Breckenridge Vanilla Porter

Brewed by Breckenridge Brewery
Style: Porter
Denver, Colorado USA

This was much better than the last time I had it. Bottle from Cortez, CO. Buttery mouthfeel and slight flavor of same. I have been drinking Polish Baltic Porters of late so the absence of copper in the palate is very welcome with this guy. Milk chocolate and vanilla round out - this would be boss if it had any coffee to it. Room temperature a must. Note to nbutler11: no, I didn’t inflate this rating just to put Breck’s average score well over 3.0.

I hear this beer is available where I live (WI), but I had it for the first time during a recent visit to CO. I liked it so much the first time I had it, I brought some home. Pours dark with a rich tan head; looks like a porter should look. Smells nice, and you pick up the vanilla from the aroma. Mouthfeel is what definitely makes this beer. Sometimes when mouthfeel/palate seems like a totally inappropriate question for a beer - but this beer stands out on this dimension. Flavor is definitely vanilla, and upon multiple trials, maybe too much so. This is not the world’s best porter that the good folks at Breckenridge merely added vanilla to. Rather, the vanilla seems to really finish the base beer. Good, but after having a few times, I get how other reviewers have criticized the vanilla flavor as having a chemical taste.

Poured from a 12oz bottle into a pint glass. This porter poured a very dark brown color with light mahogany highlights showing through the edges of the glass. A thin, tan head quickly faded away, leaving some light lace. The aroma of the beer included roasted malts and some light vanilla notes. The flavor was full of vanilla, followed by light roasted notes and also some chocolate. The vanilla is very strong, but it doesn’t overpower the other flavors. The mouthfeel was medium-bodied with light carbonation. I really enjoyed this beer. About the only complaint I could find was that the body was a little bit thin. Very sessionable!!

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...

Bottle. Dark brown in color with a small brownish head. Sweet vanilla aroma- smells almost fake, but not quite. Too sweet of a flavor for what I was expecting. I have had vanilla beers before that were much less sticky-sweet which I enjoyed more.

Got some roasted malt and vanilla in the aroma.Pours very dark with a medium tan head.Vanilla and coffee are in the flavors.Mouthfeel was a little thin with a hint of chocolate in the finish.

Draft. Pours a dark brown with a decent tan head. Vanilla nose with some nut. Flavors a good vanilla with some roasted malt too. Something off a little on the palate. Overall nice porter.

This is an old school favorite of my wife. I’ve always thought it drank pretty good too. This pours a deep reddish brown with a small tan head, looks a lot like the one in that picture over there. Aroma is nice with a big roasty coffee character, and light notes of vanilla and chocolate. Vanilla basically dominates the flavor of this beer, and it’s a little sticky sweet with the vanilla. However a bitter deep coffee like roastiness along with a small but effective hop presence seems to balance this out to make it particularly more quaffable. There is also a good chocolate flavor too the beer as well but the coffee/vanilla thing eclipses too many subtleties. Palate is mildly watery.