Vanilla Discussions
Green Cheek Beer Company
- From:
- Green Cheek Beer Company
- California, United States
- Style:
- Imperial Pastry Stout
- ABV:
- 16.2%
- Score:
- +5 ratings needed
- Avg:
- 4.55 | pDev: 3.3%
- Ratings:
- | reviews: 2
- Status:
- Active
- Rated:
- Jan 21, 2026
- Added:
- Mar 09, 2025
- Wants:
- 0
- Gots:
- 0
NO SCORE
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Our discussions with Cory King, the absolute legend from Side Project who is known for making some of the best bourbon barrel aged stouts in the game, continue! After 30 looooong months of barrel aging, we tasted through 13 different barrels and only picked the best of the best. We really loved how well the smaller thirty gallon oak barrels aged the most, and only selected 5 to use for this release. We then discussed Vanilla Beans, which Cory selected a blend of Vera Cruz and Ugandan Vanilla Beans, and we conditioned this one on the craziest amount of Vanilla Beans until it sang beautifully and loudly for us all to hear. Tasting notes? Think vanilla malts, caramel sauce, pipe tobacco, cake frosting, and chocolate nougat.
Recent ratings and reviews.
Reviewed by lucius10 from California
4.52/5 rDev -0.7%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
4.52/5 rDev -0.7%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Sweet brownie batter/chocolate malty, a hint of dark fruits, prominent vanilla-marshmallow, and a balanced vanilla-bourbon barrel nose on this one! Taste follows exactly with viscous and smooth, chocolate, vanilla, and a bourbon barrel finish. Good stuff!
Apr 12, 2025
Reviewed by StoutSnob40 from California
4.83/5 rDev +6.2%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75
4.83/5 rDev +6.2%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75
The beer pours jet black. Like, dense roof tar. Viscosity is on point. Thick without being annoying or overdone. No head to speak of, which is not unexpected at this ABV. I can smell it while taking this stupid picture of it.
Aroma: The vanilla jumps from the glass. It’s vanilla ice cream in a chocolate waffle cone. Rich bourbon and oak with some heat that makes you pull back from glass as to not overpower the aroma.
Drinking: Balance is this beer’s biggest strength. With such a huge base and tons of vanilla, the sweetness could really overpower it, but it has a rich, burnt brownie edges flavor that pulls you back from the edge. The vanilla is assertive, but in a complimentary way. Never gets that metallic note that is common with vanilla beans. Barrel and spirit are prominent, with a strong dark chocolate dryness at the finish that pulls you through the heat of the ABV.
Feel: Rich, chewy but not overly coating or monotonous. It’s what you’d expect from a beer this big and this packed with flavor. I’d call it appropriate.
Overall: This is up there with some of the best beers to come out of San Diego. Up there with 2014 BA Vietnamese Speedway, Rayon Vert and Bovine Outline. It’s a standout beer, and one that makes me very excited for Green Cheek’s future barrel program.
Mar 24, 2025Aroma: The vanilla jumps from the glass. It’s vanilla ice cream in a chocolate waffle cone. Rich bourbon and oak with some heat that makes you pull back from glass as to not overpower the aroma.
Drinking: Balance is this beer’s biggest strength. With such a huge base and tons of vanilla, the sweetness could really overpower it, but it has a rich, burnt brownie edges flavor that pulls you back from the edge. The vanilla is assertive, but in a complimentary way. Never gets that metallic note that is common with vanilla beans. Barrel and spirit are prominent, with a strong dark chocolate dryness at the finish that pulls you through the heat of the ABV.
Feel: Rich, chewy but not overly coating or monotonous. It’s what you’d expect from a beer this big and this packed with flavor. I’d call it appropriate.
Overall: This is up there with some of the best beers to come out of San Diego. Up there with 2014 BA Vietnamese Speedway, Rayon Vert and Bovine Outline. It’s a standout beer, and one that makes me very excited for Green Cheek’s future barrel program.
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