French Press Vanilla Stout I Double Trouble Brewing Co.
Guelph, Ontario
ABV: 4.8%
IBU'S: n/a
Style: Flavoured stout
Colour: Chartreuse
Price: $3.10/473ml can
ABV: 4.8%
IBU'S: n/a
Style: Flavoured stout
Colour: Chartreuse
Price: $3.10/473ml can
I'm a bit like a cantankerous old man when it comes to flavoured stouts. I'm likely to sit on a rocking chair, shake my cane, and curse some brave young brewers for fucking with my favourite beer style, over-doing it with some gimmicky, plastic-tasting flavour infusion. "Get off my fucking grass! And leave my damned stout alone!" would be my desperate cry. None of this is necessary though when a brave young brewer does it right. French Press Vanilla Stout is that beer, and Double Trouble Brewing Co. is that brave young brewer. I don't actually know how young he is but that doesn't matter.
French Press Vanilla Stout is instantly one of my favourite coffee-infused beers ever. In fact, it doesn't even really need that qualifier, as it definitely stands alone as a great stout period. Much to my delight, the vanilla is very subdued here and the focus is on coffee all the way. Usually, I don't get too detailed in my descriptions of the coffee flavour profile of a beer, because most of the time it simply tastes like espresso beans. There certainly isn't any problem with that, because espresso bean in the flavour profile of a beer is a lovely feature. With French Press though, the coffee profile is deeper, richer, and more complex. It doesn't just taste like there's an espresso bean in the bottom of your glass, it tastes like there's a cup of really expensive coffee in the bottom of your glass. This is combined with a really great stout base; fantastically mellow, extremely roasty and quite bitter. The vanilla plays perfectly into the mix, providing some needed sweetness to balance out the bitter hop profile, rich coffee flavour and all the accompanying roasted-tasting glory. Surprisingly, vanilla dominates the nose as you dive in for each sip but it plays second fiddle, maybe even third fiddle if that's a thing, from then on. With all this flavour happening, there's a surprising amount of balance to French Press, and palate-fatigue doesn't become an issue, which is usually the danger of flavour infused beers.
The mouth-feel of French Press is just as pleasing as the flavour. It isn't crazy thick, but there is some significant body here and it is delivered across your taste-buds in as silky a fashion as possible, almost latte-like in its velvety, creamy richness. I also love that Double Trouble has kept the ABV at a manageable and stout-like 4.8%, which only adds to this beer's superior drinkability. Surprisingly, French Press tastes just as good cold as it does when it warms up, and although some vanilla sweetness builds as the beer's temperature rises, it never becomes overwhelming and the complexity of the coffee still rules the day.
Gotta say, I was very impressed with this beer, but saddened that it's a limited release because as a stout lover, this is a beer that I would buy at any time of the year. Having said that, it will make the perfect beer for cozying up on the couch this winter and watching some crappy Christmas movie that you've already seen 100 times.
French Press Vanilla Stout is instantly one of my favourite coffee-infused beers ever. In fact, it doesn't even really need that qualifier, as it definitely stands alone as a great stout period. Much to my delight, the vanilla is very subdued here and the focus is on coffee all the way. Usually, I don't get too detailed in my descriptions of the coffee flavour profile of a beer, because most of the time it simply tastes like espresso beans. There certainly isn't any problem with that, because espresso bean in the flavour profile of a beer is a lovely feature. With French Press though, the coffee profile is deeper, richer, and more complex. It doesn't just taste like there's an espresso bean in the bottom of your glass, it tastes like there's a cup of really expensive coffee in the bottom of your glass. This is combined with a really great stout base; fantastically mellow, extremely roasty and quite bitter. The vanilla plays perfectly into the mix, providing some needed sweetness to balance out the bitter hop profile, rich coffee flavour and all the accompanying roasted-tasting glory. Surprisingly, vanilla dominates the nose as you dive in for each sip but it plays second fiddle, maybe even third fiddle if that's a thing, from then on. With all this flavour happening, there's a surprising amount of balance to French Press, and palate-fatigue doesn't become an issue, which is usually the danger of flavour infused beers.
The mouth-feel of French Press is just as pleasing as the flavour. It isn't crazy thick, but there is some significant body here and it is delivered across your taste-buds in as silky a fashion as possible, almost latte-like in its velvety, creamy richness. I also love that Double Trouble has kept the ABV at a manageable and stout-like 4.8%, which only adds to this beer's superior drinkability. Surprisingly, French Press tastes just as good cold as it does when it warms up, and although some vanilla sweetness builds as the beer's temperature rises, it never becomes overwhelming and the complexity of the coffee still rules the day.
Gotta say, I was very impressed with this beer, but saddened that it's a limited release because as a stout lover, this is a beer that I would buy at any time of the year. Having said that, it will make the perfect beer for cozying up on the couch this winter and watching some crappy Christmas movie that you've already seen 100 times.
