But since last summer, I've also been taking a virtual beer vacation, travelling to the UK, India, Switzerland, and even the North Pole. My latest globetrotting with beer takes me to the far-away reaches of Madagascar. And the brewery that has helped me achieve these destinations has been Kingston's own Spearhead Brewing Company.
I'm used to seeing vanilla in stouts and porters, and I love them. I also love these German dark lagers and was excited to see that the creative heads at one of my favourite Ontario breweries try a new blend. I can't recall any other brew with passionfruit, so I was looking forward to seeing how it worked in this bock.
Let's see how this flavour combination works.
Madagascar Vanilla Bean Bock (5.8% ABV)
Appearance: a murky, muddy brown, like prune juice, with red highlights; the head is a foamy, pale beige that slowly settles to a dense lace.
Nose: a slight, smoky caramel, with mild cocoa.
Palate: rich caramel and a hint of prunes, with an acidic followup, from which I can only assume is the passionfruit. There is no solid fruity flavour but something cuts the cloying, slightly sweet Munich and Caramunich malts, and ends in a light, chocolatey finish. But where is the vanilla? I can't taste the vanilla. I need more vanilla!
Overall impression: in truth, it is a very tasty bock. But I'm a bit bothered that the Madagascar vanilla is so prominent in the name but not as prominent in my mouth. With every sip, I sloshed the beer in my mouth, whistled backwards (inhaling rather than exhaling), and let the liquid rest on my tongue, all to no effect of getting a solid vanilla flavour. I got the caramel that I expect with a bock but, try as I might, I cannot discern much, if any, vanilla. There's a slight fruity flavour that I can only assume is the passionfruit, but it strikes me as a slight acidic balance to the malty caramel. The finish is more chocolate than vanilla.
I love vanilla. Every morning, I make myself a fruit smoothie that I supplement with a vanilla-flavoured protein powder, and it makes the smoothie so rich and delicious. Any vanilla-bean stout or porter that I've had shines a spotlight on this decadent flavour. This bock has a lot of flavour: vanilla just didn't make it to my taste buds.
Beer O'Clock rating: 🍺 + 1/2 While this is a very good bock, with rich flavours of caramel and an added bonus of ripe passionfruit, I wan't more vanilla. The label promises it but the contents are holding out. If I were to rate this brew based on a blind tasting, having been told to try it simply as a bock, I would have given it an extra mug. There is no doubt that this bock is tasty. The passionfruit helps cut the cloying caramel flavours.
Vanilla in a bock got me excited. The delivery just didn't meet my expectations, though I did enjoy Spearhead's bock and would recommend it for all of those dark German lager lovers. But I'm giving this bock a lower score because it doesn't deliver as advertised.
Now, when I review a beer, I drink it at a very slow pace, often taking more than an hour to empty my glass. The beer starts cold but falls to room temperature, and the fizz settles down such that there is no longer a head and no bubbles cling to the sides of my glass. Doing so brings out the flavours as the air changes the composition, much like it does to a glass of wine.
More than an hour after opening the can, I could start to detect some vanilla but it still wasn't enough to make me feel that the label deserved to place that ingredient in its name. But man, it was still a great bock!
Spearhead has never made a beer that I didn't like, and they continue to impress me with every new creation. I'm looking forward to the next release of their Globetrotter Series and where it will take me in my virtual travels.
Cheers!
No comments:
Post a Comment