Alpine Beer Company Willy Vanilly

Brewed by Alpine Beer Company (CA)
Style: Spice/Herb/Vegetable
Alpine, California USA

Growler fill from Alpine Beer Co. Pours a decent head, a pretty clear golden yellow. Not too much vanilla aroma, but the vanilla comes through very nicely in the taste. Light, easy drinking. The whole growler goes down in one sitting.

on tap at Alpine BC - Pours a slightly hazy light golden color with a small white head. Has a nice light sweet vanilla aroma and flavor. An interesting twist on thier wheat beer. Light to medium body. Very easy drinking. Good beer for the ladies. Or at least for my wife. She brought a growler home.

Sampled at the brewery. I got way too much vanilla from this. The taste reminded me of Captain Crunch which I actually like but don’t want to drink. Little else noticeable.

Again, like the Willy, rather ho-hum, but with a moderate touch of vanilla. Does not help in my opinion. Seems a little like those horrible candy corns at Halloween. These guys really excell at highly hopped beers, but this is not one of them.

Draught at the brewery. Same appearance as willy but completely transformed in aroma and flavor. The vanilla is noticable on its own but blends with the other flavors to create a whole new profile. I thought the beer tasted a lot like cream soda though still had a maltiness that let you know you were drinking beer. Very well done and enjoyable.

Tap at brewery in Alpine, CA: Clear yellow, citrusy malty nose along with a rustic sweet flavor and a malty body. Similar to Willy but lighter and creamier with a very light touch of vanilla.

Surpisingly good beer. The vanilla takes over this beer, but it is not overwhelming. The solid wheat base is a good choice. Very sweet beer, but in a natural way. I can’t see drinking too much of this brew, but I would not turn it down in the future.

(Draft: Alpine Beer Company in Alpine, CA) I thought the basic Willy American Wheat was a very interesting beer, but the vanilla is a great addition and totally changes the complexion of this beer. It’s still pretty light flavored, but the vanilla jumps to the forefront, and lends a moderate sweetness. It’s lightly bitter, barely noticeable, and the mild wheat flavor stands behind the obvious vanilla dominance. Aromas of vanilla and wheat, as expected, are quite a treat. Light body, of course, since so is the basic Willy. Dark yellow in color. Pours with a decent sized head, off-white in color, but soon fades to a rim.