Michelob Celebrate Vanilla Oak

Brewed by Anheuser-Busch InBev
Style: Spice/Herb/Vegetable
St. Louis, Missouri USA

Bottle. Poured hazy brown color with an average off-white frothy head that mostly lasted with good lacing. Moderate vanilla and nuts aroma. Medium body with a creamy texture. Heavy sweet vanilla flavor with a sweet short finish. Not my style.

This one starts out OK. The pour is hazy ruby copper with aroma of grainy pale malt, some caramel, big vanilla. The taste is sweet, with a lot of caramel malt, heavy vanilla, some oaky bourbony hints. It gets hotter and loses complexity toward the end. Not bad, but not worth the high price.

Bottle, Vail Beer Fest. Head is mostly diminishing. Body is medium amber. Aroma is moderately malty (caramel), with notes vanilla, candy sugar, and DMS. Flavor is moderately sweet. Finish is lightly sweet, lightly bitter, unclean. Medium body, watery texture, lively carbonation, lightly alcoholic. If you’re even slightly meticulous, you will find the macro-swill smell underneath the sugary and vanilla notes. That’s a shame, really...why use a shitty base beer to make a special brew? Oh, right, this is A-B we’re talking about. God forbid they would actually avoid shortcuts and adjuncts for a fancy packaged celebratory beer. That would cost money.

From a bottle purchased in Kansas. Medium copper colored body with a very thin light khaki colored head. The aroma is definitely vanilla, but cheap extract type vanilla. There is also some light grainy character with a hint of wood. A light, but enjoyable nose. The taste is sweaty perfume and vanilla extract. The vanilla is in no way subtle. The dry oak and some some caramel are behind the in your face vanilla flavors. Wow, never got this much vanilla extract taste in a beer before. This needs a little aging or some toning down of the extract taste. Slick and thin mouthfeel for the abv. It gets a little smoother as you drink a little more.

Sampled from 2006 vintage torpedo bottle, courtesy of brewfiend. Pours a clear copper amber brew with a fast dissolving white head that disipates to a white ring and some film top Aroma of herbal spice, vanilla, a touch of wintergreen, and dried oak wood. Taste is medium bodied, light carbonation with flavors of caramel malt, some flowery hop and a touch of vanilla. Finish is slightly metalic, dry with a wood and vanilla aftertaste. Just like its chocolate version, It’s different.

2005 edition. Poured a hazy dark amber color. Aroma of sweet aged with notes of vanilla and some woody character. The flavor was of vanilla and malt. Almost tastes like drinking a scotch and water.

Sampled from a bottle at the 3rd Annual FoBAB. Amber pour with reddish highlights, along with a short, creamy off-white head. Aroma of vanilla beans, a bunch of caramel, and assorted candy. Exceptionally sweet, with a cloying blend of caramel and vanilla dominating. No bourbon characteristic to it, and just the faintest hint of oak. Just too much like candy on the palate, and alcohol made enough of an impression in the brew to clash with the candy. I do applaud AB for the effort, though.

Bourbon and alcohol in the smell. Also over-the-top vanilla aroma and taste. Significant white head on lagerish body. Lagerish below medium body and sweet sugary finish. Little carbonation. The kids liked it. A bit much but interesting coming from Michelob.