Edmund Fitzgerald
Great Lakes Brewing Co.

One of the best beers I have ever had. Such a great look, the feel is so smooth and easy to drink. The taste is bitter like black coffee but makes sure you feel great drinking it. It is a VERY good beer

Pours from a bottle into a Guinness glass dark brown-black, like Coca-cola. Tan head, maybe an inch, dissolves but doesn’t disappear. (Like a relationship that goes on after the thrill is gone.)

I can’t smell much (bad air in the 513). Floral-y with some alcohol smell.

Tastes GOOD. Dark. Bitter like dark and burnt and broodingly regretful, like the remnants of my broken heart, or real (black dark-dark-roast) coffee. Has an aftertaste like Coke, only without the acid. As it warms up, just some hints of caramely-sweet in the aftertaste that aren’t there in front. The sweet stays on my lips. (“If she only…” says my broken heart.)

Feels lighter than it looks. A little carbonated. Drinks fast and easy. I was done with it before I wanted to be. (“Tell me about it,” says my broken heart.)

Overall: a very very good beer. VERY good. Like, my own personal standard for what a dark beer not called Guinness can be.

Color: almost black with a thick and creamy head
Smell: dark chocolate and coffee are predominant with some malt and toffee sweetness underneath
Taste: bitter coco and coffee, malt and a tiny bit of sweet peeking through
Feel: holds up well with good texture and mouthfeel
Highly drinkable, would recommend

 

Excellent beer. Very dark. I love it. Recommend trying it. I found this at Earth Fare got a six pack for $6.99. Has lots of head to it. Definitely can taste the malt and hops in it. Much better than any of those light beers I’ve had.

 

 

Pours a clear black/brown with glints of red. On top is a foamy tan head with good lacing. Notes of caramel, brown sugar, chocolate, coffee and herbal hops round out the nose. The flavor is smooth and rich for a brew that is surprisingly light on the palate. Hop flavor and bitterness is subdued and the malt really shines with warm caramel and chocolate flavors. Medium bodied with a crisp finish. Overall, I guess I am a little taken aback as I always thought this was more of a big, robust porter from hearing about it. In reality it is a much more quaffable, session-able take on the style than I always thought. Much like great lake's lagers, the level and complexity of the beers malt flavor is much more than one would typically find. This is a very refined, drinkable, and delicious dark beer. Definitely deserving of being compared to Deschutes Black Butte, Sierra Nevada Porter, and other classics.

I have a tough time finding this beer in Missouri. But I think one of the best porters I have ever tried.

 

 

 

 

Updated with review in March, 2023.

Format and age: 12oz bottle gifted, best by April 22, 2023.

Cold chain: somewhat unknown. Transported cold after receiving it and kept in fridge at home.

Impressions: pours very dark brown with red edges and a one-finger tan head. Aromas of chocolate and roast coffee dominate. The taste starts with a big kick of bitter chocolate that sweetens as it lingers in the mouth. Progresses to notes of dark roast coffee and burnt toast with some dark fruit on the finish and aftertaste. As it warms, the dark fruits come out more while the bitter and burnt characteristics recede a bit. Medium bodied with moderate carbonation, resulting in a smooth feel.

Overall: a great porter. Great Lakes did a good job keeping the bitterness in check while retaining that quintessential porter profile and making it more thab just a roast bomb. Definitely my favorite since having Everett quite a few years ago now.

 

 

L: Creamy tan head, very dark coffee brown color
S: Dark chocolate, coffee, toasted malt, faint floral notes
T: Starts out sweeter than the smell might suggest with caramel and sweet toasted bread. Chocolate notes again that finish into a dark chocolate / floral hop bitterness.
F: Medium body and carbonation, creamy, slightly astringent.

A very good porter. The sweet toasted malt mask a significant hoppy bitterness rather well

 

Another one in a care package from my Brother from Ohio. What a Great Guy.

The beer poured a very dark brownish-black color with a tan colored head. The smell is of coffee and chocolate. The taste is the same as the smell. This was a really good beer that I look forward to drinking again.

Dark brown that coalesces to black in the pour with a small beige head. Maybe because it's really cold. Barley malt aroma with some slight licorice profile. Smoky malts taste with plentiful of burnt caramel, dark chocolate, coffee bean, tobacco. Pleasant aftertaste that reminds of the complex profile without being cloying. Decent mouthfeel in being carbonated and not overly thick. Very good and enjoyable porter with rich complexity.

Just a bit too much bitter coffee taste on the palate compared to other Porters I enjoy. Still a high quality brew!

 

Pours nicely, decent head that stuck around a bit. Color is rather thin and see through. Smooth, easy to drink.

Good beer, adequate for the price and style, but nothing special.

 

 

 

A classic of the style. Roasty, with lots of coffee and dark chocolate notes. Hits the spots and then some. That's what makes it a classic of the style.

 

 

 

 

 

A pretty solid example of a Porter, but there's something amiss that I can't pinpoint that without this would be top notch.
It may be a bit heavy on the black malt, too much hops?
Not sure.
Still, better than most out there.
I'll stick to my Yuengling Porter. Easier drinking.

 

Look: It pours very dark brown with a tan head. Head retention is very good.

Smell: It has chocolate aromas with some roast and coffee notes.

Taste: It has roasted and coffee flavors up front with chocolate notes mixed it. There is a bit of sweetness to it.

Feel: It have a medium body with a bitter finish.

Overall, this is a simple beer with flavors, but they work incredibly well together.

Beautiful deep dark and clear brown, a dense light brown head that persists; great lacing.

Nose has subtle dark cherry note, some cocoa and weak coffee, woody smell.

Taste has the same dark fruit twang, bitter dark chocolate; nice roast and almost smokey note lingers in the after taste.

Medium body, soft smooth carbonation, nice roast driven bitterness, dry finish.

 

The most noticable thing about this to me is the complexity in the flavor. Immediately it gives a lot of coffee and roasted flavors, and it lasts with a strong lingering bitterness. In some ways it almost tastes more bitter than a lot of IPAs owing to the burnt character. Very tasty.