Great Lakes Eliot Ness

Brewed by Great Lakes Brewing Company
Style: Vienna
Cleveland, Ohio USA

Pours copper with a decent offwhite head that laces a little. Mild citrus and mostly caramel malt aroma. The flavor is malty, some brown sugar notes and maple syrup. Very smooth on the palate and creamy. Quite a tasty brew and it leaves a very sweet doughy aftertase that made me want to get the next one out of the cooler. All viennas should be judged by this one. Delicious!!

Pours with a brilliantly clear amber color that shows a rich brownish tinged ruby color when held up to the light. It is topped by frothy, almost creamy, light tan colored head. Wow the aroma is quite rich with a malty sweetness that I was not expecting from a Vienna. The aroma is so sweet it almost takes on a fruity note that is a bit like raisins, or even perhaps a hint of cherry. There is also a light spicy hop note here that accentuates the fruit character found in the nose. Underneath the sweetness is a bit of dry toasted malt aromatics that are just noticeable.

The taste is definitely sweet, though thankfully not nearly as much as the aroma might expect. There are fruity notes of raisins and again a hint of cherry. The hops have a nice, though subtle, contribution here that is lightly spicy, every so slightly herbal and a nice balancing bitterness in the finish. As the beer warms up the sweetness picks up a bit, at times it becomes a bit too much. Most of the time it is held in check by the hopping levels and the under-current of dry maltiness; like notes of biscuits and lightly toasted malt. This beer certainly blows most examples of the style out of the water, but I can’t help but think that this would be that much better if it had not finished a little bit drier; it would be a bit more in balance and all that much more quaffable.

12oz bottle, kmweaver-exclusive non-RBSG pity-party tasting 2007, courtesy of Monger. Thanks, James!! Pours a clear, medium amber color; whitish head with good retention and fine-bubbled lacing. Light, candy sugar and tea-like malts in the aroma. Medium mouthfeel: plenty of lightly toasted malts and candy sugar; slightly dry in the mouth (almost tea-like), with a pleasant, dense red ale character; hints of citrus and earthy notes. Lengthy, dry malty finish; lightly toasted (like me).

Reddish/Amber Coloring. Good Malt and Hops Flavors. Balanced Well. Some Spice, Bread Dough, Grains... Very Nice Brew.

12oz bottle. copper color. Aroma of malted body, nice caramel. Flavor of pale malts, some wood notes. Aged very well, nice lagering. Well balanced. Not my type of beer, still really good.

Bottle pours translucent caramel, small milkish cream colored head, lively carbonation, with decent lacing.   Malts, biscuit, cookie dough, and floral esters on the nose.   Malty, chewy, caramel, cookie dough, slightly sweet, very smooth, oh yeah this is damn tasty!   WOW, by far the best Vienna I have had.   No real bitterness, just a nice malty flavor with hints of caramel.   Clean, crisp, with a nice finish.   Body and mouthfeel are very appropriate.   I would easly have this one again.   Thanks goes out to TChrome for the trade!

THis has got to be one of their best. No other Vienna style that I’ve had even comes close. An almost chunky caramel malt with a nice thick-hop flavor (i’ve never before referred to hops as ’thick’, but it seems to fit here.) All your Vienna’s should be compared to this!

Pretty, clear mahogany with a yellow khaki head that builds up nicely but fades quickly. Toasted malty aroma is followed by a lightly sweet toast flavor with a bit of bright hop bitterness in the finish. Great Lakes really excels with its lagers.