Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Great Lakes Brewing Lake Erie Monster - Craft Beer Review 134

Here is what the Brewer says:
Name Origin: A beer this distinctively hoppy inspires many a tall tale. And they don’t come taller than South Bay Bessie, the legendary monster that roams the shallow depths of Lake Erie.
Style Origin: Double India Pale Ales are a strong, very hoppy style of pale beer. Also known as Imperial IPAs, these beers are essentially India Pale Ales that are brewed with higher amounts of malt and hops. While still relatively new, it is one of the fastest growing styles in the craft beer industry and a favorite among “hopheads.”
ABV: 9.1%  IBU: 80
My Thoughts:
I reviewed this brew fresh on draft at Great Lakes Brewing.  It poured a mostly transparent golden orange with a slight white foamy head.  Truly a beautiful looking DIPA.  The smell of fresh grapefruit and citrus explode from the top of the glass and dominate the smell in such a very refreshing way.  The taste follows the nose perfectly on the draft version of this brew.  Grapefruit and citrus continue to dominate as the nose suggested, but a backbone of very mild caramel malt comes through mid-drink to give this beer a little character/body beyond just the bitterness.  I like how this DIPA is balanced on draft, and the slight dry lingering bitterness makes you want to take another sip of this very tasty brew.   The mouthfeel is bubbly and active because of the med/high carbonation and the body is mild.   For a 9% beer it is extremely drinkable, which is why during May-July you'll probably find a fair amount of Lake Erie Monster in my fridge because I think this is a great hot summer night brew to chill out with.

Serving Type: 16oz Draft at Great Lakes Brewing
My Rating: Overall 95/100
Look:4.75 | Smell:4.75 | Taste:4.75 | MouthFeel:4.75 | Drinkability:4.75

NoteI will say that this brew on draft is indeed different than the bottled version for one reason, freshness and the effect on the "hoppiness".  The fresher the bottle you can get your hands on the better because as days pass, the hop boldness fades slightly and the malty backbone creeps to the foreground a little more.  The good news is that Great Lakes does put a "drink by" date on the bottle.  My advice is to just find one that is the furthest out, and then drink those bottles as soon as you can.  Cheers!

1 comment:

  1. I had this on draft and loved it, even though I'm not a fan of IPAs.

    ReplyDelete

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