Great Lakes Eliot Ness

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

Granted, the bottle that I am rating is slightly out of date (best before June 07), but I don’t think drinking it 4-5 months past it’s "prime" will make much of a difference. Or does it? This beer just wasn’t very good, which is strange because I absolutely love Great Lakes. An aroma of iced tea, lightly sweet with a bit of a twang to it. Appearance is stunning. A beautiful reddish/orange hue, mostly clear with a nice 1 inch head on pour which disipated to a thin scummy foam. The thing about the flavor was the tartness/sour factor which wasn’t pleasing at all, especially in a lager. I would almost dismiss it as hop bitterness, but it reminds me of some kind of bug spray. I will definitely have to hunt down a fresher bottle and will re-rate if/when I do. But until that time, this beer was a letdown.

Thanks for the bottle from The_Epeeist. Darker amber color. 1/2 finger head with a strong pour. Hoppy aroma on pour fades to a medium intensity melanoidal caramelized malt aroma. Nice aroma. Medium sweet to dry. No off flavors. Nice amber!

Bottle courtesy of fiver29. You da man John! Pours a crystal clear amber color with a 2 finger head that creates spotty lacing. Nose is grassy malts and a touch of sweet caramel. Palate is thin, with sweet malt with a some citrusy hop bite at the end with a fairly dry finish. Not bad.

12oz bottle-A light to medium amber body with a small ring for a head and an aroma of roasted malt and a little caramel. Taste of this medium bodied brew is of malt and sweetness. A nice tasting brew.

From a 12 oz. long neck brown bottle with a blurb about the lager and a best before on the side of label. Made a good appearance, poured a red hued amber with a small foamy pale tan head that settled into a thin, semi-clingy lacing, good, active carbonation. Had a nice toasted grainy nose with whiffs of floral and herbal hops and a quiet sweetness around the edges. A smooth, chewy, full feeling, light bodied mouth feel, very good drinkability. A big, delicious toasted grainy and caramel malty taste, a gentle herbal bitterness showing up towards the middle and a dry, semi-sweet, grainy finish, highly quaffable.

Light brown in color; thin and effervescent head. Interesting sweet finish that is very subtle. Maybe just a hint of cotton candy. Bready. Mouthfeel is explosive. Gets buttery towrds the end. Much more complex then say a Negra Modelo. Thank you jstu9.

Pours amber with a fully receding wispy white head. Aroma of toffee, caramel, and malty lager yeast. Taste of chewy caramel malt with bready yeast. Alcohol is somewhat noticable. Mouthfeel is medium bodied with dense carbonation. Reminds me very much of an Oktoberfest I just brewed, this yeast is very similar to Wy2308. Enjoyable.

Malty, sweet Ruby brew. Actually easier drinking than I was expecting, but more of a plus for this one. I really am not too much of a fan of the style, but this one is great, can’t wait to have again!