I live in Ohio.
When I think of Cleveland, I don't think of great beer.
I think of niggers.
Now, that's no doubt because the city is chock full of the Neanderthal reprobates. However, I just might have to start cutting "The Mistake by the Lake" a little slack, cause I'm in love, and she hails from Cleveland.
If you are a Hop-Head like myself, you know the best IPAs are from England.
Period.
However...
Great Lakes Brewery's India Pale Ale offering,
Commodore Perry, is indeed world class. O.K, stop laughing, you VNNF racist beer snobs..It truly is! Honest Inju...umm...Aryan!
This fully organic full bodied and well hopped ale pours Bart Simpson yellow in the chilled pub glass, with a tall, compact White head that dissipates quickly to a light froth.
The initial hop aroma is, of course, a citrus one, as is to be expected with all IPAs, but the the fact that the ale is dry-hopped (Fresh aromatic hops are added to the brew during fermentation, as well as during conditioning or "lagering" phase) impart a very strong hop signature that takes you away to a pristine Pine forest. A Pine forest where oranges and lemons grow.
Now don't that make you think of Cleveland?
The mouth feel of this small-batch brewed ale is
angel light, with zero sweetness. It's as dry as the Sahara. No aftertaste. None. Nada. Zip. Zero. You get the idea. It's hella dry. Which is exactly what a great IPA needs. At least one of the things it needs.
The other is a balance that lets the lighter grains traditionally used in IPAs to shine through.
And shine
Commodore Perry does Brothers. The hint of maltiness takes a back seat to the hops of course, but it's deliciously "barely there" malt earthiness compliments the English and Bavarian hops used perfectly.
It's high alcohol at 7.5 ABV (
Bud Light is 3.2, Budweiser 4.9) as any truly legitimate European IPA is, (don't let that scare you, my little Eichmanns) but the drinkability is top notch.
This one is a winner guys. Pick it up if you see it.
Word.
7.99 a sixer,
WWW.GREATLAKESBREWING.COM