Harry Porter And The Bourbon Barrelled Vanilla Bean
Great Lakes Brewery

Got this one from peensteen this past summer. Cheers!

From a 500ml bottle into a snifter
7 Barrel Series

APPEARANCE: A clear brown pour yields a 2+ finger, medium, creamy, light-tan head with great retention. Clear bistre brown body with no real carbonation evident. Head eventually recedes to a full wisp and clings to the glass. A splotchy wisp remains leaving touches of lacing down the glass as it empties.

SMELL: A big, bold nose of vanilla, milk chocolate and cream, as well as some bourbon character as well. Very nice.

TASTE: Bourbon, wood, vanilla cream and some alcohol at the swallow. A bold finish of vanilla beans, cream, milk chocolate, bourbon and some oak flavors linger on the palate. A touch of alcohol as well. Enjoyable.

PALATE: Medium body and medium carbonation. Creamy on the palate, goes down smooth and finishes slightly mouth-coating. A bit of heat lingers. Nice, smooth and creamy feel.

OVERALL: This is really, really good. Perhaps the best version of Harry that I’ve had the pleasure of drinking so far. They are all good, but this one is just a little more fuller in flavor and the feel a little creamier and smoother. Solid stuff that is well worth checking out if you’re a fan of the brewery. Thanks again, Peensteen!

Pours dark brown with two fingers of khaki head.
Smells of chocolate, caramel, roasty malt, light barrel presence.
Taste follows chocolate, caramel, vanilla, oaky bourbon, roasty malts, coffee.
Medium to full body, smooth and creamy.
Overall a great BA porter, well balanced.

500 mL bottle from the LCBO; no date. Served slightly chilled, and reviewed from notes.

Pours a deep chestnut-brown colour with crimson red highlights when held to the light; one centimetre of tight, creamy beige-coloured head dissipates within three minutes or so. A thin collar lingers on, along with a narrow band of even lace that is continually replenished as the level in the glass drops. Bourbon and booze are immediately noticeable on the nose, accompanied by notes of roasted malts, prune, oak and a sort of earthy, herbal note. The vanilla is relatively low-key - which, frankly, is how I prefer vanilla in beer - with faint suggestions of coffee.

Very well done: the bourbon is a continuous presence throughout the sip, but not an overbearing, cloying one. The vanilla is also ever-present, mostly in the background, overlapped by roasted malt flavours of milk chocolate, cocoa and molasses; hints of date, coconut and just a smidge of licorice also come through. The astringency of the oak tannins are most easily discerned towards the finish, alongside boozy bourbon and vanilla; some roastiness and earthiness carries on into the aftertaste. Nearing full-bodied, with gentle carbonation and a smooth, slick, fairly soft & silky mouthfeel. Moderate drinkability, with well-integrated alcohol - 500 mL is probably about right for one person.

Final Grade: 4.37, an A grade. Harry Porter and the Bourbon Barrelled Vanilla Bean is a fantastic imperial porter that Great Lakes should be very proud of. I'd even go out on a limb and say it's potentially their best (non-IPA) product that has made it to retail shelves... at least, of the ones I've tried. At 10 bucks per pint, it's a little steep, but if you're in the mood for a BBA beer then this one will not disappoint. Try it if you can find it - as for me, I'm kicking myself for not grabbing a second bottle while it was still in stock around here.

Got in a BIF from Coronaeus. 500 ml bottle into tulip glass, bottled in 3/2019. Pours opaque dark brown/black color with a 1-2 finger dense and rocky khaki head with fantastic retention, that reduces to a large cap that lasts. Thick foamy lacing clings on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation. Fantastic appearance. Aromas of big milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, vanilla, cream, marshmallow, brown sugar, toffee, bourbon, coconut, toasted oak, roasted nuts, biscuit, and brown bread/crust; with light notes of molasses, dark fruit, smoke, herbal, grass, pepper, and yeast/roast/toast/oak earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of dark/roast/bready malts, vanilla, bourbon barrels, and light fruity yeast/earthy hop notes; with great strength. Taste of big milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, vanilla, cream, marshmallow, brown sugar, toffee, bourbon, coconut, toasted oak, roasted nuts, biscuit, and brown bread/crust; with light notes of molasses, dark fruit, smoke, herbal, grass, pepper, and yeast/roast/toast/oak earthiness. Light herbal, grassy, peppery, roast bitterness; and bourbon/oak tannin spiciness on the finish. Lingering notes of milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, vanilla, cream, marshmallow, brown sugar, toffee, bourbon, coconut, toasted oak, roasted nuts, biscuit, brown bread crust, light molasses/smoke, herbal, grass, pepper, and yeast/roast/toast/oak earthiness on the finish for a while. Incredible complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/roast/bready malts, vanilla, bourbon barrels, and light fruity yeast/earthy hop flavors; with a great roast/hop bitter/sweet, and bourbon/oak spiciness balance; with no cloying/acrid flavors after the finish. Lightly increasing dryness from lingering hop/roast bitterness and bourbon/oak spiciness. Medium carbonation and medium-full body; with a very smooth, creamy/silky/velvety/bready, and lightly sticky/chalky/tannic mouthfeel that is fantastic. Minimal warming alcohol for 8.8%, with zero barrel booziness lingering after the finish. Overall this is an incredible barrel aged imperial vanilla porter. All around fantastic complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/roast/bready malts, vanilla, bourbon barrels, and light fruity yeast/earthy hop flavors; dangerously smooth and easy to drink for the big ABV, with the mildly bitter/tannic/drying finish. Fantastic soft feel, not overly bitter/charred. Perfectly balanced super clean/rich malt complexity, vanilla, and bourbon barrel presence/integration; with solid earthy hop balance against sweetness. A highly enjoyable offering, and spot on style example. Very dessert like, but not overly sweet.

LCBO purchase for around $10 CDN. Served cold into a tulip.

Appearance - Dark cola brown from the bottle, near black in the glass. Capped by a finger plus of fluffy and dense tan head. Minimal lacing around the edges of the glass, and above average staying power. Looks attractive and imposing.

Smell - Vanilla and chocolate are present and a healthy dose of bourbon too, but it's balanced, sweet boozy and well crafted.

Taste - Initially quite sweet with vanilla, milk chocolate, brown sugar and marshmallow coming to the forefront, when it is followed up by some wood and some bourbon as if on a time delay. Really nice integration of flavors and the transition is natural, but spends enough time at each stop to pick out a flavor at a time.

Mouthfeel - Medium-heavy bodied, slick and velvety, easy to drink. Thinner than most in this style, but it goes well with the flavors.

Overall - What I like best about this brew besides the heavenly aroma and great transitions of flavor is the way the bourbon is simultaneously quite present, but you are never beaten to death or overwhelmed by it. It is balanced and melds perfectly with the vanilla beans. One of the best beers these guys have ever brewed and I look forward to purchasing another few bottles.

I never had the original Harry Porter and the Bourbon Soaked Vanilla Beans, but at 6.5%, that one seems like a letdown. 8.8% is much more realistic for this style, but it is still the weaker sister of the 10% Dragon's Milk. A bit watery.
Decent head though, a tremendous nose and nice, albeit light taste. Maybe the bourbon is off, maybe the booze is not strong enough. Plus, it is almost the same price, for less ABV and much less mL. Still, it is one of Great Lakes' better ones.