Summit Great Northern Porter - Summit Brewing Company

Reaper16

Alabama

4.08/5  rDev +6.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

12oz. bottle served into a nonic pint glass

Pours a really nice burnt umber color. It's deep brown with red tones seamlessly blended throughout. One finger of khaki head yields suitable spindles of lacing. This is a textbook looking porter. Great stuff.

It maintains its quality throughout the nose. Milk chocolate for days, as well as some dark chocolate powder. That is a thing that probably doesn't even exist, but that's what came to mind. It parlays into the heavy roast malt here, which I'm always a fan of. Some noble hops are there in the background, but the malts overpower them. Still, this is a pleasure to smell.

All that chocolate doesn't translate over to the palate (though I suppose if ALL of it did then this would taste more like an American Stout). The taste is mostly brown malt upfront. Almost a cola component as well. The roast begins to peek through on the midpalate, before transitioning it's bitterness to a bitter finish of hop flavor. It's quite good.

The body is fine. It's a touch too prickly with carbonation, and there's a slight watery feeling on the edges of the tongue, but I'm nitpicking. Overall, this is a damn good porter. Damn good. Summit does the style proud here.

Serving type: bottle

01-04-2012 05:08:37 | More by Reaper16

zaphodchak

Virginia

3.03/5  rDev -20.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

In a lame plastic cup at O'Hare.

A finger of tan head, deep brown body.

Deep roasty malt in the nose.

Roasty, almost charred taste. Chocolate at front, bitter later, slight dropoff before the finish, which is a faint hops aftertaste.

Pretty smooth.

Average-good porter.

Serving type: bottle

12-31-2011 20:57:53 | More by zaphodchak

NuclearDolphin

Minnesota

2.88/5  rDev -24.8%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Poured into a 12oz Tumbler Glass

Appearance - Black, so black that I can see my reflection on the glass. Porters don't really get much darker than this. Has a 2 finger width head with a tan color look to it. Lacing is decent on the sides, though it tends to thin out just a little bit

Smell - Chocolate and Coffee mixed in with a pungent burnt malty scent. There's also some caramel and roasted malt smells in here too. In general, it's pretty sweet smelling for a porter.

Taste - Burnt and Roasted Malts with some black coffee, perhaps a little too much more than it ought to be. The chocolate that was present in the smell is nowhere near as prevalent as it is in the flavor. Aftertaste is a rather bitter burnt coffee flavor and not quite in a good way

Mouthfeel - It's pretty heavy bodied but the carbonation is average. Overall, you could do worse.

Overall - I'm used to Porters that strike a balance in terms of their flavor and sadly this one doesn't fit that description. There's nothing really terribly offensive about this beer, but somethings not right when your smell is alot better than your taste.

Serving type: bottle

12-11-2011 20:16:03 | More by NuclearDolphin

mdcrouser

Missouri

3.93/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Creamy tan head - like pancake batter on a cylinder of charred bread. For some imposing, for me inviting. I love the look of that beer.

Dark malts, little hops on the nose.

Chocolate, coffee, charcoal, and other dark notes - nothing fruity though. Just a hint of alcohol to close - almost like what you get at the close of a coally vodka. That close draws down an otherwise enjoyable beer.

Smooth, low carbonation allows the darkness to sit and linger.

Enjoyable beer - not great, but definitely a good warmer for the ABV.

Serving type: bottle

12-06-2011 03:19:44 | More by mdcrouser

JerzDevl2000

New Jersey

3.7/5  rDev -3.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Picked this up at ShopRite Liquors in Caldwell recently and was surprised to see this available in my neck of the woods. I had another offering from Summit when I was out that way but this was the first time I had seen them locally, and given that Fall is in full swing now, I figured that this beer would go nicely with the season. Even though a few reviewers compared this with Guinness, this beer only resembled it a bit in appearance. This stood out fine on its own and had enough going for it that it doesn't need to be compared with anything else. It's a Porter unlike any beer I've had before!

