Takau Vanilla Red Ale
Takau Brewery

Courtesy of the super-generous brewer, Barley Chung. According to the brewery's website, this beer uses genuine Madagascan vanilla sticks! Coming in a 350ml can, unfiltered and unpasteurised. Canned on 12/09/07, BB 12/11/07, served cool in a large bulb wine glass.

A: murky reddish brown in colour; a soft layer of beige foam lasts pretty well on top of mild and constant carbonation.
S: a pronounced aroma of vanilla comes on top of dried raspberries, prunes, and a touch of amber malts; after a swirl, a rather fragrant herbal note comes forward, consisting of hops and vanilla. Overall, the nose is pretty enjoyable if not complex enough.
T: a rather light flow of amber malts and a prune-ish flavour are backed by a powdery taste of vanilla and sour-sweet berry-fruits, leaving a mildly bitter-sweet edge of caramel and chocolates in the rather clean finish. Overall the elements on the palate are intertwined nicely, albeit not complex enough.
M&D: softly-carbonated, soothing in texture, against a moderate body. This is an interesting beer, with a rather light flavour profile featuring Irish Red Ale underlined by soft vanilla. If the balance is put better b/w sour fruitiness and maltiness, the vanilla flavour could make more contribution to the overall complexity, I presume.