Great Lakes Grassroots Ale

Formerly Hale Ale: A fragrant saison blended with coriander, lemon balm, chamomile and lemon basil, some of which were sustainably grown on our "Pint Size Farm" at Hale Farm & Village.

[old description:
Light ale spiced with ginger and lemongrass.

Silver Medal, 1995 World Beer Championships (as Wit’s End Belgian White) ]

181 reviews

Cleveland, United States

Community reviews

3.5 Location: 12 oz bottle from jcos, 10/26/09 Aroma: Quite a fragrant citrusy, farmhouse nose, its got some lemon, spice, and some vegetal earthiness Appearance: It pours a hazy yellow color with a creamy white head with good retention Flavor: The flavor is a really rather citrusy sweet, similar to the nose, but with much less earthy funk Palate: The body on this one is medium, and this beer has a nice smooth mouthfeel Overall Impression: This is one of those beers that’s nose gives one impression, but that’s flavor is quite a bit different. I liked them both though. The nose works pretty well, and so does the flavor. I actually thought this one was a little underrated when I looked at the score. It’s a pretty nice beer. **Just submitted a Photo for this one as well, as it was missing one.

3.6 Bottle ( 12oz ). Hazy orange-gold, huge fluffy lasting white head. Aroma of pear, your grandma’s flower garden, and fresh-turned loam - sweet, but not overly so. The taste is dry, slightly vegetal, and a well-blended banana/coriander/lemon/sweet yeasty malt - a little sweet, but tasty. Average body, soft, spicy mouthfeel, the sweet malt lingers nicely, not over-hopped at all - a bit marmalade-like perhaps, but very tasty - I think the scores are a tad harsh here.

3.2 12oz bottle from a trade.... pours a vivid and bright orange with a thin wispy off-white head.... aroma is very earthy with tea-like notes and other spices.... sweet citrus notes, earthy malt with spice notes. finishes with a residual sweetness. medium carbonation and body... i don’t mind it too much but it’s not all that great.

3.2 12oz. bottle, with thanks to kujo9 for another great bonus! Pours a clear light golden with a moderate white head. Aroma is earthy spices, yeast, citrus peel, some herbal and floral notes, and unfortunately vegetable that comes on stronger as it warms. Flavor is more floral, with some earthy spice, herbs, citrus peel and a hint of sweetness to keep things interesting. This would be much better if that vegetable aroma wasn’t there... Thanks again Mike!

3.4 Hazy golden out of the bottle with a big frothy, sticky white head. Nose of camomille, lemon and some canned green beans. Camomille and herbal tastes in the flavor with some lemon, bitter orange peel and faint soap. Refreshing and accessable Saison.

3.3 Gold pour with lively carbonation. Lots of floaters. Lemon grass and chamomile . Basil, lemon and corriander. Complex but overly complex if that makes any sense

2.8 Bottle gift. Golden pour with earth aromas. Tasye of lemon/honey. I dunno this was not for me.

3.5 Particle laden golden ale with a medium white lace maker of a head. Aroma is very herbal with lemon grass and tea backed up by spicy year, lemon and mild spiciness. Taste of heavy lemon grass, chamomile, herbal hops, basil and mild pepper. Mouth feel is a touch oily and it finishes up with some mild spicy yeast. Good, but tends to wear on me a bit over the course of 12 ounces.

2.8 I was given a sample of this from a growler at Rhorbach’s. Maybe not that fresh. Pours a clear golden yellow with a small amount of white head. Has a nutty, lemony aroma and tart at first. Very odd tasting but ok.

2.9 Kind of odd saison. Pours light coloured body with abundant white foaming head. Herbal, yeasty and some spice aroma, al together rather odd. Taste is herbal tea married with beer, drinkable but not something i would seek out again. Middling mouthfeel.

3.3 Bottle. Gold, slight haze, okay head. Nice crisp carbonation. Lots of spices here and some chamomile, plus the yeast itself isn’t neutral. IMO, it’s not too much, though. There’s still a beer in there. I did drink one of the sixer too warm, and it was unbearable, so be careful.

2.9 12 ounce bottle poured into pint glass. Big white head. Decent spice smell, kind of interesting taste. I kind of liked the mixture of refreshing and spice taste. I liked this one and would buy again

3.4 Bottled. Nice pour, big fluffy head. When cold and fresh from the bottle this is nice and dry and doughy, but as the beer warms and breathes that changes. Kind of nutty, splintery, and syrupy, the aroma is an odd mishmash of chewy malts and locker-room funk. Has a spritzy mouthfeel up front that falls into a flat, lifeless finish with cement, sweat, anise, and orange peel. Not quite as bad as the ratings suggest, but hardly great.

3.6 Other people aren’t really into this, but I thought it was really god. Light, refreshing, the herbal flavor is subtle and goes nicely.

