Mill Street Vanilla Porter

I have started to become a bit skeptical of beers that advertise a certain flavour.  Unless it is a fruit beer they tend to have no more than a few notes of the advertised flavour.  This is particularly common in the stout and porter department so I wasn't really expecting a whole lot of Vanilla flavour when I picked up a couple of cans of Vanilla porter at the LCBO.  I figured I would get a good beer, but what I got really caught be off guard. From the moment I opened the can I knew this would not follow the mold of other "flavoured" stouts and porters.

First to get this out of the way, this beer really really tastes and smells like vanilla, a heck of a lot more than I have ever tried.  This beer tastes a bit like washing down a piece of birthday cake with beer, a very very odd combination.  Not to say that it is bad, odd is good but I have never had a beer with this strong a flavour before.  Once you get past the "Holy vanilla batman" impression it is actually a pretty good beer.  The vanilla flavour is contained primarily in the creamy/foamy head so once you get past that it is a very smooth and creamy beer.  Unlike some stouts and porters it is not bitter whatsoever so if you are nervous about bitter beer then have no fear, however if you are worried about a thick beer then this one is not for you, it is smooth, thick and creamy.  Where it gets let down is the balance.  When you first take a sip you are overwhelmed by the vanilla flavour, but beyond the vanillaness there isn't a whole lot of flavour left.  I felt a bit let down with how bland it seemed to taste past the vanilla head. I wish the vanilla flavour was more spread out as opposed to being all right at the start.  Regardless this is still a good beer, and one I would be happy to try again, however people who are not fans of vanilla should stay away.

It's available at Mill St. Brewpubs as well as in the LCBO in Ontario.

Rating: 3.5 Steins.

 What you need to know
Brewery & Brew Pub

21 Tank House Lane
Toronto ON
M5A3C4

Other Brew Pubs
Ottawa
555 Wellington St
Ottawa, ON
K1R 1C5

Toronto Pearson Airport Terminal 1
Mississauga, ON
L4W 1S9

Website:
http://www.millstreetbrewery.com
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/MillStreetBrewery?fref=ts
Twitter:
@MillStreetBrew