Michelob Celebrate Vanilla Oak

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

Light sweet nose, dark copper color, fizzy dissappating head. Creamy vanilla body with no bitter. Like cream soda. Soapy mouthfeel. Smooth at times, but just odd overall and not so enjoyable. Keep trying, A-B - this ain’t it.

I think this beer looked great in the glass and I liked the vanilla and sweet liquor smeel it has. Pored with no head at all. The beer is a clear copper color. A sort of weird vanilla taste with a candy feel too it. Has a sort of liquor overtone to it that cannot be placed. It also reminds me of cream soda. I was expecting more from this but at least AB is trying something different.

24 oz bottle 2006 edition of Vanilla Oak: My bottle was accidentally opened and leaking for about 4 hours ... I don’t know the impact. What a shitty bottle design. They put this plastic bullet thing over the top of a screw top like comes on a ’40’ ... literally scotch-taped on. I guess I accidentally twisted the bullet and loosened the screw top. Silly me. Anyway, it still has a robust brandy-like aroma. Very strong sugar-based flavors, almost like kids’ medicine. Interesting combination of the vanilla in the bourbon barrels. Comes out with a definite sweet flourish, but with the ruddy, caramel undercurrent that must come from the bourbon aspect? Unfortunately it doesn’t have near the consistency of a quality "big" beer ... it’s a bit thin, even thinner than the cream soda it’s starting to remind me of. I’d say, "just OK."

Poured a reddish golden color with a thin, off white head that left light lacing on the glass. Aroma of butter, caramel malt, citrus fruits, rum, vanilla, honey and nuts. Taste of light vanilla, more honey, caramel malt, and light alcohol as well. Seemed overly sweet, and rather alcoholic, but a fair attempt.

7 oz. single, from Whole Foods LaJolla. Wow, now this is unexpected from the AB Michelob brand. This oak-aged, high alcohol specialty brew pours a hazy medium chestnut color with a small beigey head that dissipates quickly. Aroma is dominated by the oak, vanilla and alcohol (no surprise) with brown sugar, faint nutmeg and barely discernable grassiness mingled with wet wood. Flavor is sweet with more brown sugar, vanilla and wood, an interesting mix of light spice and vegetal herb flavors, with an alcohol tingle in the finish and down the throat. Drinks like a barleywine - though one that’s a bit unbalanced. Full body and very little carbonation on the tongue. Not too bad actually, but I must include that I’m rating it right out of the fridge before it warms and becomes more toxic (see DarkElf’s comments below). I’m trying to be careful not to include an anti-AB bias in this rating. At the same time I’m imagining the surprise of a typical Michelob drinker cracking one open expecting just a sweetened version of their usual beer and getting knocked on their butts by this beefed up brew (tee hee).

2005 bottle. Pours reddish amber with a small white head. Strong bourbon and oak aroma, with some vanilla highlights. Aroma is very enticing. Flavor is toffee, vanilla and fig at first, but is quickly overtaken and dominated by oak, bourbon and alcohol. Thin, watery mouthfeel. Oak lingers for a long finish. The aroma got my hopes up, but ultimately this beer disappointed.

Very clear, light amber body with little to no head. Light alcohol and vanilla aroma. Sweet, almost too much so, with a strong vanilla extract flavor. Quite artificial. Light bodied, thin. A nice big beer only for those who haven’t had many others.

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.