Cleveland Rocks! Up today....Edmund Fitzgerald

This evening I will review the first of several Cleveland's own Great Lakes Brewing Company beer, not the classic Gordon Lightfoot song. That will come later.

A friend brought me back a sampler 12-pack, and I've tried a couple of the beers so far, and overall I am fairly impressed. My original intention was to taste some Great Lakes beers head-to-head against Baltimore's own Heavy Seas. But the beers that I have don't exactly match up well stylistically with Heavy Seas, and besides that would trivialize both beers. (However, I did have a catchy idea for depicting which beer would "win," I was going to post a picture from the winning city's history to show who won and lost...for example, if one of the Great Lakes beers "lost" I would post a picture of the Cuyahoga River Fire, or if it won I would show a picture of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.)

Have to give props to the artwork on the label as well...very nice.

Tonight's beer is the Edmund Fitzgerald, a porter. Both Beer Advocate and Rate Beer (and their audiences) love this beer: Beer Advocate gives it an "A" and Rate Beer gives it a 99. I've had a couple of them over the last week or so, and I can't disagree: I would rank Edmund Fitzgerald at the top of American porters, right up there with my favorite, Sierra Nevada's Porter.

It pours dark, and leaves a moderate slightly off-white head that even now remains nearly 30 minutes after I poured it.  There is a slight hoppy aroma accompanied by some roasty malt tones. It is nearly perfectly opaque: just what you would expect a porter.Malty, with just enough hops to lend a bitterness that complements the roasted grains, which are not overpowering. It stops well short of a stout.

A very good start to my Cleveland beer experience!

Dinner At Victoria's Gastropub...with an Oliver Coventry Cream Ale

Yesterday (Saturday May 7th) I finally had the opportunity to dine at Victoria's Gastro Pub in Columbia. I've been there a number of times for happy hours or just to get drinks, but something always seems to happen whenever my wife and I try to go there for dinner. Not this time, however.

We were readily seated upon arrival--we did have reservations and it was early. Next came the difficult part: choosing my beer. I almost always get a draft beer when I'm first ordering, and this was no exception. Oliver's Coventry Cream Ale caught my attention since I love English style bitters. For dinner, I chose the Moroccan Chicken, while my wife selected the Grilled Rainbow Trout. 

First: the Coventry Cream Ale. It arrived with a thick, very fine-bubbled white head. The beer was a dark copper color (my phone doesn't do the beer justice, by the way) with some gold tints. It was fairly clear. I don't believe the Victoria's served it from a beer engine real-ale style, but I could be wrong since I didn't see them pour it. The Coventry reminded me somewhat of the ales I have experienced in the U.K. What really hits you in this beer is the malt and the yeast flavors: very buttery and complex, with the a clean hop profile that is barely noticeable. It was more carbonated that what I expected, and definitely more carbonated then an English bitters. I suppose this is deference to American tastes. Still, I'd like to try it real-ale style.

My dinner, the Moroccan Chicken, was cooked perfectly: the carrots and zucchini were crisp and crunchy, with the couscous and chicken nicely seasoned. However, I would have liked a bit more spice to the meal. Surprisingly, the Coventry paired with the dish well, although if it had been spicier it probably wouldn't have. For dessert, my wife and I shared the White and Dark Chocolate Bread Pudding, which reminded me of and English Sticky Toffee. It was quite good.

All-in-all, an excellent dinner, made even better by the beer!