This had a nice, dark pour to it with a fluffy head that had a slightly pinkish hue to it. That's how light it was and it reminded me of mousse. The edges to this beer were garnet and this had s slightly thick look and mouthfeel to it. The taste was roasted with some bitter chocolate to go along with the almond and hazelnut flavor to this beer. It wasn't as creamy as I pictured but the aftertaste lingered nicely to this and there was a bit of a burnt and caramelized aftertaste that complemented the flavors nicely.

This was stronger than I thought since the alcohol isn't discernible. Even though this is a Porter, there were traits of a Brown Ale mixed in here, which made this stand out a bit more. Although this style of beer doesn't lend itself as a popular one, those looking for a Porter that's nicely crafted and stands bit out from the pack will not be disappointed here.

Serving type: bottle

11-29-2011 23:17:24 | More by JerzDevl2000

bishopdc0

Maine

3.58/5  rDev -6.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into my British pint, a thick black color with a dense tan head.

The aroma is roasted chocolate a little coffee.

The taste starts sweet smooth with a hint of chocolate. A bitter bakers chocolate flavor follow to a creamy roasted flavor

all around a very solid porter

Serving type: bottle

10-21-2011 02:37:02 | More by bishopdc0

Bockrules

New Mexico

3.6/5  rDev -6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

poured from the bottle into a pint glass

A - Pours an opaque dark brow with a 1-finger, dense tan head. Head falls apart halfway down the glass. Leaves behind a few splotches of lacing and a ring of bubbles at the bottom of the glass.

S - A little bit of crystal and chocolate malt. Gets stronger as the beer warms.

T - Chocolate malt upfront. The body is dominated by chocolate and crystal malt with enough earthy hop flavors to provide some semblance of balance.A bit more hop flavor as the beer passes over the back of the tongue leads to a bitter-dark chocolate finish.

M - On the weaker side of heavy bodied with substantial carbonation that seems to thin the beer more than add that nice creamy texture I look for in well crafted porters.

Great Northern Porter is a textbook, middle-of-the-road porter available at a bargain price ($10 for the variety pack). This is the last beer from that pack that I purchased a few years back . The Octoberfest was the standout beer in that pack, while the rest were merely average beers who's main draw is their cheaper-than-macro price. Nothing I'd seek out, but a good choice to bring to a party to introduce macro beer drinkers to different styles.

(After reading other reviews, I am somewhat suspicious of cellering - hopefully I will have the opportunity to compare these notes to a fresh bottle)

Serving type: bottle

09-21-2011 07:33:22 | More by Bockrules

anglagard1

Wisconsin

4.47/5  rDev +16.7%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Looks dark and foamy like a Guinness but has a unique lacing that leaves thin, foamy stripes with every sip you take. Smell is of cocoa and coffee. Coffee is more prevalant in the taste, cutting through all levels of the palate.
This beer for me defines the style, even as it exhibits unique characteristics of its own. It is one seriously sessionable beer.

Serving type: bottle

09-12-2011 02:43:27 | More by anglagard1

tronester

Oklahoma

3.88/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a very dark brown, almost black, with a smooth creamy tan head. Smells cocoa powder and a hint of cinnamon. Taste is initially milk chocolate, following with a strong espresso middle, and an earthy, chewy smoky finish. Beer really tastes better at cellar temperatures, let this one warm up a bit out of the fridge. Mouthfeel is smooth, low carbonation. Good drinkability, a very good porter.

Serving type: bottle

09-10-2011 04:10:08 | More by tronester

jsprain1

Minnesota

3.65/5  rDev -4.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A- Very dark brown, thick two and a half finger head, some lacing.
S- Smell is sweeter than many porters. A bit of maple, and good roasted malts. There is a bit of espresso aroma as well.
T- Still sweeter than many in style. Espresso, a bit of cocoa, a bit of milk chocolate, and a light maple character. Finish has a touch of coffee in it.
M- Medium carbonation, medium-light body.
O- An above average porter. Sweeter than I would like, but still enjoyable.

