Old Chubb - Vanilla
Oskar Blues Grill & Brew

 

 

 

Had it side by side with Old Chub. I really liked the old chub. This beer however, had a very boozy end. I do not think it was oak aged. If you like a hot finish you may really like this. For me it detracted a lot from the beer.

 

 

Oskar Blues : Vanilla Old Chub

Pulled from the firkin. Looks a deep ruddy brown color, creamy, bubbly head forms. Delicious aroma of strong vanilla, with toasted malt and chocolate chiming in. In the taste, sweet vanilla bean, peaty scotch style malts, and faint smoke. Sweet but not cloying, strong vanilla but not overdone. Mellow and soothing, smooth velvety feel with low carbonation. Overall, an absolutely fantastic cask ale, and takes the already solid Old Chub to a new level. Standout, one of the best cask ales I've had to date.

I had this during craft beer week at Max's. Poured into a standard pint glass.

Appearance: Hazy dark brown with some light coming through. One finger of light tan head that leaves a ring around the glass.

Smell: Sweet but not cloying. Lots of vanilla and some caramel as well.

Taste: Starts out with some malt sweetness with a hint of caramel and a lot of vanilla. The finish has some bitterness as well as some alcohol. Very nice use of the vanilla.

Mouthfeel: Medium body with hardly any carbonation. Mildly dry finish.

Overall: Really smooth and easy to drink. I love the amount of vanilla in this one. Super well balanced and I would love more.

Had this at Max's in Baltimore last night. This and some other rare-to-the-area OB offerings were left over from an event the night before.

A - Dark ruby brown, light tan head, medium sized bubbles, decent head retention, moderate lacing

S - Malty sweet, light vanilla

T - This immediately tastes of a freshly spun old-fashioned vanilla milk shake. The vanilla essence is here, and surprisingly it's not at all overpowering. The heft of the malt can be felt but is balanced out with the vanilla. Brilliant. The middle is very light and easy and it finishes mildly sweet

M - Medium in body

O - I was very impressed with this beer. I am not at all a fan of the style. I've had the base Old Chub several times. While I can appreciate that it's a well made beer, it never wowed me. This variation did. It's very easy to drink. The addition of vanilla to this beer made it one of the more enjoyable beers I've had in recent memory. I would travel distances to find this again. Hell, if it's still on at Max's tonight I may head back for another round.

Served on Cask at Max's in an English pint glass. Appearance was ruby to brown with very little head, to be expected when poured from a cask. The aroma was mostly vanilla. I was really interested to try this since i am a fan of Old Chub from the can, but didn't know what to expect. I was pleasantly surprised. Having it with vanilla bean added and poured from a cask totally changed the profile of this beer. It drank more like a flavored porter than it did a Scottish style ale. The bartender even remarked that he was not a fan of Scotch ales, but he thought this was really good. Lots of vanilla in the forefront, with a nice malty backdrop. I would definetly get this again if given the chance, and definitely would recommend to anyone who enjoys vanilla flavor profiles in beer.

On cask at Churchkey in DC. Out of a 12oz snifter...

A- Ruby reddish brown, has a nice glow to it. There is a very light ring of a head that is caramel in color. No real lacing to speak of.

S- Smells of vanilla and caramel malt. Sweet and savory. I get a little spice and booze on the nose as well. Maybe a touch of dark fruit as well.

T- Wow, this one really surprised me. The vanilla is almost a little bourbony, and adds a lot to the flavor. I also get more notes of caramel malt, spice, and a touch of hops. Very nice.

M- A little light on carbonation, but that could be from being on cask. It has good body though, and the complexity in the mouth is better than many scotch ales.

O- I've had quite a few Scotch Ales, but this is by far my favorite. Blows regular Old Chub out of the water, and was probably my favorite of the day. Would definitely have again given the chance.

-GFunk

Had this one on tap Friday night in Longmont at Oskar Blues Tasty Weasel Tap Room. Poured a dark reddish-brown color, with a decent light brown head. On the nose I got lots of vanilla, a little chocolate, caramel and a slight smokiness. On the palate, medium bodied and creamy, with oak, vanilla and chocolate. My wife remarked that it tasted like it was stirred with a vanilla bean.

Man, what a great beer. Had this on cask at the Brick Store Pub earlier this evening. Served from their handpump. The menu said this was a special cask for them, the Old Chub with fresh vanilla beans added to the cask. I loved the coconut treatment of the old chub, and the vanilla is also extremely good. Old chub itself is quite a nice beer from the can, but on cask its sublime, and combined with the Vanilla bean, you have an ultra smooth taste sensation. Pours a dark ruby brown with a relatively thin head that settles to a caramel colored ring. Good clarity. This beer has a huge nose of rich malt coupled with the rich perfume of fine vanilla. The taste is also sensational, with perfectly married flavors of rich Bourbon vanilla with a long firm maltiness that is a trademark of the Old Chub. A bit boozy and tight on the finish, but that just adds a nice exclamation point to the smooth, rich flavors that preceded it. Slightly sweet, but not in the least treacly. Ultra smooth and creamy in the mouth with a slight jolt of barrel tannins right at the end that lends some nice structure to the whole shebang. Quite rich, but so smooth and delicious as to be eminently drinkable. Another fine brew from the good folks at Oskar Blues.