Vanilla Bean Fathead
Nebraska Brewing Company

 

 

 

Got this one from rutger back in 2017. Cheers!

From a 1pt 0.9oz bottle into a snifter
Whisky barrel aged barleywine with vanilla beans added

APPEARANCE: Pours a two finger, medium looking, foamy, semi-creamy, off-white head with very good retention. Cloudy burnt umber with some carbonation evident. Head slowly fades to a full wisp. A splotchy wisp and ring remain until the end leaving touches of lacing on the glass as it empties.

SMELL: Whisky barrel, oak, caramel and toffee, vanilla and coconut aromas, with some red berries and spicy alcohol notes as well. Bold.

TASTE: Vanilla, whisky, oak, caramel and toffee sweetness, as well as some alcohol up front. Bold and flavorful, with some more booze at the swallow. A big finish of whisky, wood, vanilla, sweet caramel and toffee, spicy booze and some alcohol linger on the palate.

PALATE: Medium body and medium carbonation. Semi-creamy on the palate, a bit light, goes down okay with a bit of a burn and finishes somewhat mouth-coating. Some decent heat lingers.

OVERALL: This is good stuff. The whisky barrel is very nice and the vanilla addition adds an enjoyable layer of sweetness on an already very sweet brew. If you like sweet, you will like this. I can say that I’m definitely one that can enjoy this kind of thing. Thanks again, rutger!

A: A murky medium brown in color, turning to a darker brown in the glass with a small tan head.

S: Smells like a big barleywine. Caramel, toffee, slightly cloying and slightly oxidized. Notes of vanilla and oak.

T: A touch of sharpness up front followed by toffee, oak, and vanilla. A hint of booze in the finish.

M: Much lighter than I would have anticipated from the aroma, moderate carbonation, and a nice slickness to the finish.

O: Overall not a bad beer, but I was hoping for a little more of a flavor bomb.

Copper-colored with an almost non-existent beige head.
Aroma of dark fruit and vanilla.
Raisins/prunes in the taste. Vanilla. Oak.
Smooth, alcohol well-hidden.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

500 ml bottle into snifter, no bottle dating. Pours slightly hazy deep ruby red/copper color with a 1 finger dense cream colored head with great retention, that reduces to a thin cap that lingers. Nice spotty soapy lacing clings on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation retaining the cap. Aromas of big caramel, vanilla, raisin, plum, fig, date, pear, orange, peach, apricot, red apple, brown sugar, toffee, whiskey, toasted oak, and brown bread; with light notes of coconut, roast, herbal, floral, grass, and yeast/oak/toasted earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of dark/bready malt, fruity yeast, whiskey barrels, and light-moderate citrus/earthy hop notes; with great strength. Taste of big caramel, vanilla, raisin, plum, fig, date, pear, orange, peach, apricot, red apple, brown sugar, toffee, whiskey, toasted oak, and brown bread; with light notes of coconut, roast, herbal, floral, grass, and yeast/oak/toasted earthiness. Light herbal/floral/grassy hop bitterness and whiskey/oak tannin spiciness on the finish. Lingering notes of caramel, vanilla, raisin, plum, fig, date, pear, orange, peach, apricot, red apple, brown sugar, toffee, whiskey, toasted oak, brown bread, light coconut/roast, herbal, floral, grass, and yeast/oak/toasted earthiness on the finish for a while. Great complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/bready malt, fruity yeast, whiskey barrels, and light-moderate citrus/earthy hop flavors; with a great malt/bitterness and whiskey/oak spiciness balance; with zero cloying/astringent flavors after the finish. Lightly increasing dryness from lingering bitterness and whiskey/oak spiciness. Medium carbonation and fairly full body; with a very smooth, creamy/silky/bready, and lightly slick/sticky/tannic mouthfeel that is great. Mildly increasing warmth of 11.5%, with zero barrel booziness lingering after the finish. Overall this is an excellent barelywine! All around great complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/bready malt, fruity yeast, whiskey barrels, and light-moderate citrus/earthy hop flavors; very smooth and dangerously easy to sip on for the big ABV. Awesome balance of rich malts, citrus/earthy hops, and fruity yeast; with perfect barrel integration/balance. Not overly bitter, tannic, or drying. Definitely feels like a hybrid of American/English styles. A very enjoyable offering, and spot on style example.

 

L: pours dark brown with a finger of off white head
S: a little sharp alcohol and slight vanilla
T: nice touch if vanilla throughout to smooth the harsher barrel. Decent flavors, light on the caramel sweetness I look for.
F: medium thickness but smooth.

Pours a lovely copper color from the 500mL bottle, with a finger of head and good retained lacing. The aroma is prominently a lightly tart, plain yogurt, with some vanilla undertones and caramel. That has me on alert for potential unwanted critters, but this is less plain on the palate, which layers in some floral hop character and wood chip notes. Moderately full body.

From a tall bottle, this brew is a brownish amber color with an off-white slim head. The aroma is boozy...malty...spicy and complex. Licorice, vanilla, wood...lots going on. The taste is semi-sweet, with lots of warmth and body. Full, heavy, serious.