Breckenridge Brewery: Vanilla Porter

My first impression of this beer came in the form of a good friend picking it up in a mix-a-six at a local craft beer store. Sitting around watching TV one lazy night, he grabbed it, took a sip and paused. I felt him stare at me, holding the bottle in his hand. I glanced over at a bug-eyed man, with a speechless demeanor.
"Duuude. You need to try this!" Was all he could muster. So, when a fellow beer drinker makes this statement, one must indulge. It was a brief encounter straight from the bottle but everything about this first impression gave me great expectations for this beer and the company as a whole.

Appearane/pour: deep brown and silky with an off white head. Decent lacing and the head retains a good presence throughout.

Aroma: As one would imagine by the name, the aroma is sweet and malty. Smells like a flat cream soda with a hint of chocolate. Deep, earthy and slightly nutty, though the obvious aroma present is coming from the vanilla bean used in the brew.

Taste: The initial flavor is that of malted vanilla, sweet like a cream soda and woody. Medium carbonation and the lingering flavor is light and sweet. There is a slight chocolate and vanilla ice cream twist flavor to it but it does not in any way take away from the deep, dark, and malty flavors one looks forward to when drinking a porter.

Overall this beer can be something to everyone but not everything to someone. Traditional porter drinkers who have trouble looking beyond the old school will not enjoy it for it's sweeter flavors but will enjoy it for it's attention to traditional detail when making a porter. This would be a good introduction to not only the porter but the darker world of beers as a whole for someone who has remained in the Bud lime/blue moon world for so long.

What I especially like about this beer is the fact that I can see myself enjoying this on a cold winter night as well as a crisp summer night around a fire. Being a big seasonal beer drinker, this is a deal breaker for me. The sweetness overwhelms most of the taste which is a bit much for me but oddly enough I enjoy it. When I look for sweetness in a beer, I like it to come naturally as a result of the alcohol rather than added flavor but this combination works much like a lot of chocolate stouts or porters I've enjoyed.

This beer gets an 8 out of 10. The beer is solid, delicious and true to the style. Craft beer is as much about experimentation as it is retaining a true beer flavor as well as paying homage to the dedication that went into perfecting what has worked for centuries. I feel like a lot of commercial beer drinkers turn their nose up at flavored ales but if it weren't for taking chances, the original styles may not even exist. Look for more from this brewery as I will be keeping up with them often.