Vanilla Porter
Railhouse Brewery

It pours brown with a tan head. It has good head retention. It has some chocolate flavors and strong vanilla. It has a smooth texture and it is a tad sweet in the finish.

 

On tap in a pint glass.

Good porter look; dark brown with red trim highlights. Short tan cap, good lacing.

Nice roasted malt and vanilla aromas. Cocoa powder.

The flavors continue from the aromatic profile. There’s a bite from the malt char. Vanilla and a bit of cocoa.

Thin and light body. A bit sweet. Easy drinking Porter quality.

Traditional porter style with vanilla. It works.

 

L: Had this beer on tap at Gene's Haufbrau, poured into a pint glass. Had a black color and a thick consistency. There was an inch and a half of creamy, tan-colored, fairly long-lasting head.

S: Not exactly an overwhelming aroma, but hints of malt, coffee and vanilla.

T: Tasted of some chocolate, vanilla, light malt, coffee, and a little cream in the finish. A bit on the thin side in this flavor. None of the ingredients really stand out. Not awful, but not aggressive enough.

F: A good amount of carbonation with a dry finish. Medium-bodied, but a bit thin.

O: On the whole, not a terrible beer, but ultimately pretty forgettable.

 

 

Poured on-tap at the brewery and served in a shaker pint, the beer is black and thick, with a clingy, smooth, tan head. Nose of rich vanilla, subtle coffee, cream, and baker's chocolate. Flavors are smooth, with rich vanilla forward, cocoa nib in the backbone, and a roasted characteristic all over. Smooth and light in mouth, with a creamy sweet and bitter blend in the aftertaste. Smooth, slightly bitter linger in the finish. Solid and tasty beer.

 

12 oz. bottle. Undated but likely quite fresh.
Pours very dark reddish brown with a bit of sediment coming out at the end of the pour, and some more stuck to the bottom of the bottle. Head has moderate size and retention.

Aroma: mostly sweet but a little sour and smoky as well, with vanilla and relatively little roast grains.

Taste: follows aroma, largely, although roasted grains and hints of black coffee come out in the finish and aftertaste.

O: mediocre, at best, in the sub-group of vanilla porters.

 

 

 

A - pitch black with a short lived dark brown head

S - huge coffee aroma, some faint vanilla, faint burnt caramel

T - big coffee notes at first with some caramel in the finish; very mild vanilla throughout

M - medium bodied, well carbonated

This certainly isn't a bold vanilla porter in the sense that you get blasted with the vanilla notes. Instead this (to me) tends to be more of a coffee porter with some balancing vanilla notes subtley mixed in. It may disappoint those looking for a bold vanilla porter, but anyone seeking a flavorful porter that is easily drinkable will not be disappointed with this one.