Breckenridge Vanilla Porter

Brewed by Breckenridge Brewery
Style: Porter
Denver, Colorado USA

Bottle: Poured a light black color porter with a medium bubbly head with average retention and no lacing. Aroma of light vanilla with some distinctive sour notes. Taste was also dominated by sour notes and light vanilla. Body is really thin with some average carbonation. I don’t know if this was infected but it really wasn’t appealing to me.

Pours a deep, dark violet-brown color that shines slightly translucent. A small, foamy, off-white head leaves minimal sudsy lacing on the glass. The aroma shows vanilla beans steeped in sweet chocolate and caramel, accompanied by copious amounts of oatmeal. Notes of cola and molasses are present as well. The flavor rolls the same elements into an overly sweet package that lacks the signature roasty characteristics of a porter. The vanilla component definitely comes from the bean itself, as there is no woodsy oak present. Smooth, but with a less than substantial body, it feels like a session brew, but is ultimately too sweet to drink several of. If there was a Porter counterpart to the Sweet Stout category, this would definitely fit it.

Interesting idea, just didn’t like the end product much. Aroma and flavor were both very heavy on the vanilla (seemed artificial), some caramel malt. Not overly disgusting, but not very good. Seemed to like it less and less actually.

Bottle. A dark brown color with a laced light brown head. A strong vanilla aroma with chocolate and toffee malts. Vanilla bean flavors with a mild toasted tofee malt flavor. I think this may have too much vanilla and not enough malty and chocolate balance, as if it was added on top of a rather simple porter.

Big vanilla aromatics waft out from first crack of the crown. Pours out a deep, dark brown, with a sliver of crimson at the sides, a meager, but loyal cocoa / tan head. Good. Roasty nose, swiftly dominated by sweet vanilla. Light hints of coffee below, glimmers of chocolate. Pleasing, yes, but not overpowering, nor especially outstanding. Chalky, flaky cocoa feel from the start, like a dusting of chocolate powder...rinses the mouth with a smattering of sweetness, then dashes away. Medium, at best, in body, a bit too light for me...vanilla bean flavor clings to the palate and pushes away the other flavors that may reside in the taste. Gets sweeter as we go in, a bit too much for me, actually. Probably the best vanilla porter I’ve tried, but I’m still not crazy about the style. I like more porter, less vanilla.

Deep brown, aroma faintly of coffee and chocolate. Flavor is mostly light coffee and milk chocolate at first, with a hint of vanilla. As it warms, vanilla picks up pace considerably, and in the end is the dominant flavor. Not bad, but almost seemingly artificial, even though I know it isn’t supposed to be.

bottle, dark brown to espresso colored pour? nice foam head, vanilla extract and coffee nose, flavor of vanilla bean, caramel and coffee, finish is nice also

Bottle. Aroma is of light roast and malt. Beige head on a rubypitch body. After letting it set for a few moments, the vanilla scent really shines through, like opening a bottle of extract. Also carries over into the taste, a strong component of a well-rounded porterish taste: roast, ash tray, a splash of sourness, and slight dark chocolate. A little gritty and a little oily/syrupy. Medium body is a little weak around the edges. Gets sweeter toward the end until it suddenly drops off in a dry, gritty finish. In the bigger picture, the vanilla is little more than an accent. This needs time to warm up. Successful experiment!