Beer of the Week: Great Lakes Eliot Ness Amber Lager

Beer score: 8.2

Company: Great Lakes Brewing Company

ABV: 6.1
IBU: 27

Wow. Just ... wow. I lived most of the 1990s in Ohio where I could regularly enjoy beers from the Great Lakes Brewing folks, but that's been a long while and I'd nearly forgotten just how awesome their beers can be.

And this one is no exception.

Pours a dark, smooth amber into a glass, looking something like liquid copper. While pouring, the scent reaches your nose right away, bringing tones of burnt malts, the barest hint of fruit, and plenty of dark caramel syrup.

Then the taste. Oh, the taste. Caramel and toffee lovers should enjoy this one, especially if they like the darker varieties of those sweets. There are also hints of coffee and maybe cherry here. Fans of darker, heavier beers should also like this one. And while this is something of a sweet beer, it's not super sweet, so don't sweat that if you don't care for sweet brews.

And the texture: Smooth, creamy, dreamy, with the perfect amount of light carbonation. This beer is not near heavy enough to be a stout and not strong enough to even be a porter, but it has more than a little density behind it.