Michelob Celebrate Vanilla Oak

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

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).

Pours a clear, copper/vermillion with red leanings. A fizz of a head settles immediately to a hairline of halo. Dusty, macro-corn & light diacetyl aromas under prominent vanilla. My impression is that it smells like a brewpub experiment. Alcohol is intense as it warms. Flavor finds cloyingly sweet vanilla with nuttiness beneath. Thinly syruped with light alcohol-astringence late. My suggestion is to have this in place of your late night craving for ice cream.

I suppose the increase in alcohol, body and flavor (albeit contrived) is reason for A/B to celebrate, but it’s not quite reason enough for me. This beer is cloying yet strangely drinkable for those who don’t mind their pancakes absolutely smothered with syrup.

<font size=-4>Under the tree from <a href=http://www.mikesjournal.com/Santa Plate.jpg>Santa.<font size=-1>

The aroma is of vanilla and caramel malt. The color is amber with a tan head. The flavor of vanilla comes through lightly and there is a bit of cloyingess at the finish.

Vanilla and oak in the nose. Creamy caramel toffee and vanilla flavors with some wood and odd metallic notes creeping into the finish.

24oz bottle(2006)-A medium amber body with a nice medium head that dissipated into a small ring. Aroma of bourbon and alcohol with vanilla on the back end. Taste of vanilla and bourbon with the alcohol coming on the back end. Better than ’05 and a pretty decent brew from AB all considering. Now if they could brew beer like this all the time.

Bottle sampled with Stegosaurus. Pours deep copper with an off-white head. Aroma of vanilla, alcohol, and bourbon. The flavor ia sweet, alcohol, and vanilla, but taste a little weird like all these new and improved flravor were just added to a bottle of regular michelob.

Gift set. The same thing as the chocolate one except vanilla. Aroma and flavor was strictly vanilla. Nothing special.