Michelob Celebrate Vanilla Oak

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

Though this brew has a fully vanilla wafer cookie nose and flavor, it seems contrived. The vanilla does not mix with the rest of the beer. It kind of sits on top feeeling sickly sweet. It definitely hides its 10% character well. Over all, this brew would have benefited from some hop character and less vanilla. Overly agressive and not refined. A weak thin tan head only makes it worse.

Name: Michelob Celebrate Vanilla
Date: 11/04/2006
Mode: Bottle
Source: Tasting, Bend Brewing

muddy amber, whispy beige head, bits of drippy lace, huge sweet vanilla aroma along with some sweet fruity malt, sweet malt flavor, lots of vanilla character, oak shows up in the finish and adds a bitter edge, gets tiresome quickly

Aroma: 6/10; Appearance: 6/10; Flavor: 5/10; Palate: 5/10; Overall: 10/20
Rating: 2.7/5.0
Drinkability: 5/10
Score: *4

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.

Bottle, 2005 "vintage." Poured a really impressive ruby/amber with a very nice solif, thick and frothy head, that diminished somewhat quickly. At first scent it had an "off" character to it, I can’t put my finger on it. But once I tasted it it wasn’t too bad. There’s a slight bourbon note at the beginning, then follows carmalized apple and finally ozidized apple core. There’s a small amount of vanilla but at the same time some wet cardboard. This isn’t a horrible beer or anything, but it would be a great beer if they took some influence from imperial stouts, giving it a thicker texture or something. The other half of the bottle is up for grabs.

Bullet Bottle. Poured a clear amber in color with a white, fizzy, rapidly depleting head. Aroma is of all vanilla, with no beer or oak detected. When I tasted the beer, it was no suprise that it was almost the same. All vanilla. I drank this beer at near room temp. so this wasn’t such a bad thing, just not a good thing either.

Amber color. Not very thick or rich. Some slight vanilla with lots of sweetness. Enjoyable. Alcohol’s pretty well hidden, too.

Pour is reddish amber with no real head other than a ring of light brown around the glass...smell is sweet with oak and some vanilla, but not overwhelmingly or richly...its like it is just there...also alcohol...thin watery mouthfeel...some vanilla, but sourish malt flavor really dominates...sticky sour finish...

I’ll give AB credit for at least trying but there is no way in hell that this beer is similar to fine cognac. It does however have the body and carbonation of cheap brandy. I know the picture shows a head on the beer but I’m pretty sure they had to draw it in because the beer I poured had more of a thin layer of lacing across the surface of the barely effervescent brew. I got this in a gift set with two snifters and though I am very pleased with the glasses I have to say that they don’t do this beer any favors. I poured the rest of the beer into a lager glass and was pleasantly surprised by what I found. The aroma is filled with notes of vanilla, malt, spices, and alcohol. It’s not the rich aromatic character I was hoping for but it would make a nice Glade candle scent. Flavor was mostly vanilla with a lot of alcohol and some watered down malt followed by more vanilla in the finish. Overall, I think there is one word that perfectly describes this beer: impotent. Sorry, but it just had to be said.