Great lakes Nosferatu

For those who aren't from the area, the Great Lakes Brewing Company was the first brewpub/microbrewery to open in the state of Ohio (in 1988). It's the most widely circulated/most well known microbrewery in the area. It's fairly easy to find their beers anywhere East of the Mississippi.


Brewery: Great Lakes Brewing Company
Beer: Nosferatu
Style: American Strong Ale (or Imperial Red Ale,
ABV: 8.0%
IBU: 75
Price: ~$9.99 for a four pack of 12oz bottles

Well, if you don't like bold flavors, stay away from this one. Opening the bottle led to an explosion of bold aromas. My nose picked up a nice malt presence, earthy/citrus hops, and a hint of caramel, and a very faint touch of bread. It poured a reddish-amber color with a fingers worth of off white head. The first sip started out on the sweet side from the malt and finished on the bitter side. One thing that caught my attention was the aroma screamed "cascade hops", which is heavy in the citrus department. But the bitterness was slightly different, given the "American" style of this beer, I'd assume simcoe hops. Mouthfeel is light/medium. As it warmed, the flavors only got more intense, which made it ever more awesome then I had previously thought.

Aroma: 8/10
Appearance: 4/5
Taste: 8/10
Palate: 3/5
Overall: 16/20

Final Score: 38/50