Happy Friday! To kick off the weekend, I’d like give a quick brew. After work, Kev and I met a few buddies out for dinner and libations. I ordered a beer I had never tried from Great Lakes Brewing Co. that labels itself as “an environmentally and socially conscious brewer of award-winning, all natural beer.” Cool. I had the Edmund Fitzgerald American porter, which has 5.8% ABV. Beer Advocate gives it an A, and I agree.
My Porter & Kev's Kashmir IPA
For its appearance, you can see it is has a rich, dark color, but it is not as dark as, say, a Guinness since this one still has chestnut undertones. The beer also has minimal head. I wouldn’t think it would be a heady beer anyway, but I think our server let it sit at the bar a while too. (We had such bad service last night!) The Edmund Fitzgerald also has a lovely light-to-medium-strength aroma of coffee.
Now for the taste! This beer has roast malt and coffee flavors, but luckily it lacks the milky or chocolate taste of many dark beers, typically stouts. This is a great porter that’s very smooth. I think the roasted flavor gives it a more crisp taste. This porter has a rich mouth-feel that is very enjoyable, which I partly attribute to its ABV. (I’m not a fan of beers with extremely high alcohol contents; it takes away from the other flavors.)
Dinner of Champions (the fresh beer is a dunkel, not the porter)
As you can see, I enjoyed two beers with a side salad and 1-2 tsp dressing (no croutons). This made for a yummy and relaxing dinner. (Sorry I ate half the salad before thinking of photographing – I’m still getting used to this whole thing!)
Not Lookin' Tooooo Rough for 5:30 a.m.
I still made my normal (ridiculously early) bedtime and hit the gym this morning after my alarm went off at 5 a.m. Today’s workout included 50 minutes of total-body strength training; I like to give myself a break from cardio on Fridays. A truly happy Friday indeed!
When does your weekend start, Thursday or Friday? Do you have any plans for the weekend?
Love, Sweat, and Beers 