Vanilla Bean Stout
Boston Beer Works - Canal Street

 

Meant to have this one several times, but the keg always seemed to kick just before I got a chance to. Finally had the chance to sample it after several times, and while a decent stout, I was slightly let down.

Had from the cask at BBW/Fenway the beer was presented to me in their 16oz. willy becher glass. The beer was a very dark ruby brown near black in color. One finger of very bubbly just slightly off-white head sat on top of the beer. The head was not all that dense nor creamy and reduced to a sliver of foam and remained their throughout the sample. Some spots of lace stuck to the glass as well.

The smell was sweet malt, milk, chocolate, and vanilla, with some roasted character as well.

The taste was a slightly sweet innitially, but this gave way to a very stong vanilla [extract] type flavor. It had a strong chicory like bitterness to it as well. Each sip was smooth, but NOT creamy like you might expect from a nitro stout. A good malt heartiness to it with no hop flavor (as expected). It was the perfect temperature for a stout.

Medium body with slight carbonation and no creamy consistancy.

Drinkable, indeed, but not all I hoped it would be. The chicory flavors were very good, but the vanilla seemed a little off, perhaps even fake (like an after though to add). As with most of BBW's dark beers, a little weak, and just not quite what I hope for from a stout. Still enjoyable, nonetheless.

Sampled at NERAX under then name "Fenway: Vanilla Stout".

This stout poured black with light brown foam. The smell was roasted malt with vanilla. The taste was mildly malty with a large dose of vanilla. Good roasty flavor but vanilla definitely dominated. The mouthfeel was smooth with medium body and low carbonation. A rather nice, mild stout on cask.

Had a chance to try this from the handpump, at the Fenway Location, 4/10/04.

Pours a deep black, no light getting through here. Tender knew what he was doing with the pour, a respectable pint, with a decent head on it, big, bouncy, sticky bubbles.

Aroma is excellent, and the not-too-cold cask temperature really enhanced it. Sweet vanilla beans, but never cloying. A bit of roastiness still lets you know this is a stout first, vanilla beer second.

Taste is matched very well, with the vanilla again asserting itself. Very creamy, but with a bone-dry stout finish.

Mouthfeel was a bit of a letdown. It seems the cask had been open for a little while, as the natural carbonation was quite weaker than other cask beers I've had. Still, this beer is meant for the cask, as the gentle carbonation pairs beautifully with the final product.

Drinkability is great. I could have several of these, without tiring of the novelty of the taste.

In short, this is a stout that happens to have additional flavorings, not a flavored stout -- if you get what I mean.