Geary's 20th Anniversary Vanilla Porter
D.L. Geary Brewing Company

Reviewed from notes, had this one about a year and a half ago.

This beer was clear and brown, with a half finger head that died away to almost nothing. Left a small ring around the glass, but that was it.

Aroma was nutty, slightly sweet, with some chocolate thrown in for good measure. Closer to milk chocolate than bitter. There was also some fruitiness... lighter fruits than one would expect from a brown ale. Not quite apples and pears, but nearly so. An interesting blend of esters.

Taste was of bitter chocolate, dark malt that was not quite roasted, and noticeable alcohol. Not an overpowering alcohol taste, however. This one warmed my throat up as it went down. It was very pleasant. Too bad it's a one-off.

Mouthfeel was very nice. Good body, not too thick, and no flavor dominated the others. I was able to focus on the smooth, not highly carbonated character.

Drinkability is very good. I wish I'd picked up two or three of these to cellar.

Transferred over from my limited notes, bought from Ampersand and originally drank January 2007.

Pours a dark brown, little head, not much for lacing.

Smell has a strong malt front, sweeter than most browns.

Taste is mostly caramel malt with some chocolate coming through, sweet to drink, fairly smooth.

Acquired via trade from Vermonthiker, so a big Thank You” goes out to him. Poured from a 22oz bottle into a mug glass.

A: The beer is a deep brown color, with a thin off-white head that fades slowly and leaves a thin lace on the glass.

S: The aroma is full of milk chocolate with notes of vanilla, caramel, dark malts and a touch of hops.

T: The taste is very chocolaty, malty and creamy. There are background flavors of vanilla and caramel. There's a very mild hops presence but it has a real hard time coming through all of the chocolate and malt. The after-taste is sweet.

M: Crisp and very smooth, medium-to-heavy body, medium carbonation, finish is slightly sticky.

D: Tasty, goes down easily, slightly filling, good kick, it's tough for me to say whether or not this beer represents its style well, because I think an argument could be made for it to a Scotch Ale, a Stout, a Brown Ale or even a Porter. Whatever its classification, I found it to be a very enjoyable beer, but it's one that it better enjoyed slowly.

Appearance: Pours a dark garnet-hued body with a thick, creamy whitish head.

Smell: Chocolaty, sweet-smelling aroma with a lesser degree of vanilla replete with a bag of sugar. Smells quite like a Tootsie Roll. Seriously, I underlined "Tootsie Roll" in my tasting notes three times.

Taste: Simply put, it's a Tootsie Roll. Any vanilla in the aroma or taste is really an afterthought. Sweet and chocolate-like through and through. No real appreciable hop character here at all for me. Finishes sweet.

Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied. Moderate carbonation.

Drinkability: Way to go, Geary's. You done (fairly) good.

Only beer I've tried from Geary's is the summer ale. 20 years, huh? Pretty big moment for this brewery.

The beer poured a deep chestnut, with ruby tones, though still pretty clear. Light to medium carbonation along with a fluffy, fizzy type head.

Smell was huge with malts. Real sweet smelling and I pick up some hops in there as well.

Taste was definitely sweet. Caramel malts that had big hints of brown sugar, some vanilla, and other spices, making this remind me of a winter warmer on some level. Not bad but a little too sweet for me even though a good hop flavor helped to balance this.

Mouthfeel was nice, about medium and sticky. Pretty slick.

Drinkability is the low point, as I enjoyed this beer more in the beginning and it became tougher to finish the closer I got. The sweetness is different and good but I can't handle too much of it.

Congrats to Geary's on their big anniversary, hopefully I'll get to sample more of their beers in the future.

Thanks goes to zutmin for this 22 as an extra in our trade.

Found this at our local Hannaford market, still have plenty for the next few weeks or so. Pours dark brown but very clear. Smells quite a bit like the caramels you would eat last in your halloween bag. Tastes as it smells but with a nice hop bitterness in the background. Overall it's pretty good, I usually don't like really sweet beers but the hops that are there make it a really nice beer to drink. Should stock up on these before they vanish all together.

Raised many a glass and toasted with this one on 3/11/2007. 1 pt. 6 fl. oz. bomber poured twice in a shaker glass.

1/2-inch head, fairly airy, that settles to an off-white sheen with puddles showing through; just a small amount of lace going down. Ruby mahogany hue is crystal clear, allowing for a nice show of light carbonation peddling its way to the top. Heavy malt base on the nose belies some jumped up hibiscus, lavender, and baker's chocolate. Some black pepper spiciness shows through with some warming. On the tongue, some surprising initial hoppiness is noted, but this is quickly muted by a caramel malt coating, and a nice shot of vanilla, which becomes much more pronounced as the ale reaches room temperature. Medium body with a silkiness to it.

Quite a tasty brew; great to see such a stalwart decide to put something out beyond their ordinary lineup.

Geary's Anniversary Ale
22 oz brown bottle
Served in a 20 oz tulip pint glass

Pours a dark chestnut with amber brown highlights. A decent head forms leaving minimal traces of sticky lace.

Malty nose with whiffs of chocolate, oak, vanilla and sweetness.

Thick malt backbone with flavors of Baker's chocolate, cocoa and juicy caramel. Very smooth and drinkable. Tastes like a blend between a wee heavy and a malty nut brown. Enjoyable.

Pours with cola-like carbonation, a beige head raised quickly to a half inch, followed by a fast collapse. The body is mahogany with chestnuts hues and clear. No lacework or retention.
Aromatics lead off with a blast of caramel and vanilla. The nose developes further with nougat, white chocolate, and butterscotch.
Some hints of bourbon and toffee round it out.
Mouthfeel is medium, a bit sticky and chewy. Some lingering residuals and sweetness.
The pallet is roasty with light chocolate overtones and more vanilla.
More caramel and nougat come through, as well as toffee, irish cream, and a lingering boozy character.
Finishes with a firm, aggresive, crisp bitterness and warmth on the throat.
A unique offering from Geary's, it hints at barrel aging, but it seems over the top for that. More like an american strong ale with vanilla and ringwood.

22oz bottle purchased as a single from Julio's, Marlboro, MA.

Poured into an imperial pint glass, formed a minimal 1/4" tan head over the clear brown brew. Aroma is sweet chocolatey maltiness. Taste finds the same chocolate at the onset, vanilla kicks in towards the middle, and lingers through the aftertaste, where it is joined by a light alcohol presence. Mouthfeel is rich and smooth, and drinkability is nice as well. A worthy anniversary brew for sure, just wish they had bottled the Wee Heavy Anniv brew...

22oz bottle purchased at Tully's. A dark red/brown color with a small tan head. It had a sweet, vanilla aroma, somewhat nondescript. Tasted sweet, toffee-like. Minimal hops. Alcohol noticeable, but not intrusive. Fairly substantial. The 22oz bottle was plenty for me in one sitting.

22 oz. brown bottle from Florian's Market. The bottle is unclear as to the specific style, but says "A rich, strong ale with a sweet maltiness..." and "...and a deep chestnut color." Brown body with ruby red highlights and about a finger of offwhite head. Smells like vanilla, with hints of chocolate and diacetyl. Roasty flavor with vanilla. No noticeable hops present in either the aroma or flavor. On the lighter side of medium bodied. Seems to be a brown porter or a brown ale. Rather good, I may grab another bottle.