Great Lakes Brewery: Devils Pale Ale

     I typically drive past the Great Lakes Brewery twice a day. Its visible from the highway on my daily commute and adorned by huge banners advertising their seasonal brews. I really haven't committed myself to exploring their beers in great depth thus far.  In fact, the only one of their brews that I've tried was their pumpkin ale and I really was not a fan of it.  Sorry guys, its not you its just that I don't really like pumpkin ale.  But now is a chance for redemption.

     So let's look at Great Lakes Brewery Devils Pale Ale.  My first impression on the design of the can is that EVERYTHING has a devilish influence.  666 is all over the can and it flows through the recipe of the beer as well.  Lets look at the writing on the tall boy:

                 "The Devil Made Me Brew It! Brewed for 66.6 minutes with 666kg of malt and 6.6kg of hops, Devil’s Pale Ale is   
                   a robust ale weighing in at 6.6% alcohol."

     Design wise, EXCELLENT job on keeping the devils theme throughout the recipe and carrying it through into the branding.  A worthy achievement and something to celebrated.

On with the profile.  Its aroma offers hints of citrus (close to grapefruit) wrapped with bold earthy tones.  Its colour is a dark amber/brown with a creamy off white and dense head that seems to last forever as the pint goes down.  

     As for the flavour: its a delicious combination of malts that is reminiscent of Neustadt Springs 10w30.  Its full flavoured with pungent caramel maltyness that goes down fresh without a bitter aftertaste.  Its truly a bold beer and packs 35ibu's of bitterness.  Its also a fairly strong at 6.6%.

     This beer has very much redeemed my outlook on The Great Lakes Brewery. I enjoyed this beer and its definitely worth investing in a pint of it.  Great character, exceptional uniqueness (e.g.. branding, recipe etc.) and highly enjoyable.  I rate this beer a firm "B" rating.

Check out more from The Great Lakes Brewery at http://www.greatlakesbeer.com


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