Great Northern Brewing Co.
Whitefish, MT
Available: MT, WA, OR, CA, NV
A “double hopped” (dry hopped) unique American lager based on traditional European pilsners with hops added in the kettle and then again before finishing for aromatic quality.
ABV: 4.6
ABW: 3.5
Color: 7
Bitterness: 15
Original gravity: 1043
I want to like this beer―lagers get short-changed in the craft milieu―but reality conspires against it. A “double hopped” beer with 15 IBUs? A “family tradition since 1856” when the 1994 brewery just re-opened after an eight-year hiatus? Those could be overlooked, but not this: a sweet and grassy but faint nose, followed by a blandly malty mouth where any bitterness comes from fizz, and a finish that wants to be cloying but doesn’t have the guts. The deep gold color is the best part. Disappointing.
One might expect a “double hopped” lager to smell, well, hoppy, but this deep gold beer does not, instead yielding sweet apple and caramel notes backed up with a faint whiff of tannins and dry leaf. In the body, too, the hoppiness is surprisingly reserved, with a floral sweetness up front, more red apple notes in the body and a dryish and quick finish. A pleasant enough quaff, but quite understated in both aroma and taste, especially considering the “double hopped” claim.
Lew Bryson writes about beer and whiskey from his home in southeast Pennsylvania. He has a family and two dogs. That's all you need to know.
Once described as “beerdom's Brillat-Savarin,” Stephen Beaumont is the author of five books and countless articles on beer, spirits, food, travel, and how it all goes together.
