Edmund Fitzgerald Porter – Great Lakes Brewing, Cleveland, OH

ABV: 5.8%

IBU: 37

Availability: Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington D.C., West Virginia and Wisconsin.

 I watched far too much Boy Meets World, Saved by the Bell and Full House as a kid so I grew up with the crazy notion that “The One” was out there somewhere just waiting for me to find her. I searched and searched, trying a few light blondes, more sophisticated ambers, and even a few heavy ones, but they just weren’t what I was looking for. My search was getting bleak until miraculously, one day, I saw her from across the bar at Brews Café back in my hometown of Granville, Ohio. She was so tall and dark, almost regal—and certainly very, very rich. Yes, it wasn’t until the day I met Great Lakes’ Edmund Fitzgerald that I found the one for me and discovered how good beer could be.

Gone were the days that I considered Coors Banquet a premium beer and saved Guinness for only the most special occasions. My eyes were opened to the greatness of the U.S. craft beer industry. I now reserve Coors Light for only the hottest days tending the grill or on the golf course when all I’m looking for is refreshment and a little buzz, with no regard for taste.

Great Lakes’ Edmund Fitzgerald (or simply Ed Fitz), like any good porter, has dominating flavors of heavily roasted malt with hints of chocolate, coffee and hops to balance it out. It pours a jet black with a very nice tan head, and assuming your glass was clean, will leave a beautiful lacing at the end of your enjoyment. If you’re out by a fire on a cool summer or fall night, there’s no better complement to a good s’more than a pint or three of Ed Fitz.

If you’re lucky enough to have Great Lakes available in your area, be sure to try this exceptional brew that changed the way I think about and appreciate beer.