Vanilla Habanero Porter
Swover Creek Farm Brewery

 

The base beer is an English Porter and it is very dark brown while poured (SRM 35). In the PBGC tall tulip glass, it is essentially black. The head lasts about two minutes and is two inches of dense light chestnut before settling to a quarter inch and leaving no lacing.

Vanilla dominates the aroma, reminiscent of cream soda. Also prominent is sweet chocolate. There is a hint of hot peppers.

The flavor follows the nose with impressively controlled sweetness. Habanero adds a light heat and pepper flavor without burning in any way. I also detected cinnamon in the long, mild finish.

This has a light body and a smooth, hard texture. The carbonation is light, as is the alcohol, though only slightly more than a presence.

This is a highly enjoyable beer. It is not quite a dessert beer, though the sweet vanilla and habanero is exceptionally well balanced. Without a doubt, this is the best Chile beer I have enjoyed in a long while -- perhaps ever. It was a huge surprise, given the scant reviews for this brewery, and yet, another example of why we should be willing to explore the unknown.