Eliot Ness
Great Lakes Brewing Co.

From a can, an amber brown pour, high clarity, nice off-white head, decent lacing.
Pleasant caramel malt flavors, mildy hoped.
Nicely carbonated, smooth, a mild aftertaste on the finish.
A Very drinkable Amber.

 

 

On tap at the original taproom in the Ohio City neighborhood of Cleveland. Served in a dimpled stein! Solid amber lager.

 

 

 

Appearance:  Originally had it on draft at a beer house in Virginia that unfortunately poured into a plastic cup because apparently it was the type of place that can't trust its customers with glass. Thankfully later enjoyed properly at their Cleveland brewery in a barrel shaped glass mug. Clear copper color. Half inch of khaki head with minimal retention but good lacing.

Aroma:  Light. Malt. Peanuts.

Taste:  Toasted malt. Caramel. Low yet noticeable hop bitterness on the backend. Touch of sweetness before the bitterness.

Feel:  Crisp. Clean. Strong carbonation. Light. Even though the alcohol isn't that high, you can just barely feel the bite of it.

Overall: Wonderfully balanced. Great flavors. Lives up to the style. Easy to drink. What's not to like?

 

 

Great Lakes Brewing Co. – Eliot Ness Amber Lager

Overall: 4.25

Eliot Ness pours with intention. A confident copper-brassy orange, darker than expected, landing somewhere around a bold 14 SRM. When light passes through the glass, it reveals glowing orange highlights, while the shadows settle into deep brown—exactly mirroring the can design. That isn’t an accident; that’s visual engineering. Lacing is present and persistent, reinforcing the impression that this beer was built, not improvised.

The aroma suggests multiple hop expressions working in concert rather than competing, all neatly centered by a solid malt backbone. Floral hop notes float above a warm malt core, restrained and deliberate.

The first sip is where the engineer smiles. An immediate hit of butterscotch and overcooked caramel, followed by a flash of caramel corn—unexpected, playful, and frankly impressive. On the second pull, hop bitterness steps forward, but just long enough to remind you it’s there before the caramel corn character returns, trailing behind like an echo. Then the bitterness settles in properly. This beer doesn’t move in a straight line; it takes your palate on a loop.

With a larger mouthful, a nutty, roasted quality emerges—reminiscent of popcorn kernels just shy of burnt. Clean execution throughout. As the glass progresses, that playful caramel corn tightens into a more traditional, sturdy malt profile. That first sip remains the standout moment—memorable, engineered surprise.

Mouthfeel is fuller than sessionable, and that’s by design. At 6.1% ABV, the alcohol makes its presence known and slightly interrupts the flow, but not enough to derail the experience. This is not a beer for distraction. It asks you to slow down.

Eliot Ness is a contemplative amber—structured, expressive, and confident. If you can only have one beer and you want to think about what you’re drinking—aroma, flavor, progression—this is one worth sitting with and revisiting.


Update:

I bought another can.... Yeah it pours exact same colors as it can... It's so malty and sweet it's so salty caramely, It's delicious It's not particularly bitter... Just enough hop to give it a stop... Reflecting back on my scores and blindly re-rating this... ... Omg everything went up again . It Is so drinkable, so enjoyable . If you called it Octoberfest Marzen it would win awards in the fall of the year... Yeah this compares with my top beer selections.

 

 

Just as the style suggests - An easy to drink lager that showcases both malt and hops. A medium-bodied lager with a toasty or caramel-like malt character. Hop bitterness was very low at 27 ibu’s. And the 6.2 abv blends well with flavors. Will have again…

 

 

 

Pours a reddish brown color with a 2F orange brown head and light lacing.

Smells and tastes of sweet toasted malt , hops and a bit of caramel with a lightly bitter finish.

Medium light body and carbonation. Crisp mouth feel.

This is a nice quite drinkable brew that is similar to a marzen.