Great Lakes Edmund Fitzgerald Porter

Being a fan of porters, I've had this one on my radar for quite some time. Maybe because its rated so high on BA, maybe because my favorite show Seinfeld mentions the Edmund Fitzgerald during a bit about the Andrea Doria and "Astonishing Tales of the Sea," or maybe because once in a while I hear the song "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" by Gordon Lightfoot emanating from my Dad's iPod. Whichever the case, I finally got a hold of the Great Lakes Edmund Fitzgerald Porter at a local liquor store, sparing myself the trouble of the setting up a trade with someone in the midwest.

Now, unfortunately I didn't see that this bottle was 2 months past its "best by" date, but I figured it's been kept in fairly good condition given the fact that the liquor store I got it from keeps all their beers in the fridge. Upon pouring I realized it probably was in very good condition, if not it's "best." Despite looking jet black in the picture, this beer actually is a clear dark ruby red when inspected against some light. The head was also very nice and creamy. I enjoyed the taste, rich chocolate, roasted malt (a little more than I see in most porters) and just the slightest bit of coffee at the end. There are also very small periods where caramel sweetness comes through. The part that kept this from being one of my more favorite beers is the mouthfeel. It was almost watery, not much body to it at all. Regardless, it tasted pretty good and was still able to score a 4.05 from me on BA. That makes Great Lakes 2 for 2 in beers that are good but barely miss being in that upper level (by my tastes).