Serving type: bottle

09-04-2011 01:06:51 | More by jsprain1

bnes09

Illinois

4.08/5  rDev +6.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Deep brown in color, just a shade away from pitch black. Thin cream colored head with some lace spots.

Excellent roasted aroma of coffee and dark chocolate. Toasty malt also.

Roasted malt is the most predominant flavor, coffee, dark chocolate, roasted almonds and wheat toast. Mild hop flavor in the background provides and earthy, pine-like bitterness.

Dense medium body. Dry feel. Solid carbonation.

Solid porter. Complex and delicious.

Serving type: bottle

08-28-2011 18:35:40 | More by bnes09

Phelps

Arizona

3.38/5  rDev -11.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Poured into a weizen glass.

Mostly-opaque and like black coffee in color, with highlights of amber and gold at the edges. One finger of foamy tan head descends slowly to a thick top layer. Some streaks of lace.

The usual aroma. Tangy burnt sourdough, black coffee, dark chocolate, a light hit of earthy hops.

The flavor starts with powered dark chocolate and acrid burnt toast. After the swallow, it smooths out with softer oat tones. Bitter espresso remains on the sides of the tongue.

The medium-light body is a bit thin but supple. Fairly active bubbles, moderate fizz.

No surprises here. An average, drinkable porter.

Serving type: bottle

08-17-2011 23:20:53 | More by Phelps

metter98

New York

3.9/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

On-tap at Barcade, Jersey City, NJ

A: The beer is jet black in color and poured with a thin creamy tan head that gradually faded away and left a ring of bubbles around the edge of the glass.
S: There are light to moderate aromas of burnt malts, espresso and bittersweet chocolate in the nose.
T: The taste is very similar to the smell (but stronger in strength) and has flavors of espresso and roasted malts.
M: It feels light- to medium-bodied, smooth and a bit watery on the palate with a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: The beer goes down rather easily and is quite flavorful despite its thin body.

Serving type: on-tap

07-24-2011 21:42:06 | More by metter98

Pegasus

Texas

4/5  rDev +4.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance: Clear dark amber in color before a strong light, with a small, persistent white head, thin, fine dlass-coating lace, modest carbonation.

Aroma: Deep bitter cocoa aroma with a bit of earth, cold coffee, roasted barley, very little hop presence at all.

Taste: Bitter cocoa and earth at the open,as the taste progresses, the roasted barley rises to ascendency. Late in the taste, rather earthy hops appear. Finishes with cold coffee, and a lingering, slightly oily and earthy hop note

Mouth feel: Smooth, soft, pleasant, rather full.

Drinkability/notes A solid and competently made example, perhaps a touch heavy-handed for my taste, but it is quite good.

Presentation: Packaged in a stubby twelve ounce brown glass bottle with a twist-off crown, served in a Riedel wheat glass.

Serving type: bottle

07-16-2011 13:12:50 | More by Pegasus

bamadog

Kentucky

3.9/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Review is from notes taken on 7/4/2011 and poured from the bottle to a pint glass.

Appearance: Pours a deep, dark chocolate/mahogany brown with some dark ruby highlights; starts with a 2 finger, dark tan head that starts out looking a little creamy, but then becomes rocky and pockmarked; body is dark, nearly opaque with the exception of the few of the dark highlights; decent lacing.

Smell: Smell is good, nice dark roastiness that is a touch nutty and earthy; bit of a bitter chocolate; not overly complex or anything, but fairly robust for a smaller porter.

Taste: Really matches the nose to a "T" -- lots of earthy and nutty roastiness that is plenty good; and there is just a touch of the bittersweet chocolate; not too huge or anything, but satisfying.

Mouthfeel: I've never been a big fan of the body of almost all American Porters as they just seem thin, a tad watery, and big on carbonation, and this one doesn't break that trend. Doesn't impress, but doesn't necessarily disappoint.

