Vanilla Porter - Breckenridge Brewery
I always get a little child-like excitement when I see a beer labeled with enticing “Vanilla.” It reminds me of days gone by, sitting on a curb and sipping some of my favorite root beers and cream sodas. There was nothing better than walking down the sidewalk with a cold Henry’s root beer in my hand on a hot day with nothing to do in the seemingly eternal freedom of summer.
My love of beer may have started with root beer, but it has evolved significantly since then. Now, I’m tipping back a few Vanilla Porters from Breckenridge Brewery. I grew up not too far from Breckenridge, Colorado, and I still love to go back and have a beer in the area with such a booming and historic beer culture, and you should too if you ever have the chance.
But, let us get on with this flavored porter. It is made with roasted malts (one of the ingredients that makes it a porter vs. a stout) and Madagascar vanilla, and it touts a 5.4% ABV and 16 IBUs. It is a year-round beer from Breckenridge Brewery, and they also have a Vanilla Porter Nitro and an Imperial Vanilla Porter that has been aged in rum barrels.
Now, onto our First Impressions:
First Look--Little head formation. And not quite as dark as a typical porter, but slightly darker than a traditional brown ale.
First Smell--Malty sweetness is right on the nose, like a freshly baked batch of cookies. The distinct porter/stout smell is redolent, but it is fairly light and the vanilla isn’t extremely forward, but I didn’t expect it to be.
First Taste--Despite its dark color, it is not very heavy, and is quite easy to drink. I struggled to detect the vanilla at first, but experience tells me to look for the subtleties. And instead of seeking out the vanilla like it’s a scoop of ice cream, I searched for it as I would in a chocolate chip cookie. The nuance is what makes a beer like this easy to drink compared to being overpowered with Vanilla. It’s not about being an overly forward vanilla beer but a nicely balanced porter that you can drink regularly, and this beer accomplishes that.
Food Pairings: For those daring enough, or those looking for a little more vanilla, make your next ice cream float with this Vanilla Porter.
Check out Breckenridge Brewery’s Vanilla Porter at your local beer shop. Or, better yet, check them out in Colorado along with many of the other iconic craft breweries in that area of the world. And being so close to Christmas, check out Breckenridge Brewery’s Christmas Ale and their Holidale--a whiskey barrel aged Christmas Ale.
Cheers!
Mr. Brew