Lord Raja Goomba I said:
Fat *******s Bourbon Vanilla Porter:
Aroma: Prominent Bourbon aroma but never harsh, which is hiding what is a balanced porter underneath. Nil roast. Nice fruity woody dark fruitcake type aroma.
Appearance: Very dark - appears on the edges to be reddish clear. Low head dissipates fairly quickly - head retention (or lack thereof) is a necessary byproduct of low carbonation which, to me, is what is needed for this beer.
Flavour: Gorgeous Oaky woody bourbon flavour supported by a nice dark beer with no roast, giving it a fruitcake taste. Not harsh or alcholic despite bourbon. Very balanced and sips nicely. As it warms, the body comes through. Vanilla is subtle but really good and comes through at the back of the palate after the bourbon wears off.
Mouthfeel: Good. Doesn't feel too thick despite flavours going on, nor too thing (and therefore solventy). Body supports the flavours well. Low carbonation works for the beer and avoids a 'prickly' aspect from over-carbonation.
Overall Impression: Love this beer! It ticks all the boxes for me. No aspect overwhelms the beer nor is it underwhelming by being boring or clouded in execution. No pickable faults, which is hard to achieve in these style of beers where faults can be more prominent and easy to pick. Balance is perfect and beer develops its profile as it warms. The big tick for me is that it doesn't burn and there is no roasted acridness. Well done!
Well, I've got the sheets back frm the NSW comp, and they agree with you in scores for the BVP, but maybe not so much on the finer points.
Bourbon Vanilla Porter
Judge #1
Aroma: Prominent vanilla aroma /SP (sic) as the sample warms up. With some evidence of higher alcohol coming through (high ABV!)
9/12
Appearance: Quite Dark … No head. Few bubbles. Slight orange hues.
2/3
Flavour: Good complexity. Plenty of vanilla amongst the good roast/chocolate porter characteristics
17/20
Mouthfeel: Smooth. Low carbonation Medium Body with some creaminess. Finishes dry.
4/5
Overall Impression: An enjoyable specialty beer. Good vanilla added to a well produced porter.
8/10
Total; 40/50
Judge #2
Aroma: Alc. Vanilla (My note: Short and to the point!)
8/12
Appearance: Black, off white head to dark brown. Poor retention
2/3
Flavour: Sweet caramel. Some chocolate. Oaky. Vanilla. Dry tannins in finish
15/20
Mouthfeel: Full body. Low carb (My note: Great, it won’t make me fatter) Smooth. Alc warming.
4/5
Overall Impression: Smooth well balanced beer. The finish detracts by being vey tannic and dry.
37/50
I can see some easy avenues for imrovement via better bottle filling for comps. Although it's a lowly carbed beer, off the tap head is relatively large and retains an laces the glass well. I'm surprised neither judge mentioned the bourbon flavour which I think is noticeable, but may translate to being "oaky"
I half get the tannic and dry thing. I deliberately changed from WLP-002 to WLP-007 in an effort to make it dryer than last year's effort which the judges considered to be lacking complexity and hopefully get the Bourbon/Vanilla/Chocolate Malt to shine through a bit more but maybe it was too much? I may try re brewing with another yeast to see what happens or add the roast grain halfway through the mash.
Anyway LRJ, your assesment broadly agrees with the judges, and I'm more than happy that you scored it so highly and the judges deemed it the best Spice/Herb Vegetable beer in NSW this year, even though it was only 6th in the Specialty Beer class! Thanks for your feedback! I'll post up the Black IPA soon.
