Great Lakes Eliot Ness - Great Lakes Brewing Company

Levich

Massachusetts

4.35/5  rDev +5.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a 12 oz bottle into a DFH shaped pint glass.

Eliot Ness pours a nice rich amber color with a rosy hue. There is an off white head which leaves a little bit of lacing. The clarity of this beer's appearance allows one to see the constant effervescence. The aroma is clean and crisp with bready notes. There might also be a hint of fruitiness, but the doughy bread is the overwhelming scent. The first sip reveals the rich biscuity caramel notes in addition to the breadiness. The malty notes are balanced with just a hint of bitter hops and there is a lingering boozy alcohol taste at the end. The mouthfeel is crisp and medium bodied with a mild carbonation. It finishes clean with no stickiness. Although Vienna Lagers are not among my favorite styles of beer, this is a great example of one. It is very flavorful and well balanced. I wish I could get this one more frequently.

Serving type: bottle

01-01-2013 18:09:47 | More by Levich

Apellonious

North Carolina

3.85/5  rDev -6.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

12 oz bottle out of the mix pack.

A - amber with fire orange highlights. One finger head that quickly dissipates into a thin lace.

S - bread, biscuit, mild malt

T - more bread, some back end bitterness, a barely noticeable fruit twang.

M - slightly thin, but solid.

O- a great lager, not quite awe inspiring but definitely recommended.

Serving type: bottle

12-29-2012 00:43:19 | More by Apellonious

ColdWaffles

Pennsylvania

4.45/5  rDev +8.3%
look: 5 | smell: 3 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a 12 oz bottle into a standard pint glass.

Appearance: On point amber color with nice head that sticks around for a good while and leaves a lacing on the glass and the surface of the beer. No complaints at all.

Smell: Didn't pick up much on this serving, I've had this before and picked up more. Picking up a little malt, and a dap of nice hops.

Taste: This is everything I want in a quality amber lager and one of the few amber lagers good enough for me to not just get a Yuengling (the regional favorite for cheap beer) instead. Nice balance of excellent sweet malts and a bit of zesty hops on the end. This is a perfect taste for this beer.

Mouthfeel: Maybe a little thinner than I'm used to given my Yuengling backgroung, but the carbonation is perfect.

This is an excellent beer and one of my favorites.

Serving type: bottle

12-24-2012 00:34:26 | More by ColdWaffles

Huhzubendah

District of Columbia

4/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

The beer is transparenty and amber colored with over an inch of dense, soapy, tan head. The aroma offers malt, lager yeast, fruity notes. The flavor is sweet, with a pronounced lager taste and lingering fruity malts. Biscuits and perhaps some crackers. Light to medium bodied. A bit heavier than your session type lagers. Well done and flavorful, though the sweetness, while not overbearing or cloying, per se, does limit my consumption. A solid beer.

Serving type: bottle

12-23-2012 05:29:28 | More by Huhzubendah

tectactoe

Michigan

3.95/5  rDev -3.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Pours a solid amber color with mild clarity, a touch of haze in the middle of the glass. Light beige head that doesn't last too long and doesn't leave much lacing either. Crisp aroma, almost with some fruit tartness initially; light berries and apple skins. Lightly toasted caramel grains abound in this one, with a slightly floral underbody. The first sip follows through with the crispiness of the aroma, headed by an array of toasted grains and malts, light caramel and toffee flavors. Some mild apples and raisin fruitiness comes through and sweetens things up just a bit. Slight hoppy taste in the background, a tiny floral essence, but they never get very bitter, maybe only a touch to balance the malt sweetness. Tasty biscuit-like yeast in the finish; thin body, medium-high carbonation, with a crispy, clean, refreshing finish.

Wow, this beer really surprised me, although I shouldn't be surprised - I've been very happy with most of GL's brews. Nice mix of hops and malts, not too overpowering on either. Great, crisp finish all around, and certainly one of the best lagers I've had in a while.

