Vanilla Cream Ale
Raccoon River Brewing Company

 

 

 

 

 

I tried this on tap at El Bait Shop in Des Moines. Even looking at it I could tell I was about to be disappointed. It was extremely thin in mouth-feel and body, and the vanilla flavour was completely one-dimensional. Save yourself a trip to the tap-house! Get some Bud Light, add vanilla extract, and you've got this beer.

 

 

Clear golden yellow color with a thin, insubstantial head. The foam recedes quickly and leaves only the spottiest of lace.

The nose is definitely full of vanilla, but more of the "mixed with high fructose corn syrup for cream soda" than "finest native Mexican bean carefully stripped for creme brulee". The malt component is very pale, and mildly sweet with a musty yeast note.

This is pretty much a cream soda with a little booze - definitely not as sweet, but all the flavor notes are the same. Dry brew, backed with mild, subtle grain notes. The straw color is indicative of the lightness of the malt, probably with some corn in the mash. Very light and one-sided leaning toward the vanillin flavor.

Thin mouthfeel with bracing carbonation. Vanilla doesn't tend to last in the mouth; no exception here, as the carbonation and vanilla work together to sweet the whole thing off the tongue and out of the mind.

Weak beer, in terms of strength and flavor, but not really too bad for those in search of a super light quaffer.

This one is really interesting. It is a very pale clear gold with a very foamy head that dissapated after a while. There is NO doubt this is vanilla. I can honestly say it smelled just like cream soda, and was probably equally easy to drink. I do not think the ABV was very high, but do not know for sure. That is probably a good thing, since one could easily drink this down as if it was a soda, and maybe even faster if you are not a beer drinker who knows better!! The taste was rather sweet, but not as sweet as a soda with sugar. This was a unique memorable brew. The only reason I gave it a 3.5 on taste and a 4.0 in drinkability is that it was really easy to drink, but not necessarily something I would repeatedly get.

Pale golden in color with mild carbonation forming a thin white head with minimal retention and lacing. Aroma is distinctly vanilla with a hint of malt. The aroma and flavor of vanilla are not artifical as in many beers of this style...The vanilla is brisk and well-balanced, forming a cohesive unity with the delicate malts and hops. Mixing this 50/50 with the Stonecutter stout produced a real treat...give it a try. My girlfriend loved this brew. Light to medium in body with a wet finish.