Great Lakes Dortmunder Gold
As an Ohioan since replanted in NYC, one of my favorite treats when visiting home is the Great Lakes Dortmunder Gold I know will be waiting in Dad's beer fridge. It's pretty hard to find in NYC. Roughly my fourth bottle this visit, I emptied it into a large stemmed pilsener glass. It poured a slightly hazy, deep golden yellow, producing a solid two-plus fingers of foam, eventually dissipating to a light dusting that remained throughout the glass. Light to moderate lacing was strung about as I emptied the glass. Both the hops and the malts conspire in the scent, producing a floral and crisp effervescence. I can't readily differentiate the hops from the malt in the nose; they seem very complimentary -- the malts lighter and bouncier than most, the hops less aggressive. The beer is light and fresh on the tongue, very refreshing. The crisp malts are present throughout, the hops -- more accentuated than expected -- coming out primarily in the finish. It's more pilsener-like than your average lager, more lager-esque than your average pilsener. It's June 8th here in Ohio, a high of about 80 degrees, and this feels like the prime weather to enjoy a Dortmunder Gold. More carbonated than most brews, it's brisk and invigorating the entire glass through, lightly treading over your tongue and down the gullet. Eminently drinkable, even after two or three glasses it doesn't chafe the cheeks or gum up in the back of your throat. This is one of my faves of the GLBC brews, and I hope it makes its way into your fridge sometime soon! (No hometown bias here, I promise -- it's that good!)