Great Lakes Dortmunder Gold

One of my co-workers has repeatedly urged me to review the various beers from the Great Lakes Brewing Company of Cleveland, Ohio. During a recent visit to the grocery store, I took the opportunity to pick up a few varieties.

Dortmunder Gold is, like the name implies, a golden lager. Not only is it golden in color, it has repeatedly won gold medals at competitions... It attempts to follow in the tradition of brewing in the Dortmund, Germany region.

This beer leads off with a predominantly grain flavor with some hints of bread throughout. It also leads off with some subtle malt sweetness that gives way to a pleasant balance of hops. It doesn't have the hops kick of Sam Adams Boston Lager, for example, but it also doesn't trail off slightly sweet (like a Budweiser, for example).

I've enjoyed this beer with several varieties of foods, as well as solo -- and it does well in both situations. Great Lakes mentions chicken, fish, and salads as a possible food partner. Truthfully, I rarely eat fish or salads, but I can say that it goes well with Chicken, with Pizza (any beer that doesn't go well with pizza deserves a trip down the drain), and with Pasta. Complements a bag of potato chips well, too. No Haute Cuisine for the big dog!

This beer is absolutely worthy of a try. Drinkable, with character, and refreshing. Those gold medals it won aren't a fluke! Good job, Great Lakes!