Great Lakes Imperial Dortmunder - 20th Anniversary Beer

Brewed by Great Lakes Brewing Company
Style: European Strong Lager
Cleveland, Ohio USA

Didn’t realize i hadn’t rated this one yet. Love to see GL trying something new. Nicely hopped, thick palate/mouthfeel. Although the alcohol isn’t very present, Something about the flavor leads me to believe this one is more than 7.5. Could be that its slightly over-malted. I really enjoyed this beer. Gotta love great lakes.

Orange with a large frothy medium taupe head that fades away slowly. Aroma of earthy hops, pale malt, dough and a bit of must. Taste is of bready malt, toffee, earthy hops, sugar and a hint of dust. Finishes up earthy, dry and peppy with some alcohol evaporation noticeable on the tongue.

Bottle. This is a lightly carbonated golden colour with a thick, doughy, beautiful head. There’s some subtle grains in the aroma, earth, lemon, fresh bread. Really, the head on this thing is thick and permanent, with plenty of lacing: looks really terrific. The flavour is less interesting. There’s some apple, a fair amount of alcohol, bread, some pepper, slight hop bitterness. A medium finish with some citrus and pine in the hops.

Bottle (11/8/08): Transparent deep golden brass color with a thin wispy fizzy white head. Aroma of sweet pale malt and lots of earthy, slightly citrusy noble hops with a heavy lager yeasty presence. Starts fairly full and malty sweet with some grapefruity flavoring and bittering hops before a drier bittersweet finish. An ok hoppy dortmunder but a style that probably shouldn’t be imperialized.

Bottle from Shigadeyo. Pours amber with a white head. Lagery aroma with some notes of alcohol and European hops. Medium bodied with a smooth texture. Flavor of bread, cereal grains, biscuit, and a hint of toffee countered by a spicy and peppery hop bite that carries through to the finish. Ok. Not as good as the regular.

Golden color with a sweet malt-liquorish aroma. Glavor has a mix between corn syrup and malt liquor. Yuck.

Extra from trade with adamharbaugh. Pours a fizzy honey gold with cream-colored head. Lots of effervescence as it settles out. Nose is corn, sweet malt, and a slightly noticeable hop presence. Flavor is some malt and sweet corn with lots of somewhat crisp, lagery flavor. Finishes somewhat clean with lager and hop flavor as the glass is covered with lace by now. Not a bad lager.

Pours a cloudy amber orange with small head which settles to rim. Aroma is oranges, bread, floral notes, and hops. Taste is sweet bread, honey, grass, with a good amount of hop bitterness in the finish. Alcohol is definitely noticeable.