Vanilla Big Hugs
Half Acre Beer Company

 

 

 

 

16 oz can

Pours black, with thick tan colored head, decent head retention. Big aroma of vanilla and milk chocolate. Similar flavors, not a lot of roast. On the sweeter side, but not cloying. Fuller bodied

16oz can bought from Hazels in Boulder CO. ~$7 a can.

A&S: Medium black colored beer. Light brown head pours a thin layer but maintains in specks and a ring around the edge. Also has specks of lacing. Lots of coffee and natural vanilla in the aroma, without being overwhelming. Other parts of the aroma include alcohol (not 100% but mostly bourbon) and dark chocolate.

T&M: The taste is mostly coffee. Being a black coffee drinker I don't like having vanilla in my morning coffee. However, the balance of coffee flavor with a cut of vanilla to balance the sweetness and bitterness really sets this beer apart. Pretty straightforward taste, but other flavors include bourbon and some wood in the finish. Very drinkable for 10%. Not bitter in the finish. Very smooth, but still medium body. Not thick on the tongue. Very well balanced feel wise (very close to a rating of 4.75).

Overall: I think this beer is far better than the original (had another can a couple of weeks ago, so not quite an equal comparison).

Incredible offering from Half Acre...

The vanilla is sublime and subtle in the best way possible...

The vanilla does not dominate the beer at all...roasty..delicious...

 

 

Did not intend to drink this today. Was removing the black four can holder and somehow snagged it on the tab. So once the beer opened, I had to drink it. Dated 11/18/19. Very frothy pour, dark, thinning copper edging. Smell is roasty dark malt with a generous vanilla presence. Taste is not bitter dark malt than anything, but the vanilla asserts itself. Lighter body than expected but definitely can tell it’s ten percent abv, mouth watering, neither thick nor oily. Would want to rate again when fresher, maybe I let the vanilla disappear too much by aging.

 

 

 

 

Had this on tap at Orange and Brew. Nice dark black look with an aroma of chocolate, coffee, and vanilla. The taste was chocolate up front but the vanilla may have been a little bit overpowering. Nice lingering mouthfeel. Good really good, but somehow just a bit off.

 

 

Half Acre Vanilla Big Hugs Imperial Stout w/ coffee. This is brewed with Red Wine Yeast Catuai coffee and Cocoa Catuai coffee liquid and bean from Dark Matter Coffee in Chicago, as well as cocoa beans and pulp and Madagascar vanilla bean. The beer was fermented on the cocoa bean and pulp. Not your typical coffee stout, as the coffee liquid and beans, as well as the cocoa bean and pulp add some different flavors to the beer you wouldn't normally get.

Appearance: Pours a very dark brown to light black color with a two-finger dense mocha head. Not as dark as I thought it would be, but the dense head and retention is wonderful.

Aroma: As already mentioned, the different types of coffee and the cocoa bean and pulp add some interesting notes to the beer. More fruity aromas than I've ever gotten on a coffee stout. Cranberry, red and black cherry, black currant, bittersweet chocolate chip, dense fudge, dark chocolate bar, roasty gourmet coffee, allspice, and nutmeg. Not really any vanilla detected on the nose.

Taste: Follows the aroma quite well, bringing cranberry, red and black cherry, red and black currant, dark chocolate fudge, 90%+ dark chocolate bar, slight milk chocolate, allspice, nutmeg, slight cardamom, roasted malt, gourmet coffee, and very slight vanilla. This could have really used a bigger vanilla presence to balance out the roast and bitterness coming from the various coffee and cocoa bean additions. Not as sweet as expected; more bitter, dry, and rustic. No booze detected.

Mouthfeel: Medium to high medium body. Slightly creamy and silky, slick. Despite the roast and bitterness, it's pretty smooth for 10%.

Overall: An enjoyable and unique coffee stout. Both Half Acre and Dark Matter coffee are pretty experimental and this beer captures that adventurous side of them well. My only complaints are that the beer is a touch thin and could use more vanilla. I added some vanilla extract on my own, which balanced and enhanced the beer in my opinion. Good stuff.

16oz can, date stamped 11/18/19. Pitch black body with a foamy brown head that leaves some lacing on the glass. Aroma is cocoa, vanilla, roasted barley, and lactose. Sweet flavors of milk chocolate, vanilla, chocolate cake, roasted barley, coffee, lactose, and modest earthy hops. Full and very creamy body, alcohol is well concealed but hits you afterwards; modest carbonation and bitterness, finishes reminiscent of a chocolate milk. This was excellent! I am glad I have a regular Big Hugs revisit after this one - it will be good to go back to.