Raspberry Vanilla Java Porter (VJP)
Atwater Brewery

 

 

 

I am always filled with a sense of trepidation when I open anything from Atwater (Block) Brewery since they are about as much of a hit-or-miss brewery as I have ever encountered. The hits are home runs while the misses are backwards Ks. Wow! I just cannot pass them up, though, and when a new one comes down the pike, I latch onto it with both hands, even if it is a Bottle!

From the Bottle: "Malt Beverage brewed with Raspberry and Coffee Beans with natural flavor added (Vanilla Bean extract)"; "Pairs with: Coffee Houses, Tap Houses, Any Houses."

The Edward Hopper-esque ginger on the label, who reminded me of a young Susan Sarandon, gave me the nod & so I Pop!ped the cap. I went with a slow, gentle C-Line pour into the awaiting glass, but neither she nor I were happy with the results. A vigorous in-glass swirl raised just under two fingers of dense, foamy, rocky, deep-tan/light-brown head with decent retention, leaving equally decent lacing in its wake. Color was Dark Brown to Very Dark Brown (SRM = > 27, < 34) with NE-quality clarity & mahogany highlights. Gorgeous! I definitely got the raspberry on the nose, but the vanilla seemed either muted or hidden. Either could have been due to my reefer's cold temperature, so I will reserve further comment until it warms. Mouthfeel was thin-to-medium, not exactly watery, but not terribly removed, either. I let the first sip sit on my tongue as I rolled it around to allow it to warm. The taste was more like the raspberry truffle enrobed in dark chocolate that I recently got in my monthly UniversalYums.com box from Russia (!). It was more sweet than I would have liked & I still was not getting much in the way of discernible vanilla. Yes, it had a slight sweetness, which was out of character for raspberry, but it was not identifiable as vanilla, IMHO. Since Raspberry got top billing in/on this one, I will give it some, but not total leniency. Finish remained choco-raspberry-ish, but there did not seem to be any vanilla present. Further, its sweetness was more like an aperitif than a beer, I just did not feel as excited by it as I had hoped. YMMV.

Very good Java porter. The hint of raspberry is VERY subtle. At B3 on tap.