Empyrean Dark Side Vanilla Porter

Brewed by Empyrean Brewing Company
Style: Porter
Lincoln, Nebraska USA

Poured a dark brown color with okay head. Aroma was mostly a nice coffee. Flavor was a nice blend of coffee and vanilla. Thin for this style. Good beer though.

Poured a dark brown color. The aroma was coffee with touches of chocolate. The flavor was coffee, very nice vanilla, and a touch of chocolate underneath. The flavors melded together very nicely, a great idea, yet the depth just wasn’t there. This one needed more malty richness to be excellent. The mouthfeel was light for a porter, a little watery.

Pours a brown color with a off white head. Aroma is dark malts with a hint of vanilla. Flavor is vanilla with some maltyness.

Pleasant dark reddish pour with a lasting tan head. Aroma was somewhat odd...a burnt vanilla scent that just was somewhat off IMHO. Flavor had hints of smoke and burnt coffee, with some malty undertones, but any vanilla flavor buried deep within. Although not a bad beer by any means, this one was just a bit odd. On a side note, I have had this beer on tap, and like other Empyrean products, it was much more enjoyable on tap...will re-rate in the future if I have the opportunity

Bottle sampled on 7/2/06: Pours a transparent dark ruby mahogany with a large plume of over-carbonation settling to a thin ring of off-white head. Aroma of mild smoke and grainy dark caramel malt and some candied vanilla. Body starts with a light toasty caramel maltiness, some earthy, roasty smoke notes and a touch of a strange soapy chemical off-flavor toward the finish. Something was definitely off with this one.

From a 12 oz. twist off stubby bottle with no freshness date. Poured a dark coffee brown with a small foamy pale tan head that settled into a thin lacing. Aromas of lightly roasted coffee malts, a pronounced vanilla and a very subtle honey. Moderate carbonation and a softly crisp, slick, smooth medium bodied mouthfeel. Tastes of roasted coffee malts with touches of chocolate, a cream soda-like vanilla, a floral honey-like flavor from the hops and a roasted malty finish. Not a bad porter, so far, the brew I’ve had from Empyrean, better as it warms up.

Great sweet, smoky flavor, but not "syrupy" at all. The vanilla flavor really carries this beer. Very good.

Aroma of fresh baked goods. Flavor is a pleasant mix of sweet and vanilla. The word that is most apparent is smooth. This is a very smooth drinkable dark ale. This brewer tends to the thin side of styles, and hop character was minimal, but a nice smooth almost desert quality. Finish had a little toast and vanilla, but very little bite.