The Brew Kettle – Dark Helmet – I have to like any beer that  is named after a character from Spaceballs. Maybe not like the beer but I will get a good laugh from the name. It is named Dark Helmet because it’s a black lager or as they call it a schwartzbier, which is a German style black lager much like Thirsty Dog’s Rail Dog. This one isn’t smoked though which makes a difference. This beer has more bitterness at 30 IBU, but the taste of the hops is still not very apparent. The roasted malt takes over as normal in the taste department. Dark Helmet will lead you to putting one on if you’re not too careful. They pack in the ABV at 9.0% and it goes down pretty smoothly. They are distributed by Premium Beverage Supply so if you have them in your area, enjoy this one.

Great Lakes Brewing Co. – Dortmunder Gold – I’m finishing up with two beers from Great Lakes. Dortmunder Gold is one of their mainstay beers unlike Tripel Dog Dare. Most people can likely get Gold but not the Dog. This beer is a basic gold lager. At least in this case, basic means nothing fancy but still really tasty. If I was recommending getting someone off the light beer of their choice this one would be it. They have just a little taste of hops bite with Cascade and hops aroma with Mt. Hood. It’s definitely only a little at 30 IBU. Unlike Dark Helmet, this one doesn’t have roasted malt so it doesn’t hide the hops as much. They use Harrington 2 Row and Caramel 60 as their malts. With the ABV at 5.8% it is close to a light beer level of heaviness too.

Great Lakes Brewing Co. – Tripel Dog Dare – You’re going to have to scroll to near the bottom of the link to take a look at the limited information on this beverage. It was on tap at Bob’s Bar, which dubbed itself the Cultural Hub of the Midwest. It’s a great spot to snag beers so it’s no surprise a pub exclusive beer would pop up here. This beer is obviously a Belgian Tripel. It’s much spicier than it is fruity. It all blends well with that kick from Belgian yeast. Tripels are typically low in IBU so this one is relatively high at 30 but it’s still not a prominent flavor. Because it is triple brewed though, the ABV is typically high and this one is no exception at 9.5%. If you can find it in your local pub, I’m telling you to take the Dare. – Kevin