Noche Dulce Vanilla Porter
Borderlands Brewing Co.

 

Pours black strange no real head even from aggressive pour, no head equals no lace either. Kind of strange flavor and carbonation not effected though.

Aroma is light roasted notes, good vanilla notes, more chocolate then coffee. Smells nice and semi sweeet but not really as big as you would think a 7% brew would smell.

Taste is like the nose light roasted malts, good chocolate, light coffee hints but a good dose of sweet Mexican vanilla. Like the nose doesn't really taste like a 7% brew more like 5%. Light easy drinking a good warm weather dark brew.

Mouthfeel is lighter medium with nice smooth carbonation levels, some may think too light but I enjoy a lower level of CO2.

Overall could see this as a favorable porter for some warm Arizona weather. Not overly complex but nice good vanilla notes that don't taste artificial.

 

7.3% beer from a 16oz can
A: Super dark oily black, with some brown tones in there. Thick creamy head.
S: Tons of vanilla, followed by chocolate, and almost a dulce de leche smell
T: Thick sweet vanilla-y desert dessert. Dark roast like coffee and cacao. I get kind of a charred meat carbon taste at the end, along with the sweetness of the dark malt.
M: Medium-thick body, creamy, good carbonation
O: Pleased with this beer. Seems a little non-traditional but good when you're on a sweet vanilla kick. Good thing a got a 4-pack.

 

Salty sweet chocolate, hints of vanilla aromatics on this one! Taste follows okay, but is a little bit thin on the finish...this takes away from enjoying the taste as much as the aromatics.

 

 

 

LOOKS: very dark brown with a long lasting head and a decent lacing.
AROMA: Big vanilla and cocoa with dark roasted malts.
TASTE: Same. Delicious! Even balance between sweet and bitter.
FEEL: Nice and viscous, with average carbonation; just right. A little sticky and dries up on the finish.
OA: Superb.

 

 

on tap at Matty's Beer and Beef

Look: One finger brown-white head, black body.

Smell: See below.

Taste: Milk and mild dark chocolate, vanilla, a hint of coffee.

Feel: Medium body, low-medium carbonation. Dry finish.

Poured into a Pint Defiance tulip. The body is very dark brown with a brown finger head. Aromas consist of chocolate syrup, vanilla, caramel, coffee, and marshmallow. Flavors are the same. The feel is medium bodied with low carbonation.

Almost a jet black pour with a thick tan head. The nose was a hint of vanilla, but was mostly roasted coffee, and chocolate. A very smooth taste, with very little bite and an easy finish. Layers of espresso, cocoa, and a little vanilla. If I have it again I’m leaving it out for a bit as it got better as it warmed.

 

 

Pours jet black with rich foamy tan head and good lacing. Smells of fresh vanilla with chocolate, coffee, and barley. The taste follows the nose, very fresh vanilla mixed with coffee, chocolate notes, and creamy barley. Very smooth finish and zero bite, for 7.10 ABV I would never know it was. Awesome beer, gets even better when warming up, a lot more flavor, next beer will be room temp.

This is a good beer. The vanilla is not overwhelming at all. It has a robust taste and is worth the trying. Nice smooth mouth feel - very flavorful. Very smooth.

Tons of sweet chocolate and vanilla flavors with an incredible mouthfeel. Great american porter. My favorite Tucson brew that I've found so far and they're a sustainable brewery.

 

Poured from a can this is a sweet beer. Smells and tastes much sweeter than say Victory at Sea ( a personal favorite)
That said this has an interesting malt-caramel -vanilla taste. It is hard to pick up even 15.5 IBU worth of hops. This is so sweet a pint seems a lot.

 

Canned 4/11/16

Pours a huge frothy dark 2 finger head that fades slowly, some sticky lacing, super dark black beer, touches of brown light sneaking through.

Nose brings loads of vanilla, fresh vanilla and extra, some dark chocolate and creamy milk chocolate, mild roasted coffee and roasted malts, a faint acrid roast, some caramel, light creamy a little lactose like, and so much vanilla but not fake.

taste brings plenty of vanilla again, and again more like fresh vanilla and extracted but not fake, then bitter dark chocolate, baker's choc and bitter roast as well, a little acrid roasted coffee, into burnt coffee and acrid roast burnt, a little burnt caramel as well, touch yeasty with the acrid roast, sticky but dried lactose as well, also that slight metallic taste from bitter roast, and yeasty icky taste of beer that was initially under attenuated when it went into the bottle and fermented too much after. Finish is sticky dried lactose, more acrid roasted malt and burnt coffee burnt caramel, plenty of vanilla lingering.

Mouth is med to heavier bod, creamy lactose and caramel feel, too much carbonation, touch slimy.

Overall it started nice, great vanilla, caramel, and dark chocolate, but the metallic and roasted acrid flavor was not nice either, and especially the yeasty continuing to ferment too much in the bottle with the mild slimy and over carbonated feel.

 

Started off bitter on the palate, followed by an overly alcoholic/malty flavor. The sweet vanilla comes through at the end and on the aftertaste. Overall possibly one of my worst beer experiences. Line them up in the desert and practice your shooting, at least the end will be swift.....

 

 

 

 

 

 

Poured on tap at Reforma into a pint glass.

L - Nearly jet black, no head, thin caramel-colored lacing

S - Vanilla, cocoa, spice, roasted coffee

T - They really take pride in using real Mexican vanilla. Very sweet up front, not much bitterness from the roasted malt to balance it out. A very sugary beer, but I've been on an IPA kick lately, so I am biased.

M - Not quite a knife-and-fork Guinness-thick, but sticky and not much carbonation, if any. Probably a characteristic of porters, but just an assumption.

O - Wanted something with a little more depth and warmth for the "cold" Arizona winter. The 7% ABV is present even though you barely taste any alcohol. A bit too sweet for my taste, but a decent attempt at a darker beer that boasts its use of Mexican vanilla. Probably would go with other porters/stouts.

 

Received in a trade. Beautiful dark pour, no head. Wonderful aroma of vanilla, chocolate and spice on the nose, unpleasant prominent plastic and chocolate with coffee taste.

Too much candied sugar then an odd vanilla flavor. The finish is followed by a bad burnt flavor. The beer does not come together well.