Summit Great Northern Porter

Brewed by Summit Brewing Company
Style: Porter
St. Paul, Minnesota USA

great beer or was I just in need of a beer in a bad way. this was a nice porter with a carmalized taste sweet enough to go down quickly can’t wait to get a six pack

12 oz bottle with a twist off cap, shorter than usual and it reminds me of S/N. Twist off the lid and I get an eartly roasty aroma somewhat like a water extinguished camp fire. Back of the throat burnt bitterness greets the palate but this is not over the top, seems to be acceptable at first. The pour is very dark but not opaque, I can see tinges of orange showing thru. Carbonation is decent and welcomed, has a good tingle about it that many dark beers lack. That burnt bitter sensation keeps building on the back of my throat, almost like meat that was burnt on the grill. Good roasted malt or wood flavors. East End Pink Clouds and Yuengling Black & Tan have overall better impressions than this. Better than Arcadia London and Weyer’s Black Hole. Also much, much better than Yard’s General Washington. Overall a good representation of a dark beer, better than average.

Rated 3/24/06: Wonderful beer, represents the good qualities of a well made porter. Pours a midnight black/super dark brown with a thick tan head. Lots of lacing clings to the sides of my glass as I drink this. The aroma is thick with roasted malts, a strong coffee scent is given off. Tons of roasted malts create an explosive rich flavor. The noticeable hops really help balance out this porter. The mouthfeel is somewhat thin, but adequate for full enjoyment of this beer. I thoroughly enjoyed a couple of these, and look forward to enjoying a couple more.

Bottle poured a clear deep dark brown with a large lasting tan head. Aromas of coffee. dark chocolate, vanilla and a light hint of licorice. Palate was lighjt bodied smooth and slightly dry. Flavors of coffee, bakers cocoa and a hint of vanilla with a smooth dry lingering bitter finish.

Bottle (12oz). thanks to my soon-to-be-on-RateBeer buddy Dave B for this one!. Clear deep ruby with a lasting fairly large frothy/fluffy tan head. Dry, bitter and oily nutshell and almost sour coffee grounds aroma - decently lactic. Taste is very bitter, similar to the aroma, creamier, light, surprising amount of dry hops mixed with the overroast malt. Still, slick mouthfeel, not much carbonation, very malty but a balanced finish - very good porter, more of a semi-sweet yet dry stout.

Dark brown pour. Coffee nose. Some hops and some coffee. A bit disappointing after drinking some of Summit’s other products.

Bottle. Nose was of hops. Poured a dark brown, almost opaque. Thick tan head. Taste was a bitter. Great roasted flavour that lingers. Quite hoppy and not extremely complex. I would not serve it at my wedding. Still a good Porter.

On tap, Bandera restaurant, Chicago, Winston trip. This was a very drinkable porter, and a good food pairing with everything from the bananas dessert to the rotisserie chicken. Nutty, dry, some cocoa, moderate roaast. Coloring was proper. Re-rate when I’m not talking business.