Grandes Lagos
Great Lakes Brewing Co.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Brwewed with Harrington 2-Row Base Malt, Flaked Corn and Hibiscus Flowers. Hopped with Mt. Hood.
5.4% ABV, 20 IBU. $1.69 for a 12oz bottle @ BevCo.

Pours out to a light golden sparkingly clear with a subtle pink tinge, forming a very creamy bone white head, like nitro with superior retention and lacing. Carbhonation is moderate. Strong adjunct lager nose, that of corn, subtle note of raspberries, minimal to no hop nose, very clean lager ferment character, no sulfur or diacetyl. Mouthfeel is light, crisp, clean and very soft. Taste is on the malt forward side, and thankfully the corn isn't overpowering. A fairly neutral beer with a soft touch of raspberries, even though it's not brewed with them, it definitely tastes like it. Bitterness is minimal to frankly, absent. An easy summer drinker meant to be chugged to cool off or eat with burgers or brats.

This might be refreshing for some, but it's not my cup of tea. Well brewed and very clean, but minimal character. About as drinkable as an ice cold coors light, if thats what you want in a beer. I wouldn't buy this again.

Man, nothing like a brewery horizontal to take the edge off of a post-eclipse come-down! This afternoon's non-light show was freaky deaky, man! I am celebrating having survived by drinking some GLBC beers & eradicating The Bottle Backlog here at Chez Woody at the same time.

From the bottle: "Colorful hibiscus flowers bloom against a picturesque malt backdrop in this refreshing cerveza from south of the border (of Canada, that is)."; "A Mexican-style lager with hibiscus flowers".

I have come to embrace the Pop!ping of the cap on these bottles. but I still feel unfulfilled. I slowly decanted the beer into an awaiting glass, but I really wanted to just let loose & see what would happen. An in-glass swirl raised just under three fingers of what looked like freshly-spun pink cotton candy! Color was equally pinkish, like Kool-Aid (SRM = N/A). Bizarre. Nose had a flowery, perfume-y quality that, man, I'm sorry, but I just don't dig. Mouthfeel was watery. The taste had a slight sourness, lightly brine-y with that same flowery, perfume-y quality that I noted on the nose. It tasted almost salty, as though it were more towards a Gose than a Lager. Finish was dry, but just not doing it for me. I would be willing to revisit this under two circumstances: 1) if they CANned it and/or 2) if they made a Mexican-style lager sans adjuncts so that I could taste them side-by-side. Otherwise, I am giving this one a wide pass.

 

7/30/17 bottle

 

 

 

Pours a cloudy off-pink color. 1/4 inch head of a white color. Slight retention and slight lacing. Smells of pale malt, floral notes, and a hint of sweet malt. Fits the style of an American Pale Lager. Mouth feel is strongly sharp and crisp, with an average carbonation level. There is also a noticeable dryness. Tastes of pale malt, floral notes, rice, hint of hop, hint of sorghum, and a hint of sweet malt. Overall, weak appearance and aroma with a distinct sharpness.

L: Hazy pink with a creamy off white head. Medium retention, and excellent lacing.

S: Tart hibiscus, plum juice, raspberry, vinegary salinity like pickles or even potato chips, cracker.

T: Follows the nose precisely. Huge pickled hibiscus flavors; raspberry, cherry ice cream, and pickled salinity. Ghostly cracker in the mid-palate, followed by a floral bite with clean and crisp finish.

F: Leans light, but a huge pushing carbonation feels creamy on the palate. Ends light, crisp, dry, and refreshing!

O: A hibiscus lager? Weird and hard to classify, but that's not an obstacle. Endlessly refreshing.

 

 

 

Poured into a Perfect Pint.
Look: A salmon color, as if someone has poured a bit of red food coloring in a light golden beer. Head was thin and unappealing.
Smell: Smelled like a strawberry Fanta.
Taste: As an APA, this fails miserably. Taste is very fruity with almost no hops or malt presence...it is what I imagine what a Bartles & Jaymes poured into a Bud Light would taste like.
Feel: Watery with excessive carbonation.
Overall: As a beer, this is a miserable representation and annihilates my theory that Great Lakes only brews good beers. I paired this with tacos, as the label tried to pass this off as a Mexican lager, but it put a grape taste in my mouth. Seriously, this is more like a wine cooler than a beer...while tolerable as a beverage, to call this a beer ought to be a felony.