Worked from home today, had furnace issues. Did a side-by-side comparison of Deschues Black Butte and Great Lakes Edmund Fitzgerald porters.
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Visually, both allow a bit of red light in through the glass, but BB may be ever so slightly darker. The head on the BB is ever so slightly tanner too. As the head subsides, the BB is sticking to the wall of the glass more than the EF.
The nose of the EF is maltier. I really don't notice much aroma at all from the BB. The EF smells like malt brewing on my stovetop.
The EF is a bit sharper in flavor. Certainly drier, and a little more astringent. Malt is front and center here. The BB is definitely sweeter, with the coffee and chocolate notes more pronounced. BB has a softer mouthfeel too.
It's a tough call, but personally I give the nod to BB. I'm sure that EF is the more traditional porter, but I find BB to be more complex, and more nicely balanced.
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