Snowbound Porter
Founders Brewing Company

On tap

A- pours black in color with a one finger foamy off white head that leaves a bit of lacing behind

S- chocolate tootsie roll, light roast, vanilla, marshmallow, raisin

T- sweet chocolate and raisins up front, followed by some roasted notes. Mid palate gives some vanilla sweetness, with a hint of marshmallow. The finish gives more chocolate with a hint of roast lingering

M- medium body with moderate carbonation, foamy mouthfeel and finish

a porter not a stout, as the name, not the listing, rightly calls out. its a vanilla beer, and better than most, although its amazing how these kind of run together now, lots of the bigger craft and craft adjacent operations are making one now, and i like this for a number of reasons, but i also dont want more than one, at least not yet, maybe in deep winter, but also maybe not. its nice and black, with an obsidian shine and a shorter tannish head from the tap, looks well refined, wintery, and attractive. the nose is great, the vanilla is intense but its also very natural, real bean richness to it, and playing well with the deep roast this has, pushing the robust porter kind of malt complexion for me, nothing from the yeast, not at all hoppy, simple in a good way, bitter dark chocolate, espresso, the vanilla, and some charcoal, neat. the flavor is vanilla dominant, and perhaps my favorite part of this is that its only really sweet for a flash, much less excessive and dessert-like than a lot of its peers, and its even kind of bitter at the end from the roast, somewhat intense even, but appealing in smallish doses. the vanilla starts early and stays late, a hint of burnt coffee underneath it, and some cozy vibes overall even though this isnt boozy, which is rad. i like the bitterness, but it warms up almost a little harsh, and kind of sits weird on the tongue with the permeating vanilla after each sip, long long aftertaste. smooth medium full body with enough carbonation. not overdone on the malt side which i like, good and deep, and fairly authentic overall. solid, but maybe not quite rightly proportioned for the kind of drinkability i was hoping for. still, nice to have a new one from founders, i feel like its been awhile...

Another category dilemma. Is this the original Vanilla Porter, or a newly tweaked version of the listed as retired one? Whatever, it does have a new name, so let's go with the latter. Just like every other good porter, it's dark, dark brown with a modest and enduring tan head. Nothing is overwhelming within the aroma, but chocolate, vanilla and coffee provide hints. Soft and smooth across the palate, the drinker immediately knows this is a good one. Hints of coffee, dark chocolate, vanilla and even coconut are experienced. If all those sound sweet, rest assured, this isn't. It's actually more bitter than sweet, thanks to the presence of the well roasted malts, the major taste contributor. Like most other offerings, Founders doesn't misstep with their stouts/porters.