Review #2 - Great Lakes Commodore Perry IPA

Last night I went with my girlfriend Katie to my co-worker's olde tyme country music group (The Dallas Cowboy Cheerleader String Band) at the Whistler Bar in Logan Square.

Whistler had a lot of tasty-looking cocktails you don't see a lot of places with ingredients like rye whiskey, pepper-infused tequila, egg whites, etc. Eight bucks each really didn't seem like that bad of a deal, but I wasn't in the mood for booze, so I checked out the beer list. Nothing on draught, but a good selection of regional bottles (Bell's, Great Lakes, Three Floyds) so I was set.

First, I had a Bell's Porter, which was okay, but I think I need to try it again before I write something up. I had been chomping on a bit wad of mint gum immediately before I drank it which might have muddled things up a bit.

After the porter, I felt like trying something different. I drink a lot of dark beer and this blog won't be very interesting if all I talk about is porters, browns and stouts, so I ordered a Great Lakes Commodore Perry IPA.

I'm usually not a huge fan of this style. A lot of IPA's smell too much like pine cones and cat pee for me to consider them a suitable source of refreshment, but I haven't readdressed too many of them since I started getting more into beer. I've really enjoyed most of the GL beers I've had, so I thought theirs was a good one to try.

Before I talk about the actual beer, I want to note a little about the way it was poured. The bartender sat a pint glass on the bar and held the beer totally upside down and let it drain into the glass right down the middle. I was surprised, but it actually produced pretty good results. The head flared up quite a bit at first, but quickly dissipated back into the glass. I usually tilt either the bottle, the glass, or both, so it was interesting to see a different style.

Onto the beer: The first thing that really struck me about this beer was the smell - it had a strong, distinct grapefruit aroma that was really clean and refreshing. I'm usually not one for spending a ton of time sniffing my glass, but this beer deserved it.

The taste was similar, strong grapefruit notes, and the hoppy bitterness you'd expect from an IPA. It's ABV is 7.5%, but it's very well hidden. It's very drinkable and refreshing.

Verdict: Great beer, and affordable too. Great lakes usually runs $7.99 for a six-pack. My girlfriend, also no great fan of IPAs also agreed the beer was "delicious" and ordered one for herself.

Verdict II: Katie's first beer was a Bell's Oberon Wheat Ale. After a few sips she looked at me and said "This tastes like a taco". She was 100% correct. It smelled and tasted like some combination of corn tortillas, sour cream, and aloe. Very strange, and pretty gross. I think I've had Oberon before, and didn't notice, so it's possible she had a bad bottle or the glass wasn't cleaned correctly. Either way, a pretty interesting experience.