Breckenridge Vanilla Porter Ale, is it Having an Identity Crisis?

When eying the selections at my local beer and liquor store, a familiar name caught my eye. That name was Breckenridge Brewery, and their Vanilla Porter Ale looked like a beer that would hit the spot on this hot summer evening. I wasn't quite sure how they were going to combine the porter and ale styles into the same beer, but the promising of a full flavored beer that would not be too heavy as an ale was something I could not turn down.

Appearance: The Breckenridge Vanilla Porter Ale definitely matches the characteristics of a porter in it's dark as midnight coloring. Very little light shines through this beer. Unlike a traditional porter though, there is very little head to this beer and the lacing on the glass is very limited. This may have been a result of trying to combine the two styles. Overall it's average, scoring three out of five points.

Aroma: The aroma of this beer once again leans towards the porter side of this combination. A hint of both chocolate and coffee can be detected at first sniff. Further observation identifies the vanilla in the scent as well. I have had serious complaints in the past with breweries that made vanilla beers and the vanilla scent was much too strong. This was a good combination, almost marshmallow-like. The scent was a bit on the weak side though, so I award it only seven out of the 10 points.

Taste: Very complex tasting beer. There is definitely a vanilla presence in the taste. Just like the aroma though, it's not overpowering. It's actually more powerful in the aftertaste than in the upfront flavors that hit you. There's actually a little bit of bitterness, possibly a bitter coffee flavor in the upfront taste. Unfortunately instead of just bitter, it almost tastes burnt, which is not a good taste. The aftertaste is pleasant though as it's a combination of the vanilla and marshmallow from the scent, without tasting overly sweet. The taste for this beer only scores six out of 10 points due to that burnt flavor in the beginning.

Mouth Feel: So far, this beer has been dominated by the porter characteristics. The ale starts to show it's presence though in the mouth feel. This beer is not thick and cloying like many porters. Instead, it's almost bordering on watery. The carbonation is minor, leaving it still feeling either watery or oily. Not the best of mouth feels. Overall it only scores two out of five points.

Drinkability: Considering Breckenridge released this beer late in the summer, it appears they were trying to give porter drinkers an option in the summer and early fall. It's a noble attempt, but honestly doesn't quite hit the mark. If you are a big fan of vanilla beers, it's not bad, just not a standout. Once again, the burnt taste brings just a little too much bitterness to this beer. Instead of being balanced between the sweetness of the vanilla and the bitterness of the coffee, they seem to be battling each other. Overall, just a 13 out of 20 on the drinkability for the Breckenridge Vanilla Porter Ale.

Summary: The combined score of this beer is only 31 out of 50 points. Overall that makes this an average beer at best. It's more of a niche beer than anything though. This means that if you are really looking for a beer with vanilla and coffee in the summer and don't want a real heavy porter or stout, the Breckenridge Vanilla Porter Ale will meet your needs. For someone just wanting to try a new beer during the summer though, it ends up as a little bit of a dissapointment.