Great Lakes Nosferatu (Autumn Seasonal)

There are a few beers I keep missing out on that are autumn seasonals. Twice now I've failed to buy Sierra Nevada's Tumbler, the brewery's autumn brown ale. Well, I sort of made up for my mistake by picking up Great Lakes Brewing Co's autumn red ale, Nosferatu, the last time I saw it at my go-to bottle shop say 3-4 weeks ago. I figured if I didn't pick it up then, it wouldn't be there next visit (I guess I'm learning). Not only do I love the name, but I especially love the robustness of the brew.

Nosferatu smells amazing even from the bottle. Fruity hops (berries) & rich caramel malts.

Poured into my Breckenridge Vanilla Porter nonic pint glass, the brew is an appealing reddish-brown. A sticky nougat head sits up top.

The smell is intensely malty; candy-like; caramel and fruit roll-up. Cold milk chocolate; herbal hops. A great aroma.

Taste is prickly; a bit boozy up front (alcohol lingers). Brown and/or chocolate malts show up in the middle. Dark notes start to linger with the alcohol (a welcome addition). This brew doesn't shy from bittering hops or fruity hops flavors.

Remarkably creamy for a beer that grows bitter toward the end; well rounded.

Notes: a big feature to this robust beer is its lingering qualities, which leads me to suggest Great Lakes should continue to release this in the fall, but push it through the winter season due to its warming effect.