Breckenridge Vanilla Porter

Brewed By: Breckenridge Brewery in Denver, Colorado
Purchased: Single 12oz bottle from a six-pack purchased at Jewel in Chicago, IL; 2011
Style/ABV: Porter & Spice/Herb/Vegetable, 4.7%

The mother fuckin' second coming...

Today I watched my hopes and dreams crumble as the Denver Tebows pulled a stunning victory over the Pittsburgh Rapists. Actually, I'm very happy for Tim Tebow. I would love to see the Broncos go to the Super Bowl - it would be beyond entertaining. Big Ben may or may not be a rapist, I guess those politics don't matter. I figured Big Ben and the Steelers would rally past their injuries and beat the Broncos. I was wrong. I went 1-3 this Wild Card weekend. I figured the Bengals would come out on top, the Falcons would face the Mr. Hyde Giants team, and the Steelers would win. This is why I don't gamble...

It seems appropriate to celebrate a Denver victory with a Denver beer. Today's beer is brewed by the fine folks at the Breckenridge Brewery. The brewery website is clean, and totally worth checking out. You can find info on the beer, as well as info on the brewery's history. The brewery was founded by Richard Squire in 1990 as Breckenridge Brewery & Pub. The original Brewery & Pub was located in Breckenridge, Colorado. In 1992, the brewery opened a sister brewpub in downtown Denver. The brewery finally opened a brewing and bottling facility (for national distribution) in 1996. The brewery outputs around 30,000 barrels of beer annually, and ships their beer across 25 states. 

The Vanilla Porter is a beer I've seen readily available around Illinois, so it seems appropriate to finally try it. According to the website, this is a Herb and Spice beer. I'm not sure if this is a chicken and egg situation, because the BJCP has put this specific beer under the Spice, Herb, or Vegetable Beer category. The Vanilla Porter is brewed with Pale, Caramel, Chocolate, Black, and Roasted Barley malts. It is also brewed with a handful of hops including Chinook, Tettinang, Perle, and Goulding. In addition to the malts and hops, this beer is brewed with vanilla beans from Paupau New Guinea and Madagascar. This beer is described as having a smooth roasted chocolate flavor with a creamy vanilla finish. Sounds yummy, right? 

Breckenridge Vanilla Porter

The pour yields a bubbly and foamy looking Porter-style beer. The pour yielded about two fingers of tan/bread-colored head. The head has large bubbles, and even though the head shrunk pretty quickly, there is still a wonderful cauldron effect. This beer looks to be well carbonated with clingy lacing. The body of this beer is very dark brown or black in low light. In bright light this beer is dark brown with reddish hues escaping. You cannot see through it. 

On the nose I'm getting vanilla, wood, chocolate, and tons of roasted malts. There are lots of sweet cocoa and chocolate notes, sweet vanilla chocolate, vanilla, hints of grain or oats, and hints of wood. There are also light pulls towards a fresh or herbal note.

On the first taste I'm getting a lot of grain, roasted malts, hints of herbal and earthy hops, and then vanilla and hints of a woody finish in the back. The mouthfeel is a touch thin, and the carbonation doesn't support as many flavors as you might expect. 

But...as the beer warms up, and as I swish it around my mouth, I am starting to pick up on some different flavors. I'm getting a lot of chocolate, cocoa, vanilla, and some smokey roast from the malts. 

This is medium to highly carbonated, has moderate (okay) palate depth, and is not very complex. This is a medium-light Porter with good drinkability but a slightly watery profile and mouthfeel. I'm getting water, tingly carbonation, vanilla, herbal hops, grain, and burgeoning vanilla and cocoa on the front; the middle rolls into grain, sweet malts, vanilla, cocoa, hints of roast; the back end is grainy and watery vanilla. 

Rating: Above-Average

Score: 78%

I'm trying to figure out if the slightly watery and thin vanilla profile is the result of the hops and the herbal quality, or if it is just a slight drop off. The carbonation is definitely amplifying the effect.

Overall I really like this beer. You get some good waves of vanilla and cocoa, and this beer has a good density and feels like a "quality" or "craft" beer. That's pretty impressive, especially considering the price and availability of this beer. I see this beer everywhere, and not for a bad price. This beer drinks very well, and tastes pretty damn good.