Vanishing Vanilla Stout - Stone Arch Brewpub

BeerFMAndy

Wisconsin

4.53/5  rDev +18.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

64 oz growler split and poured into a Sierra Nevada imperial pint.

A - Clear on the pour but completely black in the pint, a thick tan head rests on top and lowers slowly to a pile with little lace left over.

S - Very nice malted milk and cocoa powder - hot cocoa powder aroma with sweet chocolate. No hops at all. Low roasted malts with a tiny hint of coffee in there too. Vanilla is low but appreciated at that level.

T - Rich malty smooth bittersweet chocolate and cocoa powder with vanilla coming across smooth on the profile. Not overwhelming at all. What a great flavor!

M - Smooth and as soft as velvet with a full body but easy drinkability, I can't even describe how nicely this beer feels going down.

D - Even in mid summer this brew is awesome! It's super smooth, great-tasting, and silky in the mouthfeel! Brilliant beer from Stone Cellar!

Serving type: growler

08-21-2010 18:06:37 | More by BeerFMAndy

nsmartell

Wisconsin

3.95/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

I enjoyed this beer from the comfort of my own living room. Poured from a growler from the brewery to an imperial pint glass.

Appearance: Pours a thin black color with a fluffy mocha-colored head that doesn't last long. Brew looks thin during the pour.

Smell: Vanilla extract dominates with some coffee coming through.

Taste: Just as the smell suggests, the vanilla dominates, but the coffee comes through. Tastes of sweet chocolate as well.

Mouthfeel: Thin to medium-bodied and lightly carbonated.

Drinkability: A decent sweet stout that may be lacking in the carbonation department because of the growler pour. I received the growler from a neighbor so I'm not sure how it was handled. I am looking forward to drinking the rest of the growler and would drink this brew again at the brewery.

Serving type: growler

03-02-2010 03:27:56 | More by nsmartell

Chugmonkey

Wisconsin

3.15/5  rDev -17.8%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

Had a pint on tap - low carbed equated to no head & lacing. Strong vanilla aroma detected before you even get your nose down near it.

The vanilla overpowers anything else besides the roasted barley and even the RB takes a seat way in the back of the bus.

Quite watery and thin. It slides right down, but you are left with such a strong vanilla punch in the senses that you do not want any more.

You'd have to be a huge fan of this style to have more than one. Or be a vanilla fiend. Might work for a desert beer, but that's about it.

Serving type: on-tap

02-25-2009 15:09:13 | More by Chugmonkey

cokes

Wisconsin

3.68/5  rDev -3.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Deepened dark brown, inching towards black with a minor tan foam.
Smellling strongly of mocha java, and vanilla extract.
Taste wise, it is much of the same. Medium roast coffee, traces of fudge, and a bright vanilla essence. Traces of milky sourness dot the latter portions, but this largely holds true to its name.
Meduim bodied and lightly carbonated.
This has some merit as a desert brew, but it flavored loudness prohibits successive pints. Decent as a solo, but binding beyond that.

Serving type: on-tap

09-01-2005 05:47:01 | More by cokes