Kingdom Of Tonga Vanilla Porter
Perrin Brewing Co.

 

12 ounce can into tulip glass; no can dating, but was just released. Pours opaque dark brown/black color with a 1 finger fairly dense and rocky khaki head with fantastic retention, that reduces to a nice cap that lingers. Nice dense soapy lacing clings on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation. Fantastic appearance. Aromas of vanilla, milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, brown sugar, toffee, cream, roasted nuts, and toasted dark/brown bread; with lighter notes of molasses, raisin, fig, smoke, char, herbal, wood, pepper, pine, and yeast/roast/toasted earthiness. Nice and pleasant aromas with good balance and complexity of dark/roast/bready malt, vanilla, and light-moderate earthy hop notes; with solid strength. Taste of big vanilla, milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, brown sugar, toffee, cream, roasted nuts, and toasted dark/brown bread; with lighter notes of molasses, raisin, fig, smoke, char, herbal, wood, pepper, pine, and yeast/roast/toasted earthiness. Light-moderate pine, herbal, woody, peppery hops; and roast/char bitterness on the finish. Lingering notes of vanilla, milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, brown sugar, toffee, cream, roasted nuts, toasted dark/brown bread, light molasses/dark fruit, smoke, char, herbal, wood, pepper, pine, and yeast/roast/toasted earthiness on the finish for a while. Awesome complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/roast/bready malt, vanilla, and light-moderate earthy hop flavors; with a great roast/hop bitter/sweet balance, and no acrid/astringent flavors after the finish. Light-moderate increasing dryness from lingering hop/char bitterness. Medium carbonation and medium-plus body; with a very smooth, creamy/silky/bready, and fairly sticky/chalky mouthfeel that is great. Minimal warming alcohol for 6.5%. Overall this is an excellent American porter. All around great complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/roast/bready malt, vanilla, and light-moderate earthy hop flavors; very smooth and easy to drink with the modestly bitter/drying finish. Awesome balance of rich malt complexity and vanilla; with balancing earthy hops against sweetness. A very enjoyable offering, and spot on style example.

 

 

 

 

On tap at at Fenton Fire Hall on 02/18/17.

 

 

 

Had on tap at Perrin.

A: Bold and black. Slight creamy head.


S: Slight vanilla and malty.

T: Looks darker than it tastes. Medium vanilla taste with strong fig flavors. Finishes sweet with vanilla aftertaste.

O: A very good vanilla porter. The strong fig flavors surprised me at first but ended up enjoying the combined vanilla and fig tastes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Good but taste is kind of weak