I also disagree with this one. I prefer Founders to Everett. I know, sacrilege that anything is better than HF.
Well I would love to root for my own state but I have drank both frequently and with a little bit of age on it I would vote Founders but with both fresh I am leaning toward Edmund by a smidge.
I personally like EF over founders, but like some have said I also prefer Everett. I've only had it via growler if that makes a difference? Either way, for price and availability sign me up for GL!!
Supposedly going to be at Wegmans in the new year, according to another thread I'm going to copy everyone else that said "include Smuttynose robust porter" and "I'm not going to choose between them, they're all great"
I'm partial to Founders for two reasons: 1) I love the mouthfeel, it's rather robust, where Edmund Fitz has always seemed a little on the thin side, and 2) It's got more of a chocolate flavor going on than Edmund Fitz. The Founders is probably my favorite porter if I don't count anything made by Hill Farmstead like Everett or Twilight of the Idols.
This. In fact....as much of a GL fan as I am, I never understood the EF love. I find it pretty ordinary. I do look forward to Black Butte hitting Chicago in a few months to make that comparison.
been revisiting a bunch of porters the past couple of weeks and would have to say Flying Dog Gonzo is much better compared to these two (and is available in Michigan).
They are both amazing beers but in my experience EF more closely represents the historical Porter style (real or not, at least how it has been defined) so I will give it the nod. I have also drunk much less of it due to lack of distro in STL so I would probably reach for it again over Founders given the choice. No disrespect to Founders which is also a pleasure to imbibe.
This is always a tough one. Eddy Fitz is just a classic example of a porter. But Founders has a thick, silky, creamy mouthfeel to die for. It's basically a coin toss for me..
The OP asked to compare two beers and a third was brought into the equation... sigh... Why does this always happen?
I haven't had Founders yet, but EF wasn't doing it for me when I tried it.. seemed thin and there was some weird flavor I couldn't identify at the time. Will try founders soon.
I've had Eddy Fitz several times now and, while certainly not bad, I've yet to be particularly impressed by it. Founders and Smuttynose Robust Porter are my go-tos for regular porters, and I really love both. I also really enjoyed the Hill Farmstead porter I got in a trade once, but I could get a case of Founders or Smuttynose easier (and with trading involved, likely cheaper) than a single bottle of Hill Farmstead's.
"If you HAD to choose one of those two, which would it be?" Dont overlook that...looks like the OP is looking for a EF vs Porter discussion not necessarily a best porter discussion. I prefer Founders. Edmund is yummy but i like the creaminess the porter has. As for Everett, yes its delicious but expensive and hard to come by if you dont live in VT. I'd rather have a Mayflower Porter as its not too expensive and easy to obtain in my area. Has a great smoke flavor that most porters dont have. To each their own though. Side note: had some Narragansett Porter yesterday and was impressed. Not sweet like last year. $8 a six pack of 16oz cans. 7% abv too so you get some bang for your buck.
Bottle i like founders, in keg i liked edmund more, i can score 6'ers of edmund at local grocery store, founders i can get by the sixer with a 30 min drive. Founders a little more sweeter and creamier then ed. Too close for me, really depends on what im in mood for. I like stone smoked porter the most but then again, thats quite different then founders and greak lakes. Hoppin frog silk porter is a fav also ,,as is black butte
These are two fantastic beers, two of my favorites of the style. However Edmund Fitzgerald is my go to when I'm not feeling anything else. That being said, my decision seems to be similar to everyone else's when I voted: 52% to 48% in favor of the Edmund Fitzgerald. Good topic.
I think I'm the only one to ever have a keg of Edmund Fitz on draft in the state of Texas....only because I drove a keg back from Cleveland... that's how much I loved this beer at the the time. I have it in bottles every now and then. But now, I think I prefer (512) Pecan Porter over Edmunds and Black Butte. I've had the Founders once, but I don't remember it being any better than Edmunds.
I would never turn either down. I voted Great Lakes because they don't distribute to me so it's a little more rare for me personally. But I truely love both of them.
Everett, Victory at Sea, Twilight of the Idols, etc are on a totally different plane than Ed Fitz, Founders, Black Butte.
I think porters are my favorite beer. Both are great porters eddy fitz is better some times founders is better the others. Of course I'd prefer a troegs, flag porter, Samuel smith, or bells over then. There are a lot of good porters out there don't make me choose!
tis the season for a good porter. I'll do a side by side comparison then drink an Alpha Klaus as I contemplate!
I love them both but don't think they're that similar. EF is much smoother and lighter. It's sessionable. The Founders is a much bigger, richer beer that I really consider a stout. I have been picking up the EF more recently but maybe only because Great Lakes just came back to my market at the beginning of October. I'd say that Bell's Porter is a lot more comparable to EF than the Founders. Of the three I can't say I prefer one over the others. They're all world class.
