Eli's Steam & Imperial Amber

I cracked a few of Eli's homebrews this evening, and figured I'd give them a run down, as well as bash American styles for a while. These are 2 styles I normally don't enjoy, but both of Eli's were excellent, especially the Imperial Amber.

Steam - Spicy, piney nose with a hint of rubber. Very full mouthfeel, well carbonated. Earthy and bready malt notes with a nice smack of hop bitterness in the finish. Well done Eli, and to be honest it's the first Steam I've ever liked. I guess I just don't understand the style. Lager yeast at ale temperatures sounds fine and dandy, but it winds up tasting like nothing special. I think part of this has to do with my hatred of getting drunk. Sessionable styles of beer just don't appeal to me as much as they used to. I generally drink 2 beers at a time before my stomach starts getting all pissy, so I want those 2 to pack a punch. Now I gotta emphasize - I'm ranting about the style. I actually really liked Eli's.

Imperial Amber - Pours a beautiful, hazy burgundy with a strong beige head. This one has an awesome smell. Caramel and brown sugar immediately, followed by a fantastic spicy, citric, peppery and piney hop aroma. The flavor is just as on point as the smell. Super hoppy, but with underlying sticky sweet malts throughout, and a strong alcohol presence that is a welcome finish. Eli - I fucking love it. Call it an American Strong Ale and you've won Febtoberfest. Now let me bitch real quick. Imperial Amber. What I like about this style - Imperial. What I don't like - Amber. Regular amber beers just seem so boring to me anymore. I'll take this over any amber, any day of the week, no questions asked.

Well, Eli, I think it's safe to say you've moved for beyond the days of the EAssB. We'll just pretend that beer never happened. Killer job.