Great Lakes - Blackout Stout

Tonight I'll be drinking Blackout Stout from Great Lakes Brewing in Cleveland, Ohio.  From the neck label - "Our robust Blackout Stout is named after the infamous 'Blackout of 2003' that left the northeastern United States without power for days... A nuisance for some, an enjoyable 36 hours of energy conservation and beer drinking with neighbors for others".  I don't know about you, but I don't need the power to be out in order to enjoy 36 hours of drinking with my neighbors.  I'm pretty sure that's called "the weekend".

This stout isn't quite pitch black... but about as black as you can get without having the light surrounding the glass disappear into the beer!  The foam is lighter than anticipated, at least for an Imperial Stout.  It's a light tan color, similar to what you would find on a brown ale.  The aromas are soft.  Prominently roasty with some cocoa and coffee bean in there as well.  Plenty of toasted wood, roasted malt, black coffee and charcoal all seem to make an appearance in the first sip.  I don't think I've tasted a stout as roasty as this one.  The body is light and without much residual sugar.  Although a hint of sweetness comes through as it warms but is balanced by an alcohol warmth that has eluded my palate until now.  Blackberries come through in the finish at room temperature.

Overall - Blackout Stout is one of the few examples of an Imperial Stout that can be enjoyed straight off the bottling line.  Generally speaking, most RIS's could use a few months of age or longer before they are at their peak flavor.  Blackout doesn't need any extra time, it is fully tasty right away.  Great Lakes has done a great job with this brew, although I wish it came in a six pack!  Did I mention it has won five gold medals between the World Beer Cup and the World Beer Championships since 2003?

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!

Great Lakes - Edmund Fitzgerald

Tonight I'm pleased to introduce to you my brother Kenny. Frequent commenter and follower of the blog since day one. He shares the same love for beer Dunz and I do and I'm excited to have him write his first guest post with us. Enjoy!

Thanks for the intro bro.

Good evening fellow World of BeerCraft readers,

I'd like to preface this guest post with a little info about myself:

I enjoy drinking beer.

That being said, I'm not a crazy hop-fiend like Steve and Dunz. I never mind a little sweetness to my brew and am a sucker for full-bodied milkshake-esque stouts.

I sit at my desk this evening with a freshly poured, refreshingly cold appetizer from Great Lakes brewery named the Edmund Fitzgerald. I discovered this brew at the same establishment Steve + Dunz conducted their Live Blog at back in January, The Gold Nugget.

For those of you who aren't from the great white north and aren't a fan of Gordon Lightfoot's music, you have probably never heard the story of the SS Edmund Fitzgerald. It was the largest ship on the Great Lakes when it was launched back in the 50’s, and primarily transported iron ore from northern Minnesota to Detroit and Ohio. As it turns out, apparently hurricane force winds on a body of water the size of a small ocean can create some pretty rough swells, and the Edmund Fitzgerald sank during a Lake Superior storm on November 10th, 1975. The entire crew of 29 perished... bodies were never found.

Decades later, the fine brewers at Great Lakes decided "Awesome story! Let's make a beer named after it!", and it turned out pretty damn good.

I let this warm up in the bottle a little bit before tasting it, as recommended by the label. There wasn't much head on the pour, so I was a little worried about it being on the flat side (this ended up not to be the case). The nose was as I remembered - prominent, though not overpowering chocolate and coffee aromas, and not a hint of alcohol. Keep in mind this is only sitting at 5.8% ABV.

The texture is right up my alley. Not too heavy, medium carbonation, and smooth swallow that leaves your palate filled with flavor for minutes.

Overall - Although I wouldn't call this an entry-level porter, it is definitely one to try if you're just getting into the heavier stuff. There is nothing extreme about this brew, it is simply pleasent, and filled with rich flavors; an excellent example of a "dark beer". I described it as an appetizer earlier because it is slightly filling, and sure to compliment a hearty meal.

Thank you guys for the opportunity to post! It's been a pleasure to sit down, enjoy a beer, and analyze all of it's qualities to share.

Great Lakes - Lake Erie Monster

Tonights review is of a relatively recent entrant to the Imperial IPA market.  Great Lakes Lake Erie Monster.  I love the label art on this bottle.  It depicts a scaled dragon beast as a red-eyed demon creature waiting to sink the next shipping cartel it sees.  Very intriguing and imaginative.  If you have a boat on lake Erie, make sure you install 5 foot long spikes on the bottom of it.  I wouldnt want this thing swimming around my watercraft.

This IIPA fills my glass with a hazy amber and effervescent brew.  A tight, white foam quickly fills the remaining space within my pint and refuses to recede.  Pungent notes of grapefruit, citrus and pine accentuate its imperial status.  A nice malt backbone brings a welcomed balance to the obvious hop bias.  Sticky hop lupulins quickly overcome the matly sweetness that builds the overall base of the flavor.  Definitely on the hoppy side, but not so much so that its out of balance.  Floral and citrus notes come through as it warms.  And alcohol and bitterness take the main stage to help dry out the finish.

Overall - One of the better Imperial IPAs on the market.  I like the malt backbone and bold hop aromas.  Easily drinkable and well balanced.  It comes in a four pack and is a bit pricy.  But if you are a hop head, this is one that you should go out of your way to try.  Easily in my top five when it comes to IIPAs.