Nosferatu

Great Lakes Brewing Co.
Cleveland, OH

Available: OH, MI, PA, NY, KY, IN, IL, WI

Great Lakes Brewing Co. is housed in part in buildings which originally served as horse stables and kegging facilities for the Schlather Brewing Co. an operation that was built in 1878 and once brewed up to 90,000 barrels a year. Nosferatu, a strong seasonal red ale, is named for the notorious vampire from the 1920s German film.

Alcohol (wt.): 8.0
Alcohol (vol.): 6.4
Color: red
Bitterness: 75
Original Gravity: n/a
Final gravity: n/a
Malts used: n/a
Hops used: n/a

An 8% abv beer with, of course, a blood red color and a toasted malt, orange and sultana fruit and spicy hops aroma. Creamy malt coats the tongue, balanced by burnt fruit and tangy hop resins. The finish is long and deep, dominated by toasted and biscuity malt but with a solid underpinning of hop bitterness. Great Lakes describes it as Stock Ale, which in the US means a beer akin to an IPA but to Brits is a beer brewed for blending. Either way, a rich and characterful beer but watch out for bats.
- Roger Protz

Start with the great sound of this beautiful head, then enjoy the fine mahogany color in the depths. By now one is ready to inhale the wonderful hop aromatics, and fighting the urge to ingest a strong draft without even the slightest hesitation. In the mouth, however, this turns out to be a test. A test to determine if you are really are a hophead, because this beer is a hophead's delight. Moreover, it is exceedingly well balanced. I fell in love with the wonderful hop entree, but at 8%abv, it is a fine example of a great after-the-job-is-done beer. Easily worth a trip to Cleveland and don't worry about the vampires there. They won't get past Nosferatu.
- Fred Eckhardt

Rich and chewy, with burnt caramel, light toffee, and a suggestion of roasted nuts. Relentless hop bitterness, background citrus and warming alcohol notes cut through the beer’s thickness and provide balance from beginning to end. A hearty beer for an equally hearty snack or meal. Indeed, it could be a meal in itself. Just be respectful of the beer’s strength. The notorious vampire on the beer’s label is fair warning.
- John Hansell

Roger Protz
Roger Protz is the author of Complete Guide to World Beer and 300 Beers to Try Before You Die. He is a respected beer authority and editor of the CAMRA Good Beer Guide.

Fred Eckhardt
Fred Eckhardt lives, writes about and drinks beer in Portland, OR. He is the author of The Essentials of Beer Style and Saké.

John Hansell
John Hansell is an equal-opportunity drinker. He writes about beer, wine and spirits. He is the creator, publisher & editor of Malt Advocate, a magazine for the whisky enthusiast.

Comments are closed here.