Vanilla Porter
Four String Brewing Company

Vanilla PorterVanilla Porter
Beer Geek Stats | Print Shelf Talker
From:
Four String Brewing Company
 
Ohio, United States
Style:
American Porter
ABV:
6%
Score:
85
Avg:
3.74 | pDev: 12.03%
Reviews:
10
Ratings:
64
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Aug 04, 2018
Added:
Feb 02, 2014
Wants:
  2
Gots:
  16
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by Scapino:
Photo of Scapino
Rated by Scapino from Ohio

4.25/5  rDev +13.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Dec 17, 2014
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 3.75 by atlbravsrno1 from Maine

Aug 04, 2018
 
Rated: 3.78 by Zombiefeynman from Ohio

Apr 14, 2018
Photo of Amnesia_Jones
Rated by Amnesia_Jones from Ohio

3/5  rDev -19.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
I want this porter to be thick and rich, but alas, it is not.
Feb 13, 2018
Photo of buschbeer
Reviewed by buschbeer from Ohio

3.85/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
12 FL. OZ. bottle
Served in a snifter

This beer appears black when poured, but when held to the light some ruby highlights are visible. It is topped with an inch of tan head that leaves very little lacing.

I can smell vanilla right away. I also get some milk chocolate and roasted malt.

It start with vanilla flavor. Dark chocolate come through the middle. Roasted malt also comes through the middle but lingers through the finish. The is a bitter chocolate aftertaste.

Medium to full mouthfeel

It is a drinkable everyday porter. There is nothing to make it stand out, but there is nothing to note of detrimental flavor either.
Dec 13, 2017
Photo of jojobird72
Rated by jojobird72 from Ohio

3.5/5  rDev -6.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.75
pretty good for in a can (I prefer bottles, idk who else cares)
Aug 28, 2017
 
Rated: 3.83 by travelguy from Ohio

Jun 03, 2017
 
Rated: 3.95 by joemochas from Florida

Jan 23, 2017
Photo of WoodBrew
Reviewed by WoodBrew from Ohio

3.53/5  rDev -5.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
I bought a 6pck at the local Meijer store. The scent had hints of vanilla and roast. The taste carried some vanilla with espresso presence. The Mouthfeel was lighter in body with smooth carbonation. Overall it's ok....would like more body.
Dec 31, 2016
 
Rated: 3.28 by AJmon13 from Ohio

Dec 30, 2016
Photo of Oopssorryy
Reviewed by Oopssorryy from Ohio

2.52/5  rDev -32.6%
look: 2.75 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5
Pours a medium brown, with a small, lightly tanned head. The head quickly falls away, leaving very little lacing. The nose has light roast, a bit of coffee, but is far to sweet for my tastes. The vanilla is there, but is largely obscured by the rest of the scent profiles here.

The flavors feel muted. The little flavor you get before swallowing is roast and a hint of malt. Upon swallowing you are hit with a huge amount of roast, with coffee flavors mixed in. A wave of sweet malt rides of the heels of this, with just the barest hints of vanilla.

The feel is very much on the light side for a porter. It feels like it thickens up in the middle, but the somewhat dry finish takes away from any ground it may have gained. The flavors do not stick on the tongue, and the entire drink is forgotten quickly.

Overall, this feels like a pretty sub par porter. It's billed as a vanilla porter, but I feel like I had to really search for it, so much so I may have been imagining it. Everything about it feels forgettable. I guess it could be used as an introductory porter for someone hesitant of dark beers, but other than that I would just pass.
Dec 25, 2016
 
Rated: 4.19 by ManWithNoName from South Carolina

Dec 07, 2016
Photo of superspak
Reviewed by superspak from North Carolina

3.9/5  rDev +4.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
12 ounce can into pint glass, best before 3/17/2017. Pours crystal clear deep reddish brown color with a 1-2 finger fairly dense light khaki head with good retention, that reduces to a nice cap that lingers. Nice spotty soapy lacing clings down the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation. Aromas of vanilla, milk chocolate, cocoa, caramel, toffee, brown sugar, toasted brown bread, light nuttiness/coffee, herbal, and roast/toasted earthiness. Very nice aromas with good balance and complexity of dark/roast/bready malt, vanilla, and light earthy hop notes; with good strength. Taste of big vanilla, milk chocolate, cocoa, caramel, toffee, brown sugar, toasted brown bread, light nuttiness/coffee, herbal, light pepper, and roast/toasted earthiness. Light-moderate herbal/spicy hop and light roasted bitterness on the finish; with lingering notes of vanilla, milk chocolate, cocoa, caramel, toffee, brown sugar, toasted brown bread, light nuttiness/coffee, herbal, pepper, and roast/toasted earthiness on the finish for a good bit. Very nice complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/roast/bready malt, vanilla, and light-moderate earthy hop flavors; with a nice malt/bitterness balance, and minimal astringent hop flavors after the finish. Light-moderate dryness from bitterness, increasing through the glass. Medium carbonation and body; with a very smooth, moderately creamy/grainy/bready, fairly sticky, and slightly chalky balanced mouthfeel that is nice. Zero warming alcohol as expected of 6%. Overall this is a very nice American style vanilla porter. All around nice complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/roast/bready malt, vanilla, and light-moderate earthy hop flavors; very smooth and easy to drink. Just a bit too bitter/drying than I would have preferred; this still has really great malt complexity and balance with the vanilla bean flavors. A very enjoyable offering.
Dec 04, 2016
 
Rated: 3.69 by ItsBeer4Me from Pennsylvania

May 25, 2016
Photo of BEERchitect
Reviewed by BEERchitect from Kentucky

4.04/5  rDev +8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
Porter first and vanilla secondary, the heirarchy is clear- the Four String brewer show a creative and aggressive edge with the madagascar vanilla bean, but layer them on a robust underpinning of roasty, toasty barley malt that doesn't shy away from the attention of the tastebuds.

Their Vanilla Porter is a dark and lavish dark ale, deep brown and topped with a creamy beige crown. As the unmistakable and soothing scent of vanilla drifts onto the nose, its taste is even more decadent with dark-roast coffee, chocolate, burnt sugar and roasted nuttiness.

As the flavors develop, the mind is drawn to the taste of sweet cream, milkshakes and sweetened coffees. The toasted grains give bittersweet chocolate notes with an undercarriage of caramel and toffee. Earthy nuttiness is woodsy and the bittering hops are piney and support the coffee-like characteristics seamlessly.

Full bodied yet remarkably drinkable, the porter seems lavishly creamy to start but trails with a drying tone that outweighs the generous vanilla additions. An after-palate of bitter woods, nuttiness and coffee extend deep into aftertaste and with that seductive afterglow of vanilla.
May 14, 2016
Photo of barczar
Reviewed by barczar from Kentucky

3.65/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Aroma is fudgy, with vanilla accents. Fairly rich chocolate malt balanced the vanilla sweetness well.

Flavor is vanilla dominant, with a light sweetness carrying throughout. Chocolate is more subdued, and a string bitterness is ushered in too quickly. There's a bit of an acidic or metallic character upfront. Too bitter.
Apr 08, 2016
 
Rated: 3.57 by mattsucks from Ohio

Feb 11, 2016
Photo of Beerma
Rated by Beerma from Ohio

4/5  rDev +7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Yum good ohio beer~ Will drink more if I come across it!
Jan 20, 2016
 
Rated: 3.37 by juicebox from Kentucky

Jan 17, 2016
 
Rated: 3.5 by mportnoy from Pennsylvania

Jan 11, 2016
Vanilla Porter from Four String Brewing Company
Beer rating: 85 out of 100 with 64 ratings