Great Lakes Eliot Ness
I'm not reviewing this beer by any style other than "lager", so... My new favorite beer. It's even passed up the almighty Arrogant Bastard...and I'm almost totally an ale or hefe-weisse guy, so that should say something. A coppery color with a good two-finger head, leaving an attractive if thin lacing down the glass. Toasty aroma, primarily of malt with a bit of bread and hints of fruity hops. Smooth but bold flavor, again of toasty malt, with some distinct caramel flavor in there, with a good hop presence that gives just the right amount of bite without overpowering any of the complex underlying malt flavors. Some fig and date flavors subtly underly the general characteristics, but don't come into the forefront. Starts off sweet and ends slightly sour/bitter with a good finish. Closely resembles SA's Boston Lager, but is a bit smoother and definitely more complex. Mouthfeel is excellent, and is amazingly drinkable--either for quickly downing (but that's a terrible waste) or for slowly savoring. Excellent brew. Just a warning: Great Lakes' strict adherence to the Bavarian Purity Law means their beers can get skunky fairly quickly; but given that I've never encountered a bad beer from them, unless you're transporting them over long distances without refrigeration, that won't be a problem...they're too hard not to drink to even worry about that.