Breckenridge Vanilla Porter

Brewed by Breckenridge Brewery
Style: Porter
Denver, Colorado USA

Sampled @ World Cafe Winterfest; Vanilla Porter was a nice break from Belgian and big beers sampled that day. More of a session beer, with vanilla standing out from roasted, chocolate, and coffee malts...but overall a well balanced porter.

Bottle - Poured a dark brown in color with a small white head that thinned to a light covering and a rim around the top. Some small lacing on the glass. Aroma is medium of roasted malts and definitely some vanilla. Flavor is initially roasty like you would expect any porter to be, but then the vanilla roars to the front and overpowers everything else. Hints of chocolate and slightly sweet. Finish is the lasting taste of vanilla and candy sugar with an odd chemical aftertaste. Not nearly as good as "Ravell".... a vanilla porter that Magic Hat used to make... I’m a bit disappointed...

12oz bottle from TheBeerSommelier - thanks, Matt! Pours surprisingly light, with substantial amounts of copper in the dark brown pour. Big fizzy head. The aroma is strong, but not quite how I remember this beer. Whereas I recall a smooth, slightly overpowering vanilla, this one actually recalls cream soda, with a slight metallic overtone. Taste is much more to expectations, with a thick mouthfeel that makes this less like beer than a candy delivery vehicle. This beer wants to grow up and become Southern Tier Creme Brulee.

Pours a dark deep reddish-brown with a medium tan head thats leaves a slight bit of lacing... Aroma of mild vanilla, a slim bit of chocolate and coffee, and a hint of roasted malts and a touch of a spice i cant place.... Taste is of watery coffee with a touch of chocolate then a shot of vanilla, but not in an overpowering way... I feel like the vanilla compensates for the thinness of the mouthfeel in a way that redeems the beer...

Pours dark brown with a decent tan head. Smells of roasted malt, some spice. Tastes of pronounced vanilla. Like drinking a beer that someone threw a scoop of vanilla ice cream into. Very off putting.

Pours dark brown with a wispy, quickly disappearing foam. Aroma of vanilla and Rollo’s. It has a full mouthfeel that lends itself nicely to the chocolatey vanilla flavor.

12oz Bottle: Brown pour with a small light brown head. Sweet malts with some nuttiness in the aroma. I’m digging the aroma...and the flavor? I’m digging that too. Nice light roasted malt flavor with a distinct nuttiness and the vanilla comes in at the end perfectly. So well balanced and a silky smooth mouthfeel that really make this beer friggin awesome. A near perfect balance of roasty and sweet. Aged for apx. ten months before I got around to it. I was worried that it was going to be tired and stale. Nope, not at all. Holy hell it’s good!

pint @ Tyler’s Apex, Good aroma, sweet. roasty. Coffee, vanilla are what I get. Orangy brown color, good head that faded. Minor lace. Bitter sweet flavor, more of the vanilla comes out, really balances the roast side of it. Medium body, oily creamy mouth feel, sweet bitter finish. I had my doubts going into it and came out mildly impressed, vanilla added a nice touch. It came out more as I rolled it on my tongue.