Great Lakes Brewing Lake Erie Monster
I’ve become a big fan of Great Lakes Brewing ever since they started shipping to Virginia a couple of years back. I don’t believe that I’ve come across a mediocre product in that time period. Lake Erie Monster is right in line with what I’ve come to expect from this company, and very well could be the best I’ve had from them thus far.
Weighing in at 9.1% ABV, this imperial IPA truly is a monster and yet, not. The brew packs plenty of alcohol for the style, but is far from what is expected. Tropical fruits abound within its golden depths, residual images of tropical fruit and distant since trees linger in your skull after each sip. And the bitterness is at a moderate level, leaving just the right amount of bite.
Appearance
Lake Erie Monster pours a rich amber in color with a thick head of white foam that left a full crown around the surface as it fell.
Aroma
Tangering, lemon, pine, a touch of cattiness, melon and grapefruit combine for one hell of an aroma.
Taste
Oh, wow. Melony in nature, tropical fruits quickly follow suit with soft pine notes an a balancing note of bready malt. For an imperial IPA, this beer is incredibly mellow in terms of hop flavor and bite — yet has more than enough tasty nuances to go for days. A light to moderate bitterness follows the fruits as a latent herbal/flowery bloom lingers in the background.
Overall
Not only is lake Erie Monster an outstanding beer, it’s also got one of the more unique flavors to be found in the imperial/double IPA realm. With such an array of different hop flavors swirling around with each sip, it’s going to be hard to unseat this beer as my go-to for the time being.
Rating: 4.25/5
