100 Beers, 100 Days: Day #28

Posted on May 6, 2009 by Chris Lumens in .

Breckenridge Vanilla Porter

This is the last of my crazy mixed six pack from deepest, darkest Cleveland. Too bad. I guess after this I’ll have to make some trips to the homebrew store or the store down by work. Anyway.

This beer pours a moderate brown color with the touch of red (hey, my tv has that!) and thin head typical of porters. It’s no secret that the porter is one of my favorite styles to drink and to make. I’ve made several in the past and I think I’ve enjoyed every single one of them. So I’m always ready to give one a try.

The vanilla - provided by real vanilla beans, according to the quite descriptive website - was rather understated but definitely present in the aroma. Aside from that, it smelled just like a porter should. The taste was the interesting part. It tasted exactly like my chocolate stout from last year. This was a pleasant surprise, but made it a little weird to review. It was a very smooth, creamy beer with a touch of chocolate, more vanilla flavor, and a little bit of the roasted qualities I like in porters.

For a spiced beer, it was in no way overpowering. I found that the spice contributed quite nicely to the character of the beer, without overshadowing the quality of the underlying style. Well done, Breckenridge Brewery. According to their website, they also sell a bock and an oatmeal stout. I bet they’re great. Sarah says it smelled like olives to her, but I did not get that at all.

And that makes it four weeks of new beers. What have I done?

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