Great Northern Porter

It is Sunday afternoon. I attended Quaker meeting for worship this morning. The grocery shopping is complete. My beautiful wife and I have planned the menu for the little dinner party we are hosting tonight. The temperature is hovering in the single digits. It is time for a hearty winter beer.

I picked up a six-pack of Summit Brewing Co.'s Great Northern Porter yesterday, chilled it overnight and popped one open a few minutes ago. Summit is a microbrewery in St. Paul, MN. They do lots of winter brews at Summit because there is a lot of winter in St. Paul. Porter is a great, hearty British brew - it was once the most popular beer in England. Great Northern Porter is very dark - it looks like expresso. Its aroma is redolent with roasted grain; it tastes very nutty and has a tangy aftertaste. My friend Byron at Schaefers Wine and Spirits calls this porter "a chewy beer," and that captures the experience nicely. This is a beer that is made to go with meat and potatoes. This is not a "lite" product; it is a "beefy" brew.

A fine beer alters one's attitude and creates contentment.