Chicagoist's "Beer of the Week": Summit Great Northern Porter

By Chuck Sudo in Food on Sep 28, 2006 5:58PM

Most of us are familiar with the St. Paul-based Summit Brewing Company through either their Extra Pale Ale or their Hefe Weizen, the latter of which sells so well that Summit brews it for the Chicago market year-round. Chicago is the only market that Summit makes this concession.

We're not exactly fans of the hefe weizen, especially not when there are so many options of wheat beers available to us. Thankfully, Summit maestro Mark Stutrud and his crew treat brewing as if it were alchemy. When there's a hint of chill in the air, a porter makes for the perfect tonic. Summit's Great Northern Porter is one of those beers that flies under the radar, compared with other fine regional porters from Sprecher and Bell's. We promise you that one bottle of this makes you come back for another.

Great Northern Porter pours a deep brown, with shades of ruby, and a coffee-colored head. The flavor is a melange of cocoa, coffee, and caramel malt, balanced wonderfully with Cascade, Fuggle, and Horizon hops. It weighs in at 4.8 percent alcohol by volume, which means unless you're completely emaciated, it isn't going to knock you on your ass after the first sip. One of the secrets to drinking porters is to let it sit and warm to ambient temperature. Then the flavors of the malt really come out, and it almost resembles a rich dessert.

If you're curious about darker beers but don't want to jump aboard the stout bandwagon immediately, porters are the perfect way to go. Summit Great Northern Porter is a nice entry into the world of dark beers. it can be enjoyed alone, or paired with a hearty plate of roasted chicken or jerk-style dishes. Summit Great Northern Porter is our latest recipient of Chicagoist's "Beer of the Week".