Great Lakes - Edmund Fitzgerald

Tonight I'm pleased to introduce to you my brother Kenny. Frequent commenter and follower of the blog since day one. He shares the same love for beer Dunz and I do and I'm excited to have him write his first guest post with us. Enjoy!

Thanks for the intro bro.

Good evening fellow World of BeerCraft readers,

I'd like to preface this guest post with a little info about myself:

I enjoy drinking beer.

That being said, I'm not a crazy hop-fiend like Steve and Dunz. I never mind a little sweetness to my brew and am a sucker for full-bodied milkshake-esque stouts.

I sit at my desk this evening with a freshly poured, refreshingly cold appetizer from Great Lakes brewery named the Edmund Fitzgerald. I discovered this brew at the same establishment Steve + Dunz conducted their Live Blog at back in January, The Gold Nugget.

For those of you who aren't from the great white north and aren't a fan of Gordon Lightfoot's music, you have probably never heard the story of the SS Edmund Fitzgerald. It was the largest ship on the Great Lakes when it was launched back in the 50’s, and primarily transported iron ore from northern Minnesota to Detroit and Ohio. As it turns out, apparently hurricane force winds on a body of water the size of a small ocean can create some pretty rough swells, and the Edmund Fitzgerald sank during a Lake Superior storm on November 10th, 1975. The entire crew of 29 perished... bodies were never found.

Decades later, the fine brewers at Great Lakes decided "Awesome story! Let's make a beer named after it!", and it turned out pretty damn good.

I let this warm up in the bottle a little bit before tasting it, as recommended by the label. There wasn't much head on the pour, so I was a little worried about it being on the flat side (this ended up not to be the case). The nose was as I remembered - prominent, though not overpowering chocolate and coffee aromas, and not a hint of alcohol. Keep in mind this is only sitting at 5.8% ABV.

The texture is right up my alley. Not too heavy, medium carbonation, and smooth swallow that leaves your palate filled with flavor for minutes.

Overall - Although I wouldn't call this an entry-level porter, it is definitely one to try if you're just getting into the heavier stuff. There is nothing extreme about this brew, it is simply pleasent, and filled with rich flavors; an excellent example of a "dark beer". I described it as an appetizer earlier because it is slightly filling, and sure to compliment a hearty meal.

Thank you guys for the opportunity to post! It's been a pleasure to sit down, enjoy a beer, and analyze all of it's qualities to share.