Review - Breckenridge Brewery's Breckenridge Remarkable Vanilla Porter
"Who would have thought deep in the jungles of Papua New Guinea and Madagascar grew the perfect ingredient to build an extraordinary Porter in Colorado? An ale that has all the chocolate and roasted nut flavor of a classic Porter, with an enigmatic surprise thrown in for good measure, real vanilla bean. Breckenridge Brewery’s Vanilla Porter. A vanilla kiss in a rich, dark sea." -- Breckenridge Brewing
Pours a dark caramel color producing an average off-white fizzy head that quickly dissipates. Body has a fairly high clarity for the style and is very still. Settled color is still dark caramel. The initial aroma consisted of a light roasted malt presence. We expected a more dominant roasty - toasty - vanilla presence. The vanilla was there, but not too aromatic. Initial taste is sweet with a smoothness from the vanilla that tempers the sweetness making it drinkable. The real vanilla beans give a slight bitterness and add to the overall quality of the taste. Finish is slightly roasted. Although it's light and has a watery body, the vanilla creates a creamy texture that is very smooth on the palate. The carbonation if rather soft and the mouth is left wet - not oily and not dry.
The vanilla presence is dominant in the taste and light in the aroma - as you would expect a porter to be - it was light and very drinkable. It was smooth to drink. Our mouths were pleased with the vanilla, paired with the roasted chocolate.
Reviewed on August 20th, 2009.
