Benthic - Vanilla
Half Acre Beer Company

 

 

 

 

 

12oz can at share. Black pour with a thin beige head. Just like the other Benthic variants except with a heaping helping of vanilla. Luscious chocolate, coconut and vanilla all wrapped up in a boozy blanket. Delicious.

 

 

2022 vintage poured from a 12oz can into a perennial snifter. pours a dense, shiny black with a thin mocha brown foam cap that fades quickly into nothing. coconut, chocolate, vanilla frosting on the nose. not a lot of bourbon presence. flavors of chocolate cake, vanilla frosting and sweet coconut. on the taste, especially at room temp, the bourbon makes its appearance with a warming finish. thick, full mouthfeel. wonderful barrel-aged imperial stout.

2021 Vintage

I have enjoyed two cans of this - the first within 2 months of release, and the second about 6 months later.

To me, this is more enjoyable than Xtra Dbl, although I think the Xtra is executed a little better. It's hard to split apart personal enjoyment of this beer and personal preferences vs. objective complaints. What is too much or not enough vanilla?

To me, this didn't even kind of sort of cross the realm into pastry. The vanilla didn't overpower or become...like extract, as it so often does. What it really did was help elevate the coconut by bringing out the natural vanilla flavors. I'd gladly drink this almost any day over 'regular' benthic. Personally, I could use just a tad bit more vanilla, but we're kind of splitting hairs, aren't we?

12 oz. can. Black, but not inky black. Smells of vanilla throughout with coconut, oak, and hints of bourbon. Tastes of coconut and vanilla in closer proportions. Roasted malt, nutty malts, oak, alcohol, sweet chocolate, and coconut comes back as bitter and slightly unpleasant. Bourbon and vanilla linger in the finish. Medium heavy, boozy, but not excessive. It's good, but I remember base Benthic being better.

This one pours a very dark black color, with a small head, and a little bit of lacing.

There is a very intense vanlla aroma on this one, creamy, cakey, and sweet, with some toasted coconut, caramel, milk chocolate fudge, and oak.

The vanilla is absolutely the star here- it's intense and in your face, but very well done. It sits on top of the coconut - sweet, creamy, and toasty, with a very slightly oaky bitterness on the finish from the barrels. There's not a lot of actual bourbon character - maybe some caramel?

This is thick, creamy, rich, and pretty sweet, with no real booziness at all.

I think I like the balance of the regular Benthic a little better, but this still pretty ridiculously tasty.

 

 

 

Thick, viscous, pitch black. Aroma is roasted malts, light barrel notes and vanilla. Taste has notes of vanilla, coconut, cinnamon, light barrel and chocolate notes. Overall a very nice barrel aged adjunct stout.

Interesting beer, but I feel like it’s maybe just too much of some characteristics and thus not well balanced. An 8 ounce mini bottle pour of the 2019 vintage from The open Bottle. Very smoky and oaky, more than anything. Standard stout appearance. Smell is oaky and dark fruit forward. Taste is very big on vanilla, coconut, and barrel. Thick and syrupy, maybe too much. Booziness helps the feel a little. I’ve never had Benthic before. I honestly have to say I’m kind of disappointed.

2019 vintage (13.9% ABV) tasted in a snifter from draft at Consume on August 22, 2021.

 

 

 

 

Can courtesy of skochdopotato.

 

 

 

2020 Vintage. Rave worthy- one of the best vanilla BA stouts and best Benthics I’ve had.

Pours deep black with slight tan head that disappears quickly. Slight lacing left behind.

Robust vanilla, coconut and bourbon on the nose. Flavors give wave of lush vanilla building on the coconut yet remaining distinct, with light char and slight roast from the coffee providing depth. Great barrel, thick feel and well balanced, without being overly sweet thanks to the coffee remaining in the mix without overshadowing any of the other flavors.

Xtra Dubl was slightly more preferred but not by much. It’s hard to make a super drinkable ba pastry stout yet Half Acre has at least three of them this year. Fantastic!

 

 

 

 

 

 

16 ounce can into a snifter. Canned 10/21/19, had 3/14/19.

Pours near black and opaque, with a quarter inch foamy head and some spotty cling. Aromas of vanilla, chocolate, coconut, malt, some caramel and cocoa, light bourbon, light char. The bourbon steps to the front in the flavor, followed by vanilla, medium roast malt, chocolate, some coconut, caramel, light oak, a little coffee. Smooth, a great full body, appropriately carbonated.

Just delicious, with terrific aromas and flavors. The vanilla is the standout and is complimentary to the base stout, although it does seem to hide some of the coconut. Hope I’m lucky enough to get this anytime they make it.

 

An amazing variant of one of my favorite barrel aged stouts. The vanilla is very forward which is what I love. There’s still lots of coconut, but vanilla is the strongest variant. It’s very full bodied and smooth. It could maybe use a bit more barrel as I love the barrel forward stouts the best. Worth the hype if you can find and you love vanilla stouts.