Overall: Worth picking up, and I wouldn't turn it down. I probably wouldn't go out of my way to get it when there Ed Fitz is readily available all year, not to mention Founders Porter; good nose, decent flavors and low ABV all allow this to be a pretty drinkable offer.

Serving type: bottle

07-05-2011 01:15:09 | More by bamadog

PokerGod

Minnesota

2.45/5  rDev -36%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 2 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 2

12 oz bottle poured into a pint glass

Appearance- beautiful dark beer, rich frothy tan head that has great retention and leaves a nice tan lacing

Smells- like coffee and chocolate with a tangible hops aroma as well.

Taste- Bitter, not a good hops bitter, just a bad beer bitter. The coffee and roasted chocolate is there like it was in the aroma, but I cant get past this bitter chemical-like aftertaste.

Overall- Admittedly Porters are not my favorite style, but this isn't a very good beer. Summit makes other fine products... Buy their Maibock or EPA for fine examples.

Serving type: bottle

06-27-2011 06:01:23 | More by PokerGod

scoobybrew

Iowa

4.13/5  rDev +7.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - deep dark ruby color with a thick tan head that is well retained and leaves a nice lacing

S - rich, sweet, roasted malt aroma with accents of citrus American-like hop

T - delivers aroma with rich roasted, chocolate-like malt up front with a touch of burnt character; hops are present but subdued and noticed from start to finish with a moderate hop bitterness that blends nicely with the roast bitterness

M - medium body, moderately high carbonation

D - This is a very nice robust porter. It's brewed well and the flavors are all in balance for the style expectations. I don't know if I would have had this one if it wasn't in a variety pack, but it sure is a pleasant surprise. I'm glad there are a couple more waiting for me...

Serving type: bottle

05-18-2011 22:05:37 | More by scoobybrew

mvanaskie13

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev -2.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured into a fluted pint glass; great solid dark brown color, nice light tan head that clings very well and is nice and thick.

Smell is light roasted malt sweetness, hints of toffee and coffee flavors, touch of chocolate sweetness as well.

Taste is smooth lightly roasted malt sweetness, nice flavors come to mind of toffee, coffee, chocolate, light bitterness.

Mouthfeel is pretty solid, a touch on the cloying sweet side, but good balance of bitter and malt sweetness.

Overall, very well done, a nicely done porter, good flavor balanced and profile.

Serving type: bottle

05-08-2011 02:09:12 | More by mvanaskie13

BeerLover99

New Jersey

3.43/5  rDev -10.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A: deep blackish brown, cardinal shimmering body, no head or lacing

S: hint of boozy aroma, bitter chocolate, mild coffee, roasted nuts

T: big chocolate, roasted coffee, slight bitter/burnt finish

M: med/light, low carbonation

O: Decent porter, but you could do better. Ok session brew for a long night with newbies, not terrible but doesn't stand up to my rigorous porter standard, lol.

OK, DON'T SEEK IT OUT!

Serving type: bottle

04-15-2011 19:50:14 | More by BeerLover99

MattyG85

Minnesota

4.5/5  rDev +17.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from 12 oz. bottle into pint glass.

Appearance: Very dark brown that shows some ruby red when held up to light. Small creamy white tan head that slowly fades to a white film. Decent lacing.

Smell: Dark roasted malts with a strong aroma of coffee and chocolate. Slight citrus hops in the background.

Taste: Malt sweetness and coffee followed by chocolate and light earthy hop bitterness. Hints of smoke in the background.

Mouthfeel: Medium body and carbonation. Creamy and smooth.

Overall: A very good porter with great balance.

Serving type: bottle

04-15-2011 05:51:53 | More by MattyG85

RonnieBear

Minnesota

3.75/5  rDev -2.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured into a pint glass.

A: Dark brown and appears ruby colored when light shines through it.

Smell: Nothing impressive, boozy with hints of chocolate.

