Fitgers Great Lakes - Superior

Brewed by Fitgers Brewhouse
Style: American Strong Ale
Duluth, Minnesota USA

Serve in Snifter, Trappist glass

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On tap at the GTMW 2011. Dark brown with a disappearing thin tan head. Aroma of dark malts, burnt toffee, caramel, yeast, toasted malt, chocolate and a hint of buttery diacetyl. Taste is malty and yeasty with dark malt, chocolate, toffee. Smooth but a tad thin and oily. Interesting.

39/204 thanks Allen! Dark brown color with minimal head. Sligtly sweet, perhaps infected. A bit of sweet cloves I the body. The aroma is sweet and fruity.

Winterfest ’11. Sweet wheat in the aroma, I am thinking strong dunkelweizen. Black color. The wheat sweetness is balanced by heavily roasted grains, it is nearly burnt, but it works with the wheat. Good, smooth palate.

Sample at Winterfest. From notes. Black pour, a bit of head, and decent lacing. Almost oily looking in the taster. Smell is a bit of smoke, some interesting fruit. Taste is pretty decent, but the finish is poor. An odd cloying medicinal and pruney aftertaste ruins the memory of this beer for me.

At Winterfest ’11. Pours dark brown, with white head. Aroma had notes of banana, plum, other dark fruit like prune, and some biscuit with roast. Taste is some roast, banana, dark fruit, and some sweet prune in the finish mixing with the caramel and toffee. Tastes a bit like prune juice, and that didn’t sit well. Good idea.

UPDATED: MAR 2, 2011 [On-tap at Fitger’s] Pours dark brown with a nice brown head. Mostly banana, toasted malt, raisin, notes of brown sugar, alcohol, and dark fruits (plum). Medium mouthfeel, smooth, creamy, with a good length, dry finish. Overall, I was a little torn on this one. I loved the mouthfeel, and some things I liked about the aroma/taste, but there was something about the malt that just didn’t sit right with me. Still, an interesting beer that is worth trying. Old rating: 7/4/7/5/13=3.6

Re-rate: [750mL C&C Bottle] Wow, what a difference between this and the glass I had on-tap. I already had given the palate a 5, but it actually is better than before. Thicker, still smooth, mild carbonation. Excellent. Aroma is pretty muted, but the taste is much better. A little hot, but the deeply roasted malt blends beautifully with dark fruits, banana, nutty notes, and a little spiciness. Very solid beer that I’m glad that I revisited.

The tenth beer I sampled at Winterfest 2011 in St. Paul on 2-4-11. Approximately 2 oz. pour. Pours a very dark brown (nearly black) with a small amount of sable head. The nice, strong aroma features bubblegum, carob, and banana bread scents. Strong, fruity taste features banana bread, milk chocolate, and red grape flavors. Soft and smooth in the palate. Medium to full body. This was one of my favorite beers of the festival.

Minnesota Winterfest 2011. Deep brown color with no head. Strong banana aroma. Banana turns to a slightly over-ripened character in the taste. Moderate malt. Thin body. Rockin idea, but seemed to miss the target.