Vanilla Porter

Refrigerated 12 oz. aluminum can poured into a cup. Clear dark brown with small off-white head. Aroma is light chocolate, medium body, low carbonation, and no lacing. Taste is light chocolate and a little vanilla.

12 ounce can into pint glass, best before 3/17/2017. Pours crystal clear deep reddish brown color with a 1-2 finger fairly dense light khaki head with good retention, that reduces to a nice cap that lingers. Nice spotty soapy lacing clings down the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation. Aromas of vanilla, milk chocolate, cocoa, caramel, toffee, brown sugar, toasted brown bread, light nuttiness/coffee, herbal, and roast/toasted earthiness. Very nice aromas with good balance and complexity of dark/roast/bready malt, vanilla, and light earthy hop notes; with good strength. Taste of big vanilla, milk chocolate, cocoa, caramel, toffee, brown sugar, toasted brown bread, light nuttiness/coffee, herbal, light pepper, and roast/toasted earthiness. Light-moderate herbal/spicy hop and light roasted bitterness on the finish; with lingering notes of vanilla, milk chocolate, cocoa, caramel, toffee, brown sugar, toasted brown bread, light nuttiness/coffee, herbal, pepper, and roast/toasted earthiness on the finish for a good bit. Very nice complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/roast/bready malt, vanilla, and light-moderate earthy hop flavors; with a nice malt/bitterness balance, and minimal astringent hop flavors after the finish. Light-moderate dryness from bitterness, increasing through the glass. Medium carbonation and body; with a very smooth, moderately creamy/grainy/bready, fairly sticky, and slightly chalky balanced mouthfeel that is nice. Zero warming alcohol as expected of 6%. Overall this is a very nice American style vanilla porter. All around nice complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/roast/bready malt, vanilla, and light-moderate earthy hop flavors; very smooth and easy to drink. Just a bit too bitter/drying than I would have preferred; this still has really great malt complexity and balance with the vanilla bean flavors. A very enjoyable offering.

Can. Pours clear ruby hazel, small tan head, dissipates fairly quickly, decent lacing. Aroma is roasty, tobacco, a bit of vanilla. Flavor is medium sweet, light bitter, vanilla, roasted malts. Medium body. Meh.

Big thanks to vintage for having this rare beer on tap! A sweeter fresh smelling beer. Dark looking fer sure. Yes, first taste is vanilla but its not overdone. Perhaps a tad cloying at first then it eases into a fairly smooth brew. Hides alky well, can’t believe this is 6%+. Not bad overall, has manners and is quite civilized compared to other vanilla beer that simply want to get in your face. Does not seem to possess any artificial attributes.

On draught at Woodlands Tavern. Pours brownish-black with a medium creamy tan head that diminishes steadily to a film. Rings of lacing on the glass. The aroma consists of vanilla, malt and chocolate. Medium-bodied with flavors of vanilla, roasted malt and chocolate. The finish is sweet with a roasty malt and vanilla latte aftertaste. Pretty good all around.