Great Lakes Dortmunder Gold

Brewed by Great Lakes Brewing Company
Style: Dortmunder/Helles
Cleveland, Ohio USA

Location: 12 oz bottle from jcos, 11/9/09

Aroma: It has lots of grains, biscuits, lemon, with some floral and earth
Appearance: Pours a clear golden-orange with a thin white head
Flavor: The taste is malty nd sweet (honey) with some nice hops for balance
Palate: This beer is very crisp, refreshing, smooth, and highly drinkable
Overall Impression: I have to say this beer really hits on the idea of being crisp and refreshing. I love the way this one drinks, it’s got the typical flavors of the style, only stronger then your avvvvvvveraagge beer (I know, I know - bad Yogi Bear joke). It really is quite a wonderfully made example of a Dortmunder. I’m not even a huge fan of this style, but this one really shows how good a well-made lager can be. Now lets just hope Hanna-Barbera doesn’t sue me...

Bottle(s). Pour is clear golden color with nice white head. Aroma is malty but with a nice amount of balancing hops. Flavor is rich and full with a nice malty/ hoppy balance. Simple and wonderful.

Courtesy dragonstout. Pours a mostly clear, dark golden color topped by a thick, bubbly layer of white foam that shows great retention. Lots of carbonation bubbles rushing their way to the top of the glass. The aroma shows some honey, toasted grains, biscuit malts, and some floral hops. The flavor follows with the toasted, honey grains, biscuit malts, and some light bitterness from the floral hops. Medium bodied, smooth and easy to drink. Nice take on the style and a good tasting lager.

On tap. Pours a clear amber with a huge off white head. Awesome retention and excellent lacing. Big earthy, fresh grain, cornbread, big lemon tart aroma. Very spicy rye character. Taste is a bit of lemon, some toast, butter biscuit, caramel malt, honey, and earthiness. Chewy, buttery mouthfeel.

I really wanted to like this beer and I feel bad that I didn’t care for it. Golden pour with a thick white head. Very appealing looking beer. Sort of a sour taste and just not as smooth as I had hoped.

Bottle. Pours bright gold with bubbly white head. Nice grassy/earthy hops with a delicate malt backbone. Very refreshing. Could drink this all summer if we got it here.

Pours a clear golden amber/copper color with light golden orange hues when held to a light source and a half finger white foam head that quickly fades into a lasting ring. Pilsner malt aroma with some earthy hops, biscuit, straw and grass. Flavor is very similar to the aroma. Medium bodied yet slightly watered down with some nice earthy hops up front and a sweet pilsner malt backbone that provides excellent balance. There is a nice biscuit graham cracker presence in the malt profile and I’m also picking up some subtle faint light crisp fruit, mostly apple and pear. The hops provide a nice bitterness that is prominent up front and lingers above the complex maltiness into a nice dry finish. Very well balanced and very drinkable.

Bottle from sixer. Pours a deep, bubbly, golden body with a small long lasting white head. Nice lacing. Aroma is light citrus, malt, grass and fresh hops. Crisp slightly zesty flavor with pretty well balanced amount of hops and malt. Smooth creamy totally full mouthfeel. Hoppy finish. Very easy drinking, tasty brew. Kinda pissed I over looked this beer for a so long. Yet another good beer from Great Lakes.