Great Lakes Brewing Co Nosferatu Stock Ale - My Microbrew Review

Great Lakes Brewing Co Nosferatu Stock Ale - My Microbrew Review

I just had to grab a couple bottles of Great Lakes Brewing Company's Nosferatu Stock Ale at my local six pack shop tonight. I couldn't resist. Friday night, late September, a chill in the air and Halloween just around the corner, Nosferatu really caught my eye. Great Lakes Brewing Co a Cleveland, Ohio brewery, has been known to produce some really great microbrews and craft beers and some really great bottle labels too (in my opinion anyway).

Nosferatu follows suit by featuring what almost seems like a still shot movie clip of the famous vampire himself. Striking, chilling and spooky, yet entertaining all at once. And with Halloween coming soon, this beer and its label image fits the bill.

Pouring the chilled 12 ounce bottle into my standard, unchilled glass 10 ounce beer mug, this beer forces a strong, billowy light almond head straight to the brink of the mug and almost right over the edge. Two fingers and looking quite handsome, this head is creamy as it gets and doesn't go anywhere anytime soon. It stuck around a good four or five minutes before never really disappearing altogether.

Beer aroma is strong an bitter. Slight licorice notes are blended nicely with the sticky sugar malt sweet smell but never really dominates. A hint of clove and raisins also came to mind. Not really strong in its scent, but interesting enough to make me want to take a sip and right quick!

First sip provides a very strong and somewhat surprisingly hoppy punch. Alcoholic tints bite and swirl from front of tongue to back, burning just a bit as it goes down. Bitter hop bit stays on the tip of my tongue well after swallowing the microbrew. I notice as the glass warms the alcoholic tones actually dim a bit and a richer velvety mouthful proclaims its presence.

Viewing the beer in my mug, I noticed immense lacing all the way down through the mug. Sticky, clinging webs of bubbles and froth clearly mark the status of this beers comsumption right straight through to bottom of the glass. If you take a sip every minute, you could tell exactly how much time you spent drinking the glass of beer just by counting the frothy rings.

This beer looks awesome too. The liquid is a vibrantly, strong mahogany/rust in the glass. Carbonation is good and healthy but not too vigourous. Nice, miniscule,lazy bubbles drift in spirals up and about feeding the foam at the top just enough to maintain a good foam breadth throughout.

Great Lakes Brewing Co Nosferatu is a very good craft beer. I'd almost venture to say it is great. It's definitely enjoyable throught the glass and actually improves as time goes by. Thick, rich and satisfying and a real for hopheads too if you're into the hoppier bitter beers. There's a nice malty backbone but it just helps to balance, not sweeten the beer.

I'd recommend Great Lakes Brewing's Nosferatu to anyone who's into craft beers of all types and into hoppy beers in particular. The label adds to the seasonal autumn feel to it an I'd love to be able to throw a Halloween party next month and feature a bushel barrel of iced down bottles of Nosferatu to all of my guests although the 8.0% alcohol content of beer would make the party rather interesting if everyone sampled more than two.

I'd give Great Lakes Nosferatu Stock Ale an 8.25 out of 10.00 points for my microbrew review rating. This is an excellent beer and one I think many folks will enjoy and look forward to fall after fall.


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Cheers, and please drink responsibly!

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