Big Chillin'
Wild Ride Brewing Co.

a vanilla stout, my first new one from these guys in some time. parts of it i really like, that its not super sugary as so many of these are, that the vanilla is overdosed, another common pitfall, and that it stays drinkable comparatively, but there are also elements that could use some tweaking, its light enough that its almost brown ale, unsatisfactory as a base stout, and without the vanilla to draw interest, this would really underwhelm, its missing the roasty bitter core that the style depends on, and its a little out of balance without it, even though its other proportions are in line. it smells a little better than it tastes because of some dark chocolate and even a black tea note rising up from the grain base, giving it more depth than i perceive in the flavor. vanilla is natural, well restrained, and not overpowering, there is a dry baking cocoa thing too that i like, but on the palate its a little minimal. suggestions of raisin, brown sugar, and wet cardboard, freshness is suspect, but its not super broken down or anything. a bit saggy feeling, thin, but it might be more a commentary on flavor than texture, tricking me. overall these guys remain sort of hit or miss for me, this is lackluster but decent thanks to the vanilla, but it would not be hard to get this into the good to great range with a little extra body and dark roasted barley. perhaps intentionally left light for impending warmer weather, almost better as a brown porter or something...