Granite City Brewing Company - Brother Benedict's Bock; Northern Lager; Duke of Wellington Pale Ale

Granite City Brewery is a chain of brewpubs in the Midwest.  I have been there once and their beer and menu were both good and to my taste.  They have now started to offer some of their beer in bottles apparently contract brewed at the Minhas Brewery in Monroe, Wisconsin.

Brother Benedict's Bock - The beer pours dark brown with just a bit of ruby translucence at the bottom of the glass.  There is a quarter inch of creamy off white head.  The aroma is malt, sweet, slightly roasted and with a bit of malt vinegar.  The aroma reminds me of many of the ales I tried in Scotland.  The taste is nutty, malty, slightly sweet and a tinge of malt vinegar.  This is a delicous beer.  Although they call it a bock, it is a lot like many Scottish nut brown type ales too.  It also has some similarities to Huber Bock, but is better, more balanced.  This is interesting to note because it says the beer is brewed in Monroe, Wisconsin.  Granite City is not based out of Monroe, but the Minhas Craft Brewery, brewer of Huber Bock, is based there.

Northern Lager - This beer pours an orangish honey golden with a small white head.  The aroma is redolent of malted barley, like the malting room of a distillery, slightly sweet, aromatic,  pungent.  The taste is extremely malty,with a touch of sweet potato.  This beer tastes like walking past a large brewery.  It has impressive maltiness, but as a lager, could use more hop bite and bitterness on the finish to help balance it out.

Duke of Wellington Pale Ale - This beer pours a medium dark brown, orange and dark copper in color.  It has a short thick and creamy head of off-white to light brown foam that leaves thick and sticky lacing down the glass.  The aroma is caramel, light molasses, dark fruit like plums and raisins.  The taste is dark caramel malt, nearly burnt toast, some fruit and a bitter finish.  A decent take on an English pale ale.

http://www.gcfb.net/