Vanilla Thief
Great Notion Brewing

 

 

this is way up there with the best vanilla beers of all time, and for all the guff i give great notion for flavoring everything into oblivion, this rules for the same reason, as pure and real as vanilla can be in beer, as dense and saturated too, reminds me of the very best beers ive ever had in this bourbon imperial stout vanilla pod style space, truly on par with the greats, and so sneakily on their beer list at the original location when we were in, no fanfare, no hype, just tucked away on draft with a dozen or two others, crazy. oily and slick and rich looking as can be in the glass, full and leggy and viscous, almost no head. the nose here is the actual orchid, like the flower before the bean, insanely deep and organic and essential, vanilla in front of stout and barrel, but in the best possible way, and the caramel and toffee and coffee and maple and tobacco and roast of the base beer and the oak all play to it, but also play for it, this is composed by and for vanilla, and what an ode it is! the flavor is in agreement, the best of the best vanilla to me, scraped pods, the kind that fill the house with sex appeal, i feel almost guilty of something with this in my hand, i shouldnt, but i do. the alcohol is somehow a nonfactor, its there, but its tertiary at best. the bourbon is obviously high end, the body is colossal, but this still feels almost delicate to me, very deliberate and smart, very refined, not a happy accident, and the vanilla goodness stays with me for ages, center of my palate but also in my teeth with the residual sugar here, compelling to say the very least, light char, smoke, and supporting malt depth. the texture is as good as the flavor, almost no carbonation but its not missed, and i just have to pause and give thanks that beer this epic even exists, let alone that its in my glass. a league above even the best great notion beers ive ever had to this point, certainly in terms of complexity, and a true high water mark for this sort of thing. epic quality vanilla, i had to google comoros where these beans come from, never heard of that as an original for vanilla before, and this is a perfect showcase of its unique pungency. lovely barrel treatment, wicked base beer. cant believe how much flavor is in this, but also how perfect it is. this is what its all about, a great moment to be a beer drinker!