The Vanillaphant

Just as chefs pair ingredients, seeking to create complementary or contrasting tastes, so do brewmasters.  This is a relatively "recent" development; and, by "recent," I mean within the past twenty or thirty years.  For decades, beer was not brewed for its taste, but for its drinkability.  Then came the craft beer movement.  The ability to down a six-pack during a quarter of college or professional football was no longer as important as the ability to enjoy different styles of beer, as well as flavors and characteristics of those beers.

One seemingly natural pairing is vanilla and a porter.  The objective in that case is to create a contrast.  On the one hand, there is the sweet, smooth flavor of the vanilla. On the other hand, there is the biting, somewhat harsh flavor of the roasted malts.  The combination of vanilla and roasted malts is something akin to brewmasters trying to combine vanilla and chocolate ice cream ... except it is in a beer. 

As natural as the pairing may be, vanilla can be rather hard to come by.  The ingredient originated in the New World, in the area that is now the Mexican State of Veracruz.  Mexico was long the principal producer of vanilla; however, others wanted to get into the market  The difficulty in cultivating vanilla made it hard for anyone to be successful outside of Mexico.  However, a man by the name of Edmond Albius discovered how to hand-pollinate the flowers of the plant.  This allowed for vanilla to be planted and cultivated in other areas, including the Bourbon islands, which is present day Reunion (and could include the Comoros and Madagascar, at least with respect to vanilla cultivation).

The brewers at Avondale Brewery obtained vanilla from the "Bourbon Islands" to make the Vanillaphant, a Porter Ale brewed with Vanilla.  The brewers describe their beer as "surprisingly light bodied for its robust flavor."  They also say "it resembles the chocolate and roasted nut flavors that you expect in a porter, but with a special vanilla twist at the end.  The malty and vanilla sweetness are perfectly balanced with hoppy bitterness."

The brewers' description of this beer is relatively accurate.  The body of the beer is relatively light for a porter.  As I sipped the Vanillaphant, I could ascertain the chocolate and roasted flavors, as well as the sweetness from the vanilla beans.  Although I am not sure that I could characterize it as a "special vanilla twist at the end," the brewers were able to balance the bitterness of the roasted elements with the sweetness of the vanilla. 

This beer is best reserved for dessert.  It could be paired with desserts such as Tiramisu, chocolate cake or just a scoop or two of ice cream.  I did a search to find what others have paired with this beer.  One pairing was sticky toffee pudding. Another pairing was a little more adventurous ... Vanillaphant braised lamb short ribs.  While I could see a porter being used in such a braise, a vanilla porter would be rather interesting, especially with lamb short ribs (as opposed to beef short ribs).  

I got a bottle of the Vanillaphant as a gift, so I can't say how much a bottle costs.  However, as far as I know, Avondale beers are generally available only in the State of Alabama.  If you happen to be in the area, it is definitely worth a try. 

ENJOY!

Port City Brewing Company's Porter

Recently, a friend told me about a new brewery that he visited in Alexandria, Virginia.  The brewery, Port City Brewing Company, is one of a few new breweries that have or will be opening their doors this year.  My friend also mentioned the tours provided by the brewery on Saturdays.  So, on a recent Saturday, Clare and I paid a visit to Port City Brewing to get a tour of the facilities and to try some of its beers.

Port City Brewing Company has four beers that comprise its year-round selection, including its Porter.  The "porter" style of beer supposedly gets its name from the fact that, during the 18th century, this dark beer popular among the street porters and river porters of London.  The beer gets its color from  the use of darker malts, such as roasted or brown malts.   These malts are usually predominate over the hops.  And, for the most part, the ABV of these beers is usually on the lower side of the beer spectrum, hovering between 4% and 5.4%.

Port City Brewing Company brews its porter in the style of an American Porter.  The porter style was introduced to America during the colonial times, and in the eighteenth century, breweries produced American porters in New England and Pennsylvania.  During the middle of the nineteenth centuries, American brewers switched from using ale yeast (which ferments on top) to lager yeast (which ferments on the bottom).  This style of porter, referred to as the "Pennsylvania Porter," continued until the 1970s and 1980s, when some of the first craft brewers reintroduced the "American Porter," returning to the use of ale yeast in the production. 

The Port City Brewing Company's Porter pours a black in color with a smooth foam on top, which is a very good start.  As I poured the beer, I took in some of the aromatic elements, which were very suggestive of ground coffee beans and some chocolate malt.  The beer is slightly sweet  on the front end, which is a nice surprise.  Usually, when I try porters, there is no sweetness, but a lot of roasted flavors.  Those roasted flavors assert themselves in this Porter, particularly in the finish.  The initial sweetness gives way to flavors of roasted coffee beans and to just a little chocolate.  This beer exceeds the style of an American porter in both flavor and, by the way, alcohol content.  At 7.5% ABV, this beer has an alcohol content that rivals imperial porters, rather than other American porters. 

American porters, like Port City Brewing Company's Porter, are best paired with roasted or grilled meats, like a porterhouse steak.  This Porter can also be paired with spicy foods, such as Mexican or Cajun foods, because the roasted flavors of the beer will provide a good counter to the peppers in those foods.  And, when considering dessert, you can guess that a roasted, coffee flavor will go well with anything that has cream or chocolate.

The Port City Brewing Company's Porter is available on draft at many restaurants in Washington, D.C. and Northern Virginia, or at the brewery in Alexandria, Virginia.  It is also available in bottle, selling for $9.99 a six pack.

ENJOY!

For more information about Port City Brewing Company, check out its website and go for a visit.  They provide very informative tours on Saturdays at 12:30 and 2:00.  For more about the porter style, check out the Beer Judge Certification Program and Wikipedia.