Great Lakes Engine 20 Ale

Brewed by Great Lakes Brewing Company
Style: American Pale Ale
Cleveland, Ohio USA

The beer has a nice color, and head, witha full body. At first smell the beer was really strange. and after the first taste, it gor even more strange. but by the bottom of the pint I was loving it. the beer has a very strong smoky aroma and flavor. It is very close to the Great Lakes Burning River, but like they brewed it at a camp fire. Once I got used to the smoky flavor, I really really liked it, and wanted another one. But I never leave the brewpub without drinking at least one Burning River.

had on tap at the brew pub. my first smoked beer. nice smoky/sweet aroma. not much smoke in the flavor but after you swallow, BAM, there it is. great lingering smoky taste, tasted like i was sitting around a campfire. if you see this on tap, its definitely worth a go.

Had at Barley’s Mini Real Ale Fest 2007! Okay. This beer was plain weird. Smelled like toasted wood. Taste was smoked hops. Period. Not much else in the flavor. Very interesting. Tasty!

10/3/07 on tap @ the brew pub: Chestnut brown w/ a lasting light beige medium sized head. I was a bit put off by the aroma @ first w/ a bit of a smokey phenolic that when combined w/ the cascade hops is not all that pleasant to me! Sort of a spicy (not in a good way) plasticky mess at first... Ah, but wait until it warms! Caramel and toasted malts come through as it warms, and the hops and smoked aroma intermingle pleasantly w/ the malts, and become quite appealing when warmed after 10 minutes. The hops, also slightly soapy at first, loses it’s soapy character. The flavor is well balanced in the bitter/sweet, but has a bit of the soapy hop flavor when chilled. It dissipates as it warms to lightly citrus, smoked malt and a lightl toasted caramel malt flavors that evenly balance each other. The finish is dry and smokey, crisp, and has a lightly smoked malt/citrusy hop flavored aftertaste. Medium body, medium carbonation, again a crisp, yet smooth m/f. Very well used smoked malt. A little more than an undertone IMHO, but stilll well used. I was a bit apprehensive @ the start w/ using smoked malt with citrusy hops, but as it warmed, it worked extremely well. At first I thought I was a bit put off by the "fake" smokey phenolic, but it improves in a hurry!

Fruity hop aromas blend with an assertive smoke malt presence here. Just a hint of carmel malt sweetness. Smooth balance of flavors, with the smoked meat balanceing out with some jazzy hops. A smoked pale ale: quite and intresting and tasty beer!! Cheers!

Cask version at Barley’s 5th Annual Mini RAF (04/28/07): This beer is a lightly hazed dark amber color with a medium off-white head that has good retention. Rings of lacing. The aroma is mostly hoppy with smokey malt undertones. Dry, medium body with both hops and smoke flavors, neither of which dominates. Light malt in the backgound as well. The finish is mildly bitter hops, with the smoked character still lurking in the background. Interesting beer, although it does not really push any boundaries.

draft brew from the brewpub. Defintely something different. Smoked peat taste overwheliming upfront and in the finish. This disapates as you continue drinking. Nice orange amber color. Pleasent, but my friend thought it was the worst thing he ever tasted.

Draft at the brewpub. Aroma: Some light toasty malt with a touch of caramel. Citrus and piney hops. A very light smokeiness underlies all of the above. Appearance: Medium amber in color and clear. Off white head was full and foamy with fair retention. Fair lacing. Flavor: Starts off similar to the aroma with some toasty malt and caramel; citrus, pine, and light resin hops. Then the smoke flavor kicks in. Smoke kicks in more than the aroma would have you believe. More of a woody campfire kind of smoke than a meaty/bacony smoke that you get in some other smoked beers. Medium dry finish with a bit of smoke and hop carrying over. Palate: Medium bodied. Medium carbonation. Overall: Interesting beer. Almost tastes like a smoked Burning River. Smoke was nicely done and didn’t dominate this beer. Worth a try.