great-lakes-edmundfitzBrewery – Great Lakes
Beer – Edmund Fitzgerald
Style – Porter
ABV – 5.8%
IBUs – 37 IBUs

Robust and complex, our Porter is a bittersweet tribute to the legendary freighter’s fallen crew—taken too soon when the gales of November came early.

Maybe it’s the year round availability, or the fact that Great Lakes is so widely available.  It could be that Great Lakes has just been around for so long, too, but this beer has become the go-to standard for what a Porter is supposed to be for a great deal of craft beer fans.  The BJCP, in fact, actually uses it as an example of the style, and it’s won medals at almost every reputable beer competition in the United States, racking up a respectable selection of medals even from GABF over the years.

It quickly became a favorite for me, early in my craft beer ‘life’, and it’s still fun to revisit it from time to time.

Another great example of Great Lakes using their city as inspiration for their beers, Edmund Fitzgerald pays homage to the ship of the same name that sunk in Lake Erie back in 1975, taking all her crew with her.

This beer was first made in 1988, but don’t let that trick you into thinking it’s old, or antiquated.  This is a fantastic beer, and one that you need to try in your craft beer journey.

My Thoughts On Great Lakes Edmund Fitzgerald

Dark brown, to almost black in color, Edmund Fitzgerald caps itself off with a tan head.

Aromas are exactly what you would want out of a dark porter… roasty, chocoaltey, sweet and some light nuttiness.

It tastes like pure heaven to me.  Full bodied and packed full of thick roasted chocolate and coffee flavors, it fills your mouth with flavor, with a lingering bite on the end that reminds me of a piece of bitter dark chocolate.

This beer makes me remember craft beer, when my craft beer life was much different.  It was about discovery – or much more so.  I was finding new styles, and new examples of those styles.  I was discovering new breweries as often as I could drink the beer that they made.  This beer brings me back to that memory every time I take a sip.

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