Loom Porter with Vanilla
Hudson Valley Brewery

It's an almost indiscernable shade lighter than the typical black coffee brown colored normal porter. The liquid is now resting in a clear glass Imperial pint mug after leaving a pint can. There's a biege head that's modest and enduring. A presence of vanilla in the aroma is strong enough to stand up to the malt. There's no subtleties about the added vanilla in the taste. This has a hard vanilla hit. It's not the vanilla usually found in ice cream and cake frosting. This, at least at the beginning, has almost no counterbalance, as even the malt in the porter can't measure up. What makes this a pleasant drinking experience is the transition from heavy vanilla upfront to a finish that's dry and bitter at the exit. The vanilla experience becomes more pleasant as you adapt to it. It's not particularly high with the ABV, but there's almost no taste of it. There's no glass lacing worth mentioning, neither. The body may be just a little short for a porter, but it's not problematic. It's worth a try, but you better like a strong vanilla presence to enjoy it. Credit given for being exactly what it claims to be.