Hellwoods - Vanilla
Bellwoods Brewery

 

I had Hellwoods in its original form about four and a half years ago. It wasn't my style, but found it okay still. I wished for BBA or at least vanilla at the time. Well, here is the one with vanilla.
Pours black with a lovely, mocha head. The nose is of chocolate vanilla, with a bit of metal. The taste is quite nice initially, then immediately becomes too watery and then sour. The initial taste returns in the aftertaste. With the follow up sips, things seem more organized. The good part here is that the vanilla is not obtrusively sweet, but then one doesn't taste much else.
All in all then, this is not bad, but I suspect a BBA version would be better.

 

473ml can served cold into a tulip. Brewery purchase. Canned September 27, 2024.

Appearance - Ominous black, with a three finger big brown head after a semi-aggressive pour. Great retention too.

Smell - Hints of coffee, dark chocolate and plenty of vanilla. Underlying rich molasses and caramel combo to that plays nicely with the vanilla creating a dynamic dessert type beer.

Taste - Quite sweet with the vanilla and dark chocolate combo really sticking out. There's something a bit saccharine going on here with a touch too much sweetness. Some bitterness in the aftertaste but it's low in terms of intensity.

Mouthfeel - Full bodied low carbonation, flavor sticks to your mouth for a long while. For the saccharine parts it's a bit much for everything else it's a great experience. A little warmth in the back of the throat on account of the 20 proof.

Overall - A very tasty and well executed vanilla imperial stout where the vanilla is definitely the star and plays nicely with the bevy of other flavors. At risk over sweetness overload at times, but nonetheless a great brew from a great brewery.