Michelob Celebrate Vanilla Oak

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

Michelob Oak-Aged Dark Vanilla Premium Lager, Vintage 2005 -- I had picked up a bottle of this earlier in the year and decided to save it until the 2006 bottles hit the shelves. The 2006 is out and has been out for a month or so now, but to be honest, I had forgotten that I had this bottle! Oh well, there’s still 5 hours of 2006 left, so I’m drinking it now... Michelob Oak-Aged Dark Vanilla pours a deep reddish caramel amber color and is quite clear. There’s hardly any visible carbonation (although I’m not overly surprised since it is over a year old and only had a twist off cap). There is a golden brown crown that develops from pouring, but that quickly disappears. The aroma is a moderately sweet caramel with undertones of vanilla and oak. Initially, the flavor is malty and sweet with a hint of oak. Then some of the woody oakness starts to come through with some dark vanilla (I say "dark" because it isn’t the same vanilla as vanilla ice cream might be) and pleasing alcohol. Then the finish starts a bit dry, but then becomes malty sweet with a lingering oakiness. There is a noticeable warming alcohol effect. The oak and vanilla are apparent, but not over done or fake tasting. I am quite impressed! Even though there isn’t much visible carbonation, there is some that I can feel on my tongue as I taste the beer. This beer has a medium body with a smooth mouthfeel. Overall I would say that this is a pretty good beer from a macro brewery. Actually, the more and more of the bottle I drink, the more and more I become impressed with it. I’ve definitely had worse beers from better breweries! -- By the way, don’t drink this beer straight out of the fridge. The aroma was flat and the flavor had a unpleasing sharp malt extract and alcohol bite at colder temperatures. However, after letting it breath and come up in temperature awhile, I found this beer to be quite pleasing regardless of below average reviews it seems to be getting. Also, for whatever reason, the last glass of the bottle had a lasting veil on top that produced some light lacing... 24 oz bottle (10% ABV, 28605 SN05) from West Side Liquor Store in West Harrison, Ohio.

Malty, strong lager aroma witih cake. Y’know, they could have sprung for a crimp-cap bottle, or a corked bottle, for the ridiculous price that they wanted for a bomber. Very sweet, pretty nicely balanced. Vanilla is a Russian roulette ingredient from what I’ve seen -- it can either be soft and add a great dark, fermented compliment to the brew, OR it can come off as artificial and cloying. AB does a good job of the former. Nice bittering - in part hops, in part good old hydroxyethane. Does well as it warms, a fair sipping brew. Overall, it’s cakey. I just wish AB wouldn’t use Michelob as the point of departure for all it’s macro ’craft’ specials. Medium body, finish is fadeaway vanilla. Glad I waited for the after-Christmas markdown. Wish I’d waited for the after-Valentine’s Day markdown.

smells and tastes like vanilla flavoring. it does have a funky plum aftertaste which has an alcohol bite

Sampled at Broudy’s Holiday Beerfest 12/2/2006, Jacksonville FL. Another surprise from AB, since I hold a special contempt for all things Michelob. This beer was actually tasty and enjoyable. Flavor was heavy on the vanilla, and the oak peeked through. A good alcohol hit along with the sweet malt. Interesting.

Bottle (Thanks John, you ass): The bottle appears to be shaped like a suppository and quickly earns the name Anal Bombshell. The beer pours a bloody stool color, with a white head. It smells of an assy sweetness, some alcohol, and some brown malts. The delicate flavors of vanilla extract, oak tree excrement, stale assy malts, and wood chips, it’s as if the brewer used an oak funnel to pour this into his own ass before bottling by shoving the bottle up there. In the end it really wasn’t that bad, but it just tasted like a fake oak aged beer. Too much vanilla extract, and you could tell it was oak chips, not the real thing.

I have to be prejudiced against Michelob don’t I? I mean I am, and that is the correct posture, right? This beer has a replaceable screw cap. That just can’t be good, can it? This beer is SO SPECIAL that you just need to put the cap back on and save it for another day, right? PULEASE! It even comes in a BOX! How precious is that? Nevertheless, althogh I am sure it has fake beer-type flavors in it, it tastes not half bad. Strong vanilla, and . . . .ummmm, and. . . . ummm, well, that’s all really. Not bad, but I feel like an ass for paying $10 for something with Michelob name on the label. I knew better, but did it anyhow. I am a bad, bad, bad, bad boy.

Pours a clear copper with a fizzy tan head that dissipates in a flash. The aroma is sort of a tainted sweetness, like a spiced pale lager scent. As the beer warmed the scent matured giving off vanilla and oak scents that became far more pleasant than my first impression. Slight bitter taste at first that becomes sweet vanilla. Like the scent the vanilla and even some oak hints come out as the beer warms up. Vanilla seems a bit overstated. Thick and creamy in the mouth, and warming. You can detect a heavy carbonation in the mouth which runs counter to the sweet smoothness evident elsewhere. Interesting, but inconsistent brew.

To this point, a festival special for the GABF but they envisioned marketing it this coming Christmas, so we’ll see. Dull amber colour. Light vanilla and caramel aroma with a hint of booziness. The flavour is very sweet and really heavy on the vanilla. Combine with a rather thick body and it’s practically ice cream. Light caramel and oak background thankfully keep things on the beery side. It’s a bit simple overall, though, and I’m not a huge fan of vanilla in beer so that doesn’t help win me over either.