Breckenridge Vanilla Porter

Brewed by Breckenridge Brewery
Style: Porter
Denver, Colorado USA

huh. whattaya know. this isn’t bad. now you’re sure it’s from breckenridge? wow. for real? i mean, THE breckenridge? the purveyors of beers generally renowned for being broken in spirit, weak-- and so lame that if they were horses you’d shoot them all out of pure pity? get outta here! well. knock me over with a feather. this vanilla porter isn’t a big beer by any means, nor a particularly complex beer, and sure, it’s a bit sweet and gimmicky. but huh... not bad, given a reasonably magnanimous mood and a mid-evening thirst open to a harmless frolic. good dark color of just the sort of hue an earthworm would wiggle into and think he’d died and gone to rich loamy worm heaven. good head had some trippy little paisley swirls in the lingering lace. aroma is root-beer and chocolate vanilla-- it’d make quite a dish of ice cream. feel is watery, carbonation is as wildly enthusiastic as a young border collie in an agility match-- yet that basic vanilla fudge thing in the flavor, with some rooty bitterness, coffee-like roastiness, and it’s late drying effect-- really works as a fun little beverage.

Draught: Aroma of vanilla and dark roasted malts. Poured black with hints of ruby and a very rocky, medium-sized, tan head that diminished by lasted. Good lacing. Lightly sparkling. Medium sweet flavor. Tastes of vanilla, cream, roasting, and a hint of piney hops. Medium body. Average texture. Average carbonation. Vanilla/cream finish. Almost like a cream soda beer.

Black, thin tan head. Vanilla fudgey aroma, as one might expect. Flavor is like an Oreo cookie in a glass - nice vanilla flavors mix with chocolatey malts. If anything, it verges on being a bit too sweet. Enjoyable, though. Sampled at the Flying Saucer, Raleigh.

Suprisingly not terrible. Pours a deep red, minimal head. Aroma is heavy vanilla, almost like chocolate ice cream and coffee. Flavor starts out nicely, big chocolate and coffee notes coated in a very smooth but strong vanilla flavor. About 2/3 of the way through, something starts to miss (I think it’s the vanilla meeting the hops) and things become fairly chemical-like, ending grassy with a dry tart on the tongue.

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.

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.

Draft pint from Nicholson’s in downtown Cincinnati. Pours very dark brown with small tan head that laces the glass. Vanilla and roasted malts on the nose. Vanilla flavor with hops and malt. Sweet and roasty. Light/medium body, too light. Sweet malty finish. Not bad but the most disappointing part is the low ABV.

Bottle Dec 2007, thanks to Josh. Pours a deep warm brown, nice color. Smells nuanced and malty, sensually sweet. Slight alcoholic notes that make the aromas and flavors highly reminiscent of vanilla extract. Yet the malt is there too. Creamy chewy silky mouthfeel. An interesting, appealing treat.