Serving type: bottle

12-21-2012 16:06:29 | More by tectactoe

MadCat

New Jersey

4.03/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance: Very amber color with a nicely sized tan head that dissipates at a normal rate leaving some lacing

Smell: Sweet caramel malts

Taste: Hit up front with sweet caramel malts, with a little bit of lingering hop bitterness

Mouthfeel: Medium body, medium carbonation, nice feel

Overall: Pretty good, but not one I would search out GLBC for. Either too sweet or not enough hops to balance the sweetness.

Serving type: bottle

12-11-2012 00:36:12 | More by MadCat

CloudStrife

New York

4.05/5  rDev -1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

12oz bottle poured into a tulip. Freshest by 01/19/13.

A: Pours a mostly clear deep amber with a 1.5 finger white head that is rocky and fiarly quick to dissipate. Leaves some decent lacing. Not much visible carbonation in this glass.

S: Get a good blend from this beer. There is a bittering hop but also some dark fruity yet bready/cracker yeastiness.

T: Balanced brew, I'd lean toward it being slightly more malt forward. Hops balance it out but the malt seems to linger more in the aftertaste, There is a sweetness to it.

M: Light to medium bodied with mild carbonation. A pretty smooth and drinkable beer.

Overall a tasty lager that is a smooth and drinkable blend. Isnt overpowering and I think most people could drink and enjoy this beer.

Serving type: bottle

12-07-2012 03:07:07 | More by CloudStrife

champ103

Texas

4.68/5  rDev +13.9%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

A: Pours a brilliant, vibrant hazed orange/reddish color. A perfect two finger white head forms. The head is tightly packed with many fine bubbles cascading up. Rings of lace is left behind. You can't make a beer look better than this from a bottle.
S: Warm toasted malts. Baked bread and biscuit with some caramel sweetness. The toasted malts are amazing, and followed by a light kiss of hops. Lightly floral and grassy. Awesome.
T: Yep, amazing toasted malts, baked bread, and grains. A light sweetness, honey and caramel. Balanced with the perfect amount of spicy/floral hops. The toasted baked bread comes out again towards the end that leaves a perfect dryness in the finish. Again, awesome.
M/D: A near perfect mouthfeel. A medium body with crisp carbonation. So smooth at the same time. Incredibly clean and with a perfect dry finish. So easy and enjoyable to drink. The bottle is gone in no time. All day with this.

I thought Dortmunder Gold was one of the best lagers I have had. This is just as good if not more enjoyable for me because the toasted grains are so amazing. One of the best. I can't recommend this enough.

Serving type: bottle

12-02-2012 05:08:21 | More by champ103

Optifron

Illinois

4.05/5  rDev -1.5%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Enjoyed out of the bottle with some asparagus risotto, 11/16/2012

Appearance: Pours a nice copper/amber, crystal clear. Dense, creamy cream colored head. Great lacing. That’s a good looking beer.

Aroma: Very nice malty aroma. some biscuit. Touch of piney hops.

Taste: nice malt and hop balance. Sweet/bitter. clean amber/biscuit malt flavor.

Mouthfeel: Leaves a residual, slightly dry, bitterness. Other than that, very clean.

Overall: Never been a huge fan of amber lagers, but it’s very nice, biscuity, and clean.

Serving type: bottle

11-28-2012 21:06:04 | More by Optifron

jwhancher

Pennsylvania

4.25/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours a semi-clear amber with good head that fades to a thin lacing. Some very small particles can be seen floating in the light. Smells nice and malty with brown & crystal malts, some caramelization, and a hint of chocolate. Very clean lager aroma. Tastes malty with brown & crystal malts and again with light notes of chocolate at the end. Feels medium and nice assertive bitterness at the front & back end of the malts. Hops don't lend themselves noticeable aroma or flavor, assuming hops were mostly for bittering or they just plain faded in this bottle. Overall, a very well designed & executed beer. GL is quickly becoming a favorite brewery as I try more & more of their beers.

