Great Lakes Edmund Fitzgerald Porter

Beer:  Edmund Fitzgerald Porter (EFP)

Brewery: Great Lakes Brewery

Date: January 31st, 2014

Style:  Porter

ABV: 5.8%

Similar To:  Founders Porter, Buckledown Shady Aftermath

Description:
It had been a long, cold, beerless week.  I thought that it might get a lot longer when I remembered, after 2 days of significantly sub-zero temperatures, that I'd left a six-pack of Great Lakes' Edmund Fitzgerald Porter in the back of the car several days before.  Fortunately, not only was it intact and not frozen, it provided the start to what was to be a very good weekend, beer-wise.  For more on why the weekend turned out so well, please also read my Saturday, February 1st posts, which will be up here shortly.  For now, if you're looking for another delicious porter (to follow up on my recent review of Buckledown's Shady Aftermath), look no further than Edmund Fitzgerald.

First Impression:
Deep, dark brown body with a surprisingly light-colored head, which dissipated very quickly. 

Smell:
Fragrant coffee and vanilla, with lovely roasted, almost nutty malt smell.

Taste:

Smoky roasted coffee and chicory, a combination which I've never tasted like this in a porter.  Much like the aroma indicated, it's got an almost nutty quality.  Very pleasant bitterness which is surprisingly mild compared to some other porters. Some dark chocolate, but coffee receives top billing here.

On the Palate:
Pleasantly carbonated with a very rich mouthfeel.  Goes down smoothly. 

Why You'll like It:
 If strong coffee flavors appeal to you, this will be right up your alley.  I thought that I would miss the lack of balance between the coffee and chocolate (or other) flavors, but the roasted taste really grew on me.

...and why You won't:
This isn't a sweet porter and you may not appreciate the understated chocolate flavor, if that's what you've come to expect out of beers of this style.

In Closing...:
The robust, smoky  taste of EFP is a perfect accompaniment to a warm bowl of soup or rich desert on a cold winter's night.  Great Lakes has a stable of superior beers and this is one of the best that I've tried so far.  Cleveland rocks, indeed.

Rating: 4 Stars (out of 5)