REVIEW 15: ELIOT NESS

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN:  USA

BREWERY:  Great Lakes Brewing Company

STYLE:  Vienna Lager

ABV:  6.2%

PURCHASE:  60-oz. pitcher, $10.00.

SERVING:  Said pitcher, poured into chilled pint glass. Solid inch to an inch and a half of head from the tap to the pitcher. Heady from the pitcher to the glass, though: Even a 20-second pour resulted in suds occupying almost half the glass. It took a 30-second pour to produce an ideal 3/4" crown.

APPEARANCE:  Deep, rich amber-mahogany hue and moderately opaque. Off-white head bordering upon light beige.

BOUQUET:  One of the most pleasant and inviting aromas you will find in an American brew. Floral hops and pressed grains are most prominent, but traces of wheat and even a slight hint of oat abound. Caramel seems to be the overtone that pervades. Malted barley tones lurk in the background of each whiff.

PALATE:  Somewhat heavy body. Conspicuous carbonation if left to linger, but somehow it works. Overall, sports a Sam Adams Boston Lager taste profile--they are, after all, the same style of beer--but lacks Sam's subtle spice and citrus notes. That said, it features more of a kick from noble hops, and an excellent hop-malt balance. Pleasantly sweet and slightly biscuity finish and aftertaste makes for a highly gratifying end--and bridge--to each sip. 

MUSINGS AND METAPHORS:  What Sam is to Boston, Eliot is to Cleveland. The real-life Eliot Ness led a team of Prohibition-era G-men, known as "The Untouchables," and when not fighting Al Capone, frequented taverns in the Cleveland area, most notably one that stood on the site of the present day Great Lakes brewpub. Don't believe me?  Read it here. 

Is that the only reason this beer takes the crimefighting legend as namesake?  Perhaps the brewmasters were drawing an analogy between the uncompromising nature of the brew to the "untouchable" nature of the man. Who knows? All I know is that the beer was outstanding, and as far as American-brewed Vienna lagers go, may even edge Sam.





GRADE:  A