Serving type: bottle

11-28-2012 00:01:14 | More by jwhancher

cosmicevan

New York

3.95/5  rDev -3.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

picked this up in NC when visiting some family last week. enjoyed from my "E" snifter.

a - brew poured a transparent ruby brown. poured with a nice fizzy head that fizzled away quick and left chunky yet fizzy lacing. once things had settled there was a thin skin of fizz on the surface with a ring of fizz on the surface clinging to the edge of the glass. has a really nice glow and color.

s - nice marzen like lager smell. biscuits. toasted malt.

t - toasted malts. some toffee notes.

m - medium body...fizzy.

o - overall a nice vienna lager. not the best one i've had, but a very solid beer.

Serving type: bottle

11-18-2012 22:08:13 | More by cosmicevan

TheMultiYeast

Pennsylvania

4.71/5  rDev +14.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75

Pours clear amber with two fingers of creamy head..lots of lacing as the beer goes down.

Smell is pretty straight forward..toasted grains, biscuits, light hop character, sweet malt

Biscuity, lightly sweet, malt forward but nicely balanced by a hint of bitterness at the end.

Medium bodied and smooth

Great stuff right here!

Serving type: bottle

11-16-2012 02:35:09 | More by TheMultiYeast

Onenote81

North Carolina

4/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Stopped by a neat little pizza joint in Greensboro, The Corner Slice, and saw they had this one on tap amongst other decent offerings. Thought this would go well with a nice meaty pizza.

Came out a deep copper with a frothy white head on top. This head looks like a nitro-pour with its creamy look. Sticks around and leaves plenty of sip rings on the glass. The nose is basic with floral hops, fruity character, alcohol.

Smooth feel. Good carbonation level. Clean and simple is the order of the day with this one. Mild bitterness from the hops, but they don't just add bitterness. They impart a nice flavor as well. A bit of pale fruits round it out, giving this a well balanced profile. This is a nice simple beer that I think is the perfect beer to pair with any food. Glad I got this one.

Serving type: on-tap

11-09-2012 15:18:36 | More by Onenote81

SometimesIfart

Michigan

3.25/5  rDev -20.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A - Pours clear amber with a slightly off white one finger head. Leaves almost no lacing.

S - Munich malt, sweet malt, and apple. Pretty lacking in this department.

T - Munich malt, apples, slight toasted malt, and extremely sweet malt. This is too sweet honestly, it's almost like a dunkel.

M - Medium creams body with medium to high carbonation. Once again however, it is too sweet.

O - Honestly, this beer did not meet my expectations. It lacks depth in my opinion, and Samuel Adams Boston Lager is the clear winner when it comes to this category. I'd have another if handed it, but I wouldn't buy it again.

Serving type: bottle

10-28-2012 04:02:45 | More by SometimesIfart

augustgarage

California

4.1/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a 12oz bottle into a small mug. Best before 1/19/2013.

Amber-tinged fire-brick body beneath two fingers of active off-white foam. Light soapy lacing, good retention.

Light hop presence in the nose backed by plenty of distinctive almost toasty malt. The aroma seems to fade as you become accustomed to it.

Excellent and subtle malt complexity makes up the bulk of the flavor profile, with hints of toast and melanoidins. Hints of bread and black tea are present as well. The hops contribute a moderate bitterness which offsets the high (for a lager) gravity and leads into a perfectly balanced, dry, faintly earthy yet crisp finish.

Medium-light bodied, well carbonated, and brisk mouthfeel.

Very pure and surprisingly hop-forward for the style. I can understand why it's at the top of the pack.

Serving type: bottle

10-28-2012 02:46:01 | More by augustgarage

rangerred

Tennessee

4.35/5  rDev +5.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

12oz bottle into a pint glass.

Pours a deep rich copper with a two finger off-white head. The head refuses to go away and the lacing on the sides of the glass is amazing.

