosity, I would never have been able to try this beer. I really appreciate it. I owe you one! Rating #151 for this beer...

Bottle shared with me from Matt at Riversbend: Thanks Matt. Bottle said it was best by about 3/04, but I think it was still great even now. Poured a nice gold color with a small white head. Smell and taste were both very similar with raisin and plum feel with a bit of banana bite the more I drank. This was not hot, but definitely kept me feeling warm. Very smooth. This was wonderful.

Poured a failry hazy amber color with small off-white head. Mildly sweet malt with a phenolic yeasty spice. Malty with big yeasty spice flavors. Semi-dry finish. Medium to full bodied.

12 oz. bottle via trade with jsquire - Pours a hazy golden color with a 1/2 finger think white head that faded pretty quick. No real lacing to speak of. Aroma is light esters (banana), light spice, and yeast. Flavor is esters and yeast. Alcohol is slightly noticeable. Leaves a slightly dry palate with a pleasant bitterness. Medium body. Not bad. Thanks Jeff.