2.6 12 oz. bottle. Pours a hazy golden color with a nice sized fluffy ivory head. The aroma is strangely vegetal with some earthiness. Some herbs and floral notes sneak through. Flavor also has some off vegetal notes around what is otherwise sweet, lightly toasted, herbal, and citrusy. I don’t know if we had the best bottle and will be giving this another chance at some time. I know this brewery can do better.

3.2 Nice creme color head. Cloudy golden color beer. Sweet aroma, spices and honey. Mildly sweet citrus and floral flavor with spices, hint of lemon underneath. Medium bodied with a frothy finish and leaves a tangy spicy taste in the mouth. Mild carbonation. Beer leaves some lacing and warms nicely. Mediocre beer that is not overly complex and seems to just fall short.

2.5 another 12 oz’er from BeerVirgin for winning her contest, thanks Dawn. while always glad to have the opportunity to try a new beer, this one just did not do it for me. aroma was an overpowering mix of lemon zest, ginger and other spices. two minutes after pouring this into my snifter, the beer is completely devoid of any hint of lace, foam or any bubbles. no, it’s not flat, it’s lightly carbonated. lemon and all the other spices dominate the flavor. a strange brew from start to finish.

2.7 Date: August 20, 2009 Mode: Bottle Source: Roadtrip Appearance: hazy light gold, frothy off white head, drippy lace Aroma: sweet and spicy aroma, touch of funky feet Flavor: sweet malt flavor, lots of spicyness, growing touch of funk Aroma: 5/10; Appearance: 7/10; Flavor: 5/10; Palate: 6/10; Overall: 10/20 Rating: 2.7/5.0 Drinkability: 6/10 Score: *4

3.2 Poured a cloudy dark gold brown color with small layer of foamy offwhite head that lasts. Aroma is dominated by spices with the character yeasty base. Flavor was a medium mouthfeel with a bready base and definitely lots of ginger and spice. Overall I thought it was pretty decent and a bit different.

3.3 Poured a cloudy golden color.Lots of citrus and spice on the nose.Flavor of breadiness, cirus with some black peper on the back end.

3.0 12oz bottle. Slightly cloudy with a thin spotty head. Aroma is spicy, fruity, herbs. Flavors are spicy and sweet - actually not refreshing because its way too sweet. And not warming or complex. I’m sad to say this isn’t a winner in my book.

3.5 On draft at the brewpub. Pours a slightly cloudy light orange gold with a medium white head. Aroma of saison, light spice and cloves. Taste is much the same. A bit watery, yet refreshing.

3.3 Hazy gold with a white head. Sweet malts, grassy, coriander, citrus peel, and herbal aroma. Flavor is a little lighter on the sweet malts. Citrus, herbs, soft grass, and some Belgian yeast. Strong carbonation. A nice ale, but not what I was looking for in this beer.

3.3 hazed orange-tinted yellow, thin white halo. Nose was predominately yeasty with large doses of coriander, citrus zest, and a crazy herb bundle. Sharp, prickly, piercing carbonation with the yeast and herbs combining strangely. Carbonation hurts, the yeast is extremely belgian but for some reason, the spices combine interestingly and the citrus zest is a nice lifting balance. Not something I’d seek out again, but certainly not something Im not going to finish the last of the bottle of.

4.2 Great Lakes Grassroots Ale is a slightly hazy pale yellow ale with a huge, creamy, dense white head that has excellent retention and lacing. It sure smells like a farmhouse. It’s funky, with notes of old fruit, barnyard and bret. It’s medium bodied and super velvety smooth with a clean finish. It’s slightly tart at the beginning of the taste and then it turns smokey. The aftertaste is like bacon. This is a super funky ale. [Sampled at the 2009 Flower City Brewers’ Fest at Frontier Field, Rochester, NY]

3.0 cloudy orange gold color with a thin white head that goes away pretty quick, spicy esters in the nose, very sweet flavor, herbal, soft and spicy hops and esters meld together, big yeasty characters, black pepper, this would be a hard beer to drink more than one of, very sweet

2.6 Not excited about this at all. Sample at Great Lakes in a plastic cup from bottle. Poured yellow with a sad little white head. Super spicy and overly sweet. Glad it was only a dinky sample.

3.3 I was pleasantly surprised by this, after seeing the ratings here. It looks like honey, not much of a head. The smell is, admittedly, strange. Definite citrus, but I can’t quite define what else. It’s got a very earthy flavor, a little peppery near the end. Crisp and refreshing on the whole though - it’s really not as bad as the 2.99 rating it has (at the time of this rating), IMO.

3.3 Bottle courtesy of MarkWise. Poured a hazy golden color with a thin off-white head. Nose is earthy and spicy with notes of chamomile, lemon zest, bread, and grass. Thin to medium body with lively carbonation. Flavor is sweet and spicy with a big floral character. Hints of ginger, honey, and corriander. Slightly acidic with some vegetal undernotes. Seems under attenuated. Finishes peppery. Not great.

2.6 Mostly offensive floral and vegetable aromas. Clean slightly sour flavor, ruined by the sickening aroma. I suppose some might enjoy this - I don’t.