After sampling Double Up I was worried that this one would be too much coffee for me too. However, our esteemed editor has reminded me on countless occasions to read the fine print. Unfortunately my optometrist told me that bifocals are no longer an option for me. His exact words were “that ship has sailed.” The headlines, no problem, the fine print requires a bit of extra effort which is not my strong suit.
Headlines “Coffee Lager”. Fine print “Coffee and Vanilla/Complex Sweetness”. Extra fine print “Beer with Vanilla Extract”
Dark pour with minimal head, a bit bubbly. Mild coffee aroma in the background but the vanilla really stands out. Sweet first swig, literally. Ballroom Blitz sweet! I was hoping the vanilla would back off a bit and let the coffee do its job. The coffee started to make an appearance but the vanilla was still in the lead. Maybe I should be snacking on chocolate with this brew, not chips and dip? The coffee was trying to emerge but the vanilla sweetness wouldn’t let it. The key to any of these beers is balance. And it’s tricky. Most fail on the side of excess. I think they got the coffee right, but they should have called this beer “Vanilla Inxs”, a vanilla lager with coffee notes. There were a few coffee notes, but the vanilla was a double album. .
It’s not complex sweet, it’s just too sweet. Instead of adding vanilla extract, they should extract some vanilla..
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