Taste: Lots of chocolate. Lotssss of chocolate, with a background of coffee. Pretty much how I'd expect a solid porter to taste.

Mouthfeel: Light, but thats not that impressive considering the low ABV. Almost want it to be a little heavier and a little boozier, like the nose indicates.

Drinkability: Good, but it being a dark beer it doesn't really appeal to me as a session beer.

Overall, smells like a high ABV beer when it's really not. Doesn't taste like one though, and is still an overall really solid offering.

Serving type: bottle

03-13-2011 02:55:26 | More by RonnieBear

billyzoom666

Wisconsin

3.8/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Appearance-Dark brown color with a tint of red, like black cherry soda coloring. A little coffee colored head with nice lacing.

Smell-Chocolate and an almost roasted wood smell. Very nice, but nothing special.

Taste-That roasted flavor shines here. Slightly bitter (in a good way) on the tongue. A little bit of an aftertaste, but not one that stays with you.

Mouthfeel-A little "empty". Not much there over all. Not a "filling" beer.

Drinkability-High. Because it's a beer that has a combo of a great taste and not being real filling (and with a low ABV), this could be consumed in large numbers.

Serving type: bottle

03-06-2011 01:17:54 | More by billyzoom666

BearsOnAcid

Massachusetts

3.6/5  rDev -6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Dark body with a ruby red color showing through when held up to the light, dark khaki head.

Some lightly roasted malts, dark chocolate, and iced coffee in the nose.

Taste is slightly bitter. A subtle balance of bitter and flavor from the malt. Yeasty. Roasted malt and milky finish. Event a little fruity. Solid brew but I would like to have a little more richness and some weight to it.

Serving type: bottle

02-26-2011 01:12:11 | More by BearsOnAcid

FreshHawk

Illinois

4/5  rDev +4.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Very dark mahogany brown, almost black, with a decent sized, creamy, rocky, foamy, sticky, light beige head. Great retention leaving a nice creamy lace.

S - Dark roasted malt and barley provides the most aroma. Strong coffee with some chocolate, tobacco and earthiness. Subsequent smells has a mocha and slightly citrus hoppy aroma.

T - Similar to the nose. Starts with roasted malt/barley along with a strong coffee taste. Not astringent coffee though. A touch of chocolate and earthy tones. Mid sip to finish more earthy flavors come out (both an earthy malt and hop flavor). A touch of bitterness, smoke, and mineral flavor.

M - Medium body with good carbonation. Slightly creamy. Not an outstanding body, but good.

D - Easy to drink porter that is pretty well balanced.

Notes: Enjoyable porter with a nice balance of malt, hops, and all around porter flavors. Solid offering worth a try.

Serving type: bottle

02-24-2011 07:55:03 | More by FreshHawk

mellowmark

Minnesota

4.22/5  rDev +10.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a 12 oz. stubby brown bottle to an Imperial Pint glass. No freshness date to be found. It's from their Spring Sampler, so it must be fresh. $14.99 for a 12-pack.

Appearance: Deep dark brown with ruby highlights, almost zero light penetrating. 2-finger light brown creamy head. Lacing sticks in clumpy patches. Retention is pretty moderate, but the head does a good job of sticking around leaving a fine layer on top. Good head regeneration when swirling the glass.

Smell: Chocolate and deep roasted caramel malt. Nice smoky coffee aroma. Not much in terms of hops, just a slight hop citrus note.

Taste: Deep dark roasted coffee and dark chocolate. It's sweet but not cloying. Slightly smoky. More hops in the mouth than in the nose. Good citrus presence. Even more flavorful as it warms. Very well balanced.

Mouthfeel: Mouthfeel is medium and creamy with medium to high carbonation. If the carbonation was a little lower the mouthfeel would be perfect.

Drinkability: High

This is a great porter! Nicely done Summit.

Serving type: bottle

02-17-2011 03:34:50 | More by mellowmark