Great Lakes Eliot Ness

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

12 Oz Bottle. A tall cool drink of crystalline florid rock salt plunks down on the table. Carbonation expands, taking with it viscous foams of ivory. I walk by a fresh caramel corn stand in a Des Moines mall. From across the hall a Flower Stands open and cuts their rose stems. A Hmong women opens a pack of M&M peanuts, hands two to her children, drops one and eats the rest in a fell swoop. Outside, my humours entertain a late April breeze, while savouring lightly roasted Carne Asada from a roadside stand in the Salton Valley, fresh with grilled corn and chicken. The tortilla is salty. My fresh local multi-grain pops from the toaster and I slather it with honey butter. On the long draw, I gather some sweet grass. Refined. Exacted. A deft and delectable Vienna with scrumptous malt and well-played noticable hops. Palate is near perfection. Fantastic.

Holy crap what a superb vienna. This blows away any other that I’ve had. Aroma was good...caramel malt and some hops. Pour was a dark amber with a one finger off white head. Taste was very strong...caramel malt all the way with just a bit of hops in the background. Medium mouthfeel and decent carbonation. Very strong and tasty for a vienna.

Glowing copper color with a tight head. Malty caramel aroma with mild pit fruit spiciness. Smooth medium body. Taste is malt driven caramel/toffee sweetness with some nice fruity floral flavors. Draft@ Lakes CLE airport.

In a blind taste test I say no way this is a lager...too full flavored (roasted malt and hoppy bitterness) with a rich mouthfeel and nice crisp bitter finish. Pretty good.

Draft, Clevleand airport. Copper-red with small head that hangs and leaves nice frosty lace. Aroma is malty and sourish. I think this beer and some others sampled at this location have seen some hours at elevated keg temperatures; I suspect in transport from the brewery. Flavor is toasted nut and grain, with nice slight hop balance. Palate is light-medium and fizzy, with some hop tingle at the end. Hop more noticeable in the aftertaste, pretty nice.

Had to fight pretty hard to get a decent head on this one. Off white and thin with minimal carbonation. Weak aroma with some bready malts, bit of bitter hops and yes as willblake says, pretzel like. Color is a bright dark amber. Light malts and a bit of sweetness. Hint of bitterness from the hops. Little dry and astringent at the finish. Decent brew.

toasty, caramel, sweet and sour all malt goodness. Absolutley delicious lager..superbly made. I like the hop tinges and slightly more crisp nature of Riverwest Stein, but not by a lot. Wonderful.

Bottle. Dark amber body with a thick film of bubbles. Nose-apple, hay, caramel. Taste-sweet husk, lactic, hay, low-medium bitterness, apple juice, lightly syrupy. Pretty good, but can be easily summed up in four words: apple juice and husk.