Great Lakes Lake Erie Monster Double IPA

Brewed by Great Lakes Brewing Company
Style: Imperial/Double IPA
Cleveland, Ohio USA

Big thanks to Puddintane for snagging this one for me! Hazy amber-orange with a smaller head. Aroma is very sweet with floral-grapefruit hops and some light tropical fruit. Flavor is surprisingly sweet with some orange-grapefruit, plus a bit of tropical fruit and sugary bread. Maltier and less hop-forward than most DIPAs, I nevertheless appreciate the toned-down nature of this smooth and tasty beer.

Sampled at the RBSG 07 Grand Tasting. Nice golden body with a mild hop aroma. On the body, malt mingles with the hops with a slightly bitter finish.

Bottle (22oz). Shared with tupalev (sorry Paul!), my bottle via trade with MrBendo. No idea how old this is. Poured murky orange, average off-white head. Bitter, stale hop aroma, grainy malt. Boozy, woody malt and dry UK hops - bitterness really ramps up, but ... Thick body, very astringent, dry long bitter finish. A little older, perhaps? UK-style ,... meh - almost sour ... MrBendo tells me this is really fresh, so ... I guess I don’t like this beer!

650 ml bottle at pre-RBSG tasting

Thanks to the Ohio crew for bringing two bottles of this to the tasting. Great Lakes is a brwery that has seldom let me down. While they are not rock stars of the craft beer kingdom they should definitely get credit for a job well done. This was sampled right after the Williamsburg Alewerks IIPA and provides a nice contrast of what an Imperial IPA can be.

Aroma / Appearance - The cloudy orange body absorbed about half the light that tried to filter through it. Light carbonation bubbled underneath a one-finger head of pure white. The scent of fresh spring rain greeted my nose when I examined it closer. Orange creamsicle is the closest thing I can think of to the overall aroma which is hoppy but does not totally assault the senses. Instead it comes in waves which continue to promote the grassy base.

Flavor / Palate - Orange cream, floral notes and pine resin create a hoppy bitterness in the mouth which does not pass easily. Despite the introduction of chocolate custard on the second sip it lingers for minutes. The third sip reveals fruit loops, peaches and vanilla before a dryness attaches itself to the back of the throat. This beer does not go away without a fight; it took two glasses of water to cleanse the palate totally. Overall I was impressed by the balance and full body. I can’t wait to see what Great Lakes tries to do next.

Bottled. Poured clear medium orange with not much white head sticking around. Aroma was of very heavy pine and grapefruit with caramel and darker sweetness beneath.. very engaging. Flavor found sweet grapefruit with an almost artificial sweetness to it.. rather high pine and grapefruit bitterness.. sweet, lightly sour finish. Sweetness and bitterness were decently balanced.. medium-bodied.. warm finish. Solid brew!

The beer pours to a hazy straw/golden colored body with a thin white head. The aroma is really citrusy with tons of grapefruit and spruce. The flavor is bitter grassy hops, lightly chalky from the amount of hops. The palate is really bitter. Lightly chalky. Still, I enjoyed it.

Dark golden color, small white head. Nose is citrusy hops, a little malt backing. Good stuff a bit too syrupy and sweet.

Courtesy of Styles

Bottle: The aroma has lots of citrusy hops with some light apricot. However, there is a slight aroma of sweaty socks that is rather unappealing. It pours a cloudy dark orange with a small off-white head. the flavor starts with lots of sweet orange and fruit up front. It finishes with a mild grapefruit hoppiness. More hops wouldn’t hurt, but very smooth and drinkable overall.