Aroma of toffee, caramel, and chocolate along with a little bit of toast. Some yeast and cinnamon is also apparent in the aroma.

The flavor really has quite a bit going on. Caramel and toffee with dark bread up front with some cinnamon and chocolate lingering in the background. There is also a little bit of dark fruit. A mild bitterness comes in midway through but there isn't much hop flavor to go along with it. Malt is king. Mouthfeel is full but not too sticky. Really good job of keeping things fro getting too sweet which is easy in this kind of beer.

Overall, an amazing beer and one of the best I have ever had in the style. Definitely one to pick up when given the chance.

Serving type: bottle

10-21-2012 22:04:22 | More by rangerred

kangarooAdam59

Maine

4.15/5  rDev +1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Picked up Great Lakes variety pack on my travels out to Michigan:

Best by December 5:

Into a pisener:

A: dark amber/red colored body gives a small white two finger foamy head. Some nice spider web yet small speckled lacing appears and dots nicely around the pilsener. Some very spectacular rings appear as well. The body is too dark for any carbonation to be seen rising.

S: based around the malts up front with some subtle notes of really light smokey chocolate and hops.

T: malts up front with the hops coming out a bit stronger than the chocolate. The chocolate is way more subdued in the taste. There seems to be a slight spicy yet wet finish.

M: light to medium with a very good smoothness to it.

O: this beer is very well done, and I'm pretty much going to keep my last one of this as long as I can before it goes bad.

Serving type: bottle

10-15-2012 17:23:15 | More by kangarooAdam59

BierStein711

Illinois

4.6/5  rDev +11.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Brilliant!!

My new favorite among Vienna Lagers! This one puts Dos Equis Ambar at 2nd place and Sam Adams at 3rd.

Dark amber beer poured into ribbed pint, mild carbonation with two finger off-white head

Smell: Smoky malt, chocolate, and maybe cascade hops??

Taste: Smoky hop, which leads to smooth warming malt with a toasty character, ending with a spicy finish

Mouthfeel: Smoothest Vienna Lager I've ever had!!

Overall, this beer is going in my fridge. Absolutely phenomenal!!

Serving type: bottle

10-05-2012 04:31:22 | More by BierStein711

tut2528

Illinois

3.43/5  rDev -16.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A: pours a deep ruby red that creates a massive 2 fingers worth of very thick/foamy head. Lacing is massive as this does not seem to be going anywhere fast.

S: light hint of hops, a whole lot of barley, slight hint of malt and a mild fruit note.

T: again mild hints of hops, fruit is more bold here than in the nose, some barley notes and a slight malt character.

M: light bodied that sits on the verge of being medium. The fruitiness remains on the palate just enough to eliminate the barley notes that I find undesirable.

O: it’s a decent drinking beer that provides a nice balance of sweetness and hops to overcome the barley aspect. It’s a unique brew but not something I would look to purchase again.

Serving type: bottle

10-01-2012 00:40:25 | More by tut2528

therica

Maryland

4.38/5  rDev +6.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Really nice, pours a sort of dark gray-brown with caramel-glow irridescence and a modest off-white head.

The nose is decent and inviting, caramel and burnt toffee, rich malts, hints of noble hops and slight smoke, coffee and grassy notes.

The taste is at first weaker than I expected for such a dark inviting beer but then it all fell together and I became "enlightened" how amazingly balanced and multi-dimensional this beer is. The flavors seem to swirl and alternate and intermix as though they're alive and dancing for each mouthful which seems slightly different from the mouthful before. Nice malts, sweet and also toasted; toffee or then caramel; noble hops and then a hint of northwest hops in the next mouthful. On and on it goes.

The after-taste is very nice to savor and nothing off-putting-- very smooth yet enjoyable.

Overall I regret that time ran out at last-call and I didn't get to order another!

