Great Lakes - Nosferatu

Tonight I'm enjoying another brew from our brewing friends out of Cleveland, Great Lakes Brewing.  These guys started distributing in MN a little over two years ago.  I remember this because they had a big beer dinner and launch party at the bar that was located under my apartment!  It was also my first experience with their Edmund Fitzgerald Porter.  For my money, it's one of the best porters you can buy.

Watch out, he bites!

Between Duns and I, we have tasted pretty much everything Great Lakes distributes to MN at this point.  Unfortunately, most of it was prior to our blogs inception.  But we have reviewed Great Lakes Lake Erie Monster Double IPA and Oktoberfest.  Both have been nicely crafted and extremely tasty.

Nosferatu is included as one of the many Great Lakes beers I have had the pleasure of drinking over the past few years.  This brew initially intrigued me with the freaky looking vampire and black sun on the label.  It made me wonder what type of beer could warrant such a design?  An Imperial Red Ale, that's what!  I don't see this style commonly brewed or distributed to our area very often so I am always excited when Great Lakes releases their version.

Nosferatu is named after the legendary vampire from the 1920s film era.  The color of Nosferatu is suitably blood-red.  Only a minimal amount of off-white head lingers around as I take the time to further examine this monstrous creation.  Its appearance is almost hypnotizing!  The aroma is full of toasted bread and sweet caramel malt with subtle hints of citrusy hops and just a touch of booze.  Almost all of those aromas flow directly through to the taste with the addition of a solid wave of hop bitterness and alcohol warmth to balance out the bold malt-heavy body.

Overall - Lucky for Great Lakes, this is the Imperial Red Ale I come back to again and again.  It's one of those beers that grabs you from the start with its brilliant appearance and fragrant aromas and doesn't let go after your first sip.  At 8% ABV, it's a dangerous brew with how smooth and easily drinkable it is.  Definitely another winner from Great Lakes.  Keep up the tasty brewing!

Eel River Brewing Climax Noel Belgian Imperial Red

I picked up this 22 oz bottle randomly about a week ago - it's a Belgian Imperial Red Ale that caught my eye.  The bottle notes that Eel River is America's 1st certified organic brewery.  I wonder what that means?  The barley and hops used are grown naturally without pesticides??  Makes no difference to me as long as the beer tastes good!

I'm pouring the beer into my new ale goblet - it pours a hazy amber with a mega-blast of head that holds very strong, and with sticky lacing at each level of the glass.  The nose is extremely fruity with cherries, along with spices....I can definitely smell the belgian yeast in there.

First drink took me by surprise - there is a wave of bitter dark fruits that hit me immediately - raisins and cherries and sour grapes.  There is also some malty sweetness alongside the fruity sweetness.  No hops are present at all, there is a slightly grassy flavor that may be hop-related, but sweetness reigns supreme.  After the sweet-train, there is a strange metallic flavor that is pretty unpleasant - a 'tin can' flavor.  The texture of the beer is deceiving...it looks heavy and thick, but in reality this beer is relatively thin-bodied and watery. 

Overall Rating (2.5 out of 6.0):  I'm not sure if Eel River intended this beer to be an Imperial Red ale, or a Belgian Dubbel.  I definitely felt it was more of a dubbel, and not a very good one.  It was thin and watered-down, and that metallic flavor singed my tongue.  I just wasn't a big fan of this beer.