TwoFortySX
Well-Known Member
I assume the simple answer is yes but I would like to further explore this topic if we can.
Here is my situation: I bought a case of Atwater Block Vanilla Java Porter this afternoon. I have always liked this beer but it has been about a year since I have been able to find a case of it locally. The timing was nice too because I just brewed my own vanilla coffee porter which was bottled about a week ago. So I get the Vanilla Java Porter home and get it in the icebox to cool off while I go about my day. About an hour ago I decided to crack one of them open along with opening one of my young vanilla coffee home brews to compare.
The verdict was they both tasted not so great with my homebrew actually tasting better: The flavor of my beer was sweet, green with a bit of an overwhelming vanilla extract flavor/taste. I expected this from my beer because it was so young and all the flavors should mellow and blend over time. The Atwater Block Vanilla Java Porter had very similar qualities to my young beer. It tasted thin, sweet with an obnoxiously strong vanilla aroma/flavor. The coffee flavor in it was almost nonexistent or at least overwhelmed by the vanilla. Needless to say, I was pretty surprised by that. The Atwater beer was marked that it was bottled March '11 so my first thought was that this beer is young. I mean the longest it could have been in the bottles is 3 weeks. It is filtered so I am curious if the flavors will mellow over time or is it as good as it gets right now? My other thought is that I just finished off a case of GLBC Edmund Fitz Porter which has easily exceed every expectation I have in a beer and became my absolute favorite beer available. Maybe I am just expecting something more from this Atwater beer.
So lets hear your thoughts because I am very curious.
Thanks,
Jimmy
Here is my situation: I bought a case of Atwater Block Vanilla Java Porter this afternoon. I have always liked this beer but it has been about a year since I have been able to find a case of it locally. The timing was nice too because I just brewed my own vanilla coffee porter which was bottled about a week ago. So I get the Vanilla Java Porter home and get it in the icebox to cool off while I go about my day. About an hour ago I decided to crack one of them open along with opening one of my young vanilla coffee home brews to compare.
The verdict was they both tasted not so great with my homebrew actually tasting better: The flavor of my beer was sweet, green with a bit of an overwhelming vanilla extract flavor/taste. I expected this from my beer because it was so young and all the flavors should mellow and blend over time. The Atwater Block Vanilla Java Porter had very similar qualities to my young beer. It tasted thin, sweet with an obnoxiously strong vanilla aroma/flavor. The coffee flavor in it was almost nonexistent or at least overwhelmed by the vanilla. Needless to say, I was pretty surprised by that. The Atwater beer was marked that it was bottled March '11 so my first thought was that this beer is young. I mean the longest it could have been in the bottles is 3 weeks. It is filtered so I am curious if the flavors will mellow over time or is it as good as it gets right now? My other thought is that I just finished off a case of GLBC Edmund Fitz Porter which has easily exceed every expectation I have in a beer and became my absolute favorite beer available. Maybe I am just expecting something more from this Atwater beer.
So lets hear your thoughts because I am very curious.
Thanks,
Jimmy