Night & Day
MobCraft Beer

This was a casualty of both my beer backlog & the lack of an approved pic when I first procured this beer in furtherance of The CANQuest (tm). Sigh.

From the CAN: "Monthly batches based off Crowdsourced recipes"; "Vanilla Porter [m]eet Hoppy Ale! This black Ale is crafted with Chocolate Malt, Roasted Barley, Hallertau, Spalt and Saaz hops. The malts contribute a medium level of roast to the body. Hops bring a strong, but not overpowering, bitterness, and late addition hops provide earthy and floral characteristics and a hint of pine. Vanilla provides a subtle but noticeable contribution to the overall flavor."; "Vanilla Black Ale".

The Crack! surprised my by unleashing a spray! Had it been overlooked for too long? No, it was just a brimful craft CAN that decided that, when it did not have room for the tongue when the vent was opened, it was going to make a memorable entrance. Clearly, an inverted Glug was out of the question, but even with a gentle Glug, I still got a good bit of foaming in the glass. It eventually became just over two fingers of fizzy, foamy, deep-tan/light-brown head with modest retention, slowly falling away to wisps. Color was Very Dark Brown to Black/Opaque (SRM = > 34, < 44) with cola highlights only at the edges. Nose was unquestionably vanilla, but as I recently remarked in my review of a Vanilla Porter, you have to be careful since a little CAN go a long way. Mouthfeel was medium-to-full, not quite creamy, but close. Before I get into the taste, let me say that I used to rail against American Black Ales because I felt that the dark roast of the malt got in the way of the more important (to me) hops. Here, the pine mintiness of the hops worked in CANjunction with the vanilla to overcome that inherent roastiness. Do not misunderstand - it was still roasty, in keeping with the style. One will always be plenty for me, but that is why I make every effort to rate/review to style & not to taste. Finish was dry, which was good, in keeping with the style & proof that they had not gone overboard with the vanilla. A really nice interpretation of the style.

 

 

 

 

 

Very good beer. Thin head when poured. Nose is a bit "medicinal" and s touch of clove, but vanilla notes come through of course. Taste and finish are the best part, not as happy as I expected, but reasonable given that it is made to be a IPA hybrid. Finish is vanilla to the nines. Would consider again.

Pours deep black with about one finger of head that disappears into a thin ring with very little lacing. Nose is similar to a chocolate porter, with a hint of vanilla. Taste matches the nose with a slight bit of hoppiness. Finish is thin, but goes down smooth. Solid brew, will drink again.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Delicious. Smooth and creamy but not over whelming