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Guest Video Review by Dave Coulter
Not so long ago I was chatting with my good buddy Dave Coulter in that greatest of all facebook groups devoted to beer, Honest Craft Beer Reviews. We were talking about the time that I and the legendary Red Rooster visited Cleveland’s Great Lakes Brewing Company, and we had to cross over a cryptic and imposing bridge over the Cuyahoga River in the middle of an April snowstorm to get there. The name of the bridge, as Dave was so kind to inform, is the Hope Memorial Bridge. It’s dominant feature is a series of statues called “The Guardians”, who are no doubt charged with guarding Great Lakes wonderful beer. We just called the bridge, “Bridge In Our Way to Get to Great Lakes”.
Anyway, after all these years, I still have a bridge to Great lakes, and that bridge today is Dave Coulter himself. Dave was kind enough to provide a bottle of Great Lakes Spacewalker American Belgo for me to enjoy, and enjoy it I did. Why Spacewalker as the name for this tasty Belgian Strong ale? From the label:
Perhaps one of space’s great mysteries is why so many of its explorers hail from Ohio. In honor of the 25 courageous astronauts who have called Ohio their terrestrial home, and the nine Ohio men and women who’ve logged hours walking in space, we present this adventurous brew. Our American Belgo is a trans-continental journey combining bold American hops, candy-sweet Belgian yeast, and a complex blend of malts to boldly go where few beers have gone before.
Spacewalker is a new beer for 2014, only released in June. It has an alcohol content of 8.2% by volume and my bottle says it is best before 10/15/14, though I think it will keep longer properly stored.
Great Lakes Spacewalker American Belgo pours to a hazy orange yellow color with lots of yeast in sediment and a thick white head of foam. The nose teases with Belgian funk and spicy hops. Taking a sip, the beer has a full mouthfeel of smooth malt, but the Belgian yeastiness soon takes over and this one is loaded with funk. In the finish, an assertive hop bitterness if not aroma takes over and along with a touch of alcohol warmth dries this out perfectly. Very Belgian in character, I keep reflecting on all the funk and spice in the nose and palate, and that only grows more massive as the beer warms. In fact, I just wanted to savor this one and took my time doing it, and so I gently sniffed and sipped for a while, and at the last when it was all gone, I confess to feeling a bit sad. It was that good.
Not a beer to be missed.
And remember, try a new beer today, and drink outside the box.
*Pricing data accurate at time of review or latest update. For reference only, based on actual price paid by reviewer.
(B)=Bottled
(D)=Draft
(G)=Growler
