For today’s craft beer tasting, I thought I would venture to Cleveland, Ohio (figuratively of course) and sample the Great Lakes Commodore Perry.  It’s produced by the Great Lakes Brewing Company and is filed under the style of India Pale Ale.

I am fortunate to be able to get most all of the Great Lakes products, so I’m somewhat familiar with the brewery.  They churn out solid, worthwhile and correct interpretations of each style, so I would expect this brew to be no different.

The website, greatlakesbrewing.com, did not provide much information on this particular beer. 

A medium-bodied and well hopped India Pale Ale with a dry, fruity finish. 

Simple and to the point I guess.

The Commodore Perry has an ABV of 7.5% and comes in a 12 oz. bottle.

The beer poured a pristine, clear, yellow/gold/light orange color with some prominent yellow highlights around the bottom and edges of the glass.  A nice sized, mostly white head was formed, from a medium aggressive pour, that had some pretty good retention and some average lacing.  Several large bubbles comprised the cap, but overall it was mostly creamy, smooth and a bit rocky.  A few bubbles were streaming to the top from the bottom to support a nice appearance.

Fruity, citrus tones of orange, tangerine and grapefruit were furnished from the first sniff.  They were not as prominent as most “American” IPA’s seem to be, although they were still favorable and opportune.  Decent piny characteristics and some earth tones helped solidify the hop profile.  All were combined with a malt backbone of yeast and bread.  Seemed balanced well enough to me.

The taste was, again, a little more laid back than a typical “American” IPA.  It did, however have a nice, little, citrus, hop “bite” with flavors of grapefruit and orange.  The taste seemed to be a tad more malty than citrusy in that the bread and yeast really started to stand out and hold their own as the beer warmed and developed.  They were toasted somewhat and even started to present a touch of spice.  More earthy tones showed up to conclude and round out the flavor evaluation.

The mouthfeel was medium, dry, snappy, crisp and smooth.  Enough flavor was left behind to leave me wanting for another sip.  A touch of alcohol helped warm the body when I sampled this on a cool day back in early Spring.

This beer, like all Great Lakes brews, is very solid and good.  It’s very easy to drink at 7.5% ABV and would be a beer that I would have no problem making a night of.  When I see this again, I will be more than happy to pick up a 6-pack to share with a friend.  It’s nothing too complicated, yet it could garner some interesting discussion.  It was just down right enjoyable to have a worthwhile, solid brew for this session.  Pick it up and give it a try if you see it and let me know what you thought of it.

Thanks for checking in with me today guys.  I trust everyone is doing well.

Cheers.

Score:  3.8 out of 5
Grade:  B+