Serving type: on-tap

09-22-2012 23:00:07 | More by therica

daliandragon

North Carolina

3.9/5  rDev -5.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This is a beer I know I've had before and was surprised to see that I haven't reviewed it. While on vacation in Chicago this summer I became reacquainted with Great Lakes and resolved to sample of as many of their brews as possible. Now that GL is now widely available in NC, this is a happy coincidence.

Ness pours a a copper maroon melange with little head or lace to speak of. Nose is earthy with heavy malt characteristics. Caramel, toffee, roasted, vanilla, and maple come to mind. A brief fresh whiff of hops lingers but not in any strength.

A bit more balanced in flavor than indicated by the nose. Some sharp citrus hops cut through the malt to make their presence felt. The malt flavors match the nose with the addition of burnt and alcohol notes. Rich, bold, and flavorful. May not be to everyone's taste, but this is quality stuff from a brewery that knows theirs.

Serving type: bottle

09-18-2012 01:50:19 | More by daliandragon

Alextricity

Michigan

4.03/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance: A very deep amber color. Almost red. There's a very nice head on this one, and it leaves some pretty good lacing as well.

Smell: As the bottle says, a <VERY> faint hop smell. It's really barely there.

Taste: Wow. The roasted malt comes through well in this one. The sweetness with the bitterness on the finish is fantastic... VERY tasty. It works perfectly as an amber lager.

Mouthfeel: No complaints. Not much to say, other than that it's medium bodied.

Overall, I'm glad I randomly picked this up in a mix-a-six at the store I was at. I was glad to see these ratings when I got home, and even happier when I poured the glass and took a sip. This is even MORE enjoyable to me considering I've had a lot of super hoppy beers/IPAs recently. It's nice to have something a bit malty after so much of that. All-in-all, a great beer. Some may be turned off by its sweetness, but that's what I think I love about this beer. The sweetness and bitterness just works very well. Would definitely get this one again.

Serving type: bottle

09-05-2012 02:15:32 | More by Alextricity

mcintire78

Massachusetts

4.1/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

A: Medium amber to deep amber in color, a significant 1-2 finger head that dissipates slowly. Some lacing.

S: Sweet, light to medium notes of caramel and some spices.

T: Caramel malt taste with a slightly hoppy finish.

M: Very light and drinkable. Definitely the best feature of the beer.

D: High, dangerously high. If I lived in Ohio I'd be buying this by the six pack.

Serving type: bottle

08-30-2012 03:06:34 | More by mcintire78

dbrauneis

New Jersey

4/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Served in a bottle at Cork City Pub in Hoboken, NJ

A: Pours a clear deep amber in color with light amounts of visible carbonation. The beer has a finger tall dense beige head that reduces to a thin film covering the majority of the surface of the beer and a thin ring at the edges of the glass. Moderate amounts of lacing are observed.

S: Light to moderate aromas of caramel malts with some sweetness as well as spices.

T: Moderate flavors of caramel malts with a light amount of sweetness. There is a light spiciness with some light to moderate amounts of bitterness which linger.

M: Medium bodied with moderate amounts of carbonation. Smooth.

O: Very easy to drink and enjoyable, I could certainly put a couple of these down in a session. Very good flavor complexity.

Serving type: bottle

08-26-2012 23:53:45 | More by dbrauneis

Pacostacos

3.3/5  rDev -19.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

This beer is just not meant for my palette I guess. I've had it in bars in Northeast Ohio and in bottle form numerous times.

I'm not going to give a lengthy review, but I'm just weighing in to say this beer never did anything for me. It has a caramel, nutty, sweet mouthful that turns me off and makes me wish I was drinking something else.

I do greatly enjoy Great Lakes Edmund Fitzgerald Porter as well as Dortmunder Lager. I'm not afraid to say however that my opinion of the Elliot Ness Amber Lager greatly differs from the common opinion of the experts..who like it a lot. I don't care for it very much.

Serving type: bottle

08-15-2012 03:35:35 | More by Pacostacos