Summit Great Northern Porter

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

For never having had something from this brewer, I wasn’t really expecting much. Turns out I should have been. Big roasty, chocolately flavors with some tobacco. Nice body without being overly oily. If this stuff was available locally, I’d definitely pick some up.

Clear, dark amber color with a fluffy light brown head. Aroma is reminds me of roasted nuts and for some reason cola. The flavor is well roasted malt, nutty, and coffee. It has a nice long-lasting dry roasted bitter finish. This beer has is medium bodied and not overly carbonated. Overall this beer is robust and full flavored. The bitterness in the finish helps to balance the maltiness of the initial flavor. 12 oz bottle (20th Anniversary 1986-2006), $1.35+tax from River’s Bend.

Bottle: Pours a nice black color with a small tan head. Smell is a bit sweet, with some dark fruits at the back of this beer. There is a bit of a roastiness, but very mild. Taste has a bit of a nutty taste, with the dark sweet fruit kind of lingering in the back ground.

Pours almsot black with a small tan head. Aroma is very nice. Smokey, coffee, chocolate. Flavor also is of light smoke and coffee. Maybe a smidge of hops. Very good.

Very dark brown, even to the light; head is average and creamy with some lasting and a little lacing. Nose is simple but pleasant, notes of choclate and coffee bean, light grain and faint hops. Flavor is better, dark chocolate and lightly roasted coffee with dark breads and a little acidity; bitterness balances. Palate is creamy, lively, and medium-light in body. Finish killed it all, acidic, dry and an astringent hop taste. Not a bad offering with a great forefront and nice mouthfeel. Without the finish it would be above average for a porter.

Pours very dark brown with a dark crimson hue and large light tan head. The aroma is fairly citric with light roast underlying. Medium body with some moderately sharp carbonation. Taste starts with some sourness and roasted malt that has some char. The finish is fairly watery with lots of charred malts. Mediocre porter.

Pour is a complete black with a small tan head. Aroma is of faint malts and coffee. Flavor is much better, dark chocolate with some roasted malts and finish is very dry. A decent beer that you could drink lots of on a cold rainy evening.

Bottle. Good medium weight porter, very drinkable, well balanced. Hoppy aroma. Dark reddish brown, creamy mouthfeel and decent body. Flavor is well balanced between roasted malt and hops. Even, smooth and good. A good porter if you plan to drink a lot of them in one sitting.