Barrel-Aged Vanillanoize
Mikerphone Brewing

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

holy cow this is insanely good, i know mikerphone does a lot of huge adjunct stouts and i have loved all the ones i have had so far, but this goes to a new place. its a beautiful base beer with a ton going on, the rye is high in the malt and it comes through the dark roasted, almost burnt, lightly smokey grain, huge huge body to it, but it all seems to well built, like every little bit of it serves a special purpose, its awesome. the rye would be missed if it were gone, thats for sure, its magic with some of the dark chocolate and fudge notes this presents, and of course with the rye whiskey barrels, where the peppery earthiness is on full display. there is a cool molasses and honey sweetness in the flavor, not driven by the lactose, which seems more for body than sugar in this to me, but it brings out the absolute essence of the vanilla, like fresh scraped beans right up my nose, equally pungent in the flavor, and while there is some sweetness, its not sugary, forced, fake, any of that, its the real deal, so much vanilla, and it goes on well through the finish too, i taste this for awhile after its gone, pleasant as can be. great layering to this, fluffy feeling, lots of oak, mellow for its strength, the barrels contribute a lot and the beer tastes really mature. vanilla burps for miles. it was so cool getting a chance to drink a bunch of beers from these guys recently, i think the hype is totally warranted, almost across the board, i have loved every drop of beer i have had from these guys to date i think. this is among the best vanilla stouts i have ever had, and that probably exists in the world. a pleasure to drink on, and not one to miss if you are lucky enough to find it!

11/19/2018

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

9/22/18 (Elk Grove Village): $14.43 12 oz draft Mikerphone round glass pour, 11.2% ABV. Pitch black pour, tan ring around the glass. Nice blended aroma, bourbon and vanilla. Strong vanilla taste, bourbon follows. Bourbon well masked, exposed over time, nice kick! Creamy mouth feel, very smooth drinking. No carbonation, sweet aftertaste. Overall excellent bourbon barreled offering!