Barista Vista
BrewDog

creamy vanilla stout nice coffee vanilla after taste

From a mixed pack of BrewDog beers that my wife bought, this beer is utterly black with a decent tan head. The aroma is of heavily roasted grain, coffee, and just a touch of vanilla in the background. Nice. The taste is full, with plenty of bitterness. The bitterness may be a little over-done. There is a little sweetness underneath, which may be accentuated by the vanilla. Full body. This one is just okay, but not outstanding.

Big fluffy tan head with tightly packed bubbles that you can hear snap, crackle and pop as they recede. Which takes awhile. Nice retention. Decent lacing too. Smells a bit strange. There's the expected roasted malt right up front, but then there's an odd, banana/liquor note. Eh... it's a little reminiscent of 151 proof rum in that regard. Not a good smell in a beer, to say the least. This is supposed to be a vanilla espresso stout and the vanilla smells like extract. I don't know that I really smell espresso beyond the typical coffee notes you usually get with imperial stouts. Doesn't smell terrible, but it doesn't smell especially good, either. I taste vanilla right up front. Finishes with some weird, chocolate but not-quite-chocolate flavor. Almost like Nestle syrup. Then more vanilla. No espresso. It may have fallen off; I think this sample is a bit on the old side. Dry finish. Decent sweet/bitter balance. The review right below me says they used centennial hops and that seems like an awfully strange choice to me, though I suppose it works well enough. I want to say it's a bit thin for 8.5%, but it's probably on par with most in that ABV range. It's a fine beer, I guess. I don't want to drain pour it or anything, but I'm also not exactly looking forward to finishing it either. I had better options, but I reached for this on a whim. Boo me. BOO.

12oz can as part of the holiday mixed 12 pack. BBF 1/31/23 on the bottom of the can. 8.5% ABV per the can.
Brewed with "water, barley, oats, wheat, hops, yeast, natural flavor and lactose. Hopped with centennial.

Pours out to a near black, forming a large tan head with very good retention and decent lacing. Carbonation is ~2.5 or so. Nose up front is vanilla, chocolate and coffee (think tootsie roll artificial flavors), then black walnut, prunes, soy sauce. Mouthfeel is a very peculiar, and I can't say that this is a good thing. There is a roasted malt and leafy hop tartness up front, then some metallic twang, some higher alcohols, and then dry bitterness. Medium dense chewy body. The nose is better than the taste. Too much roasted malts, the acidity, the alcohol and bitterness makes this one a harsh drinker. The coffee, vanilla and chocolate are drowned out by the weird mouthfeel, alcohol and bitterness. The aftertaste is earthy vanilla.

This is the dud of the 12 pack so far. I don't think I'll be finishing this one. Dial back the roasted malt acidity and bitterness, control the pH and I would probably enjoy it. Can't recommend this one.

12 ounce can, enjoy by 1/31/23 stamped on the bottom of the can, BrewDog USA brewed version. Thanks to my friend Denis for this can! Served in a Spiegelau stout glass, the beer pours dark brown/black with at least a couple inch frothy tan head that stuck around a while. There's also a lot of lacing. Aroma is nice, the brew smells like vanilla, espresso, roasted malt and some chocolate. Think the taste pretty much follows the aroma, but there's also some cream and dark bready flavors noticeable too. Mouthfeel/body is medium, it's a bit creamy and coating with a moderate amount of carbonation. Thought this was a good overall brew, certainly worth a try if you get the chance.

12 FL OZ. can
Served in a snifter

This beer pours black and is topped with a couple inches of mocha head that leaves spotty lacing.

I get coffee and vanilla aromas. It has a weird, almost artificial smell.

Coffee with hints of chocolate and vanilla. Slightly bitter finish

Medium bodied with a smooth mouthfeel

There is just something off with this beer.

 

 

 

 

I got a can of this beer from the Brewdog Beer Advent Calendar pack. It poured an opaque dark with ecru head that is leaving some lace. The scent had dark chocolate, vanilla and coffee notes. The taste was nicely balanced and easy to drink with marshmallow and coffee presence. The mouthfeel was medium in body and had good carbonation. Overall it is a solid beer.