Bear Creek Wapato Pale Vanilla Pale Ale

Formerly brewed at Bear Creek Brewing Company
Style: American Pale Ale
Redmond, Washington USA

Serve in Lager glass, Shaker, Tulip

send corrections   |   shelftag   |   edit barcodes   |   update pic

Wapato Pale--Vanilla Pale Ale--2004 22 oz. Bottle. 5.00% ABV? 30 IBU’s? (3.75 / 5.0) Light lacy head. Hazy rich thick bright amber color. Mild floral vanilla hop front. Crisp dry sweet mild doughy fruit caramel body. Refreshing dry mild citrus hop end. Odd vanilla flavor. Sampled 7/30/2004.

Bottle - Well, this is a rather over-carbonated bottle here. Enough that I just poured another glass and it quickly overflowed, partly onto my keyboard. The carbonation is definitely a distraction, I have to let the glass sit for at least 10 minutes before I can drink any without it frothing in my mouth. No real strong trace of vanilla here, perhaps a bit in the finish and just a touch in the nose, but hardly enough to constitute a titile such as this. Lightly hopped with a slight yeastiness, almost Belgian in character. Not the strongest Bear Creek beer I’ve had.

Have to pour this one slowly. The head quickly builds and consumes 3/4’s of the glass. It quickly disipates and leaves a copper colored beer. Grassy hops dominate the nose with a gentle hint of vanilla. Creamy texture with malt flavorings that quickly succumb to harsh grassy hops. A faint presence of vailla flavoring is tasted throughout the beer. Nothing exciting, just a good beer.

Bottle pours a slightly hazy amber, small off-white dishwater like head, spotty lacing, with low carbonation.   Forwardly malty on the nose with an extremeley subtle hint of vanilla bean.   I’m also getting a slight aroma of pine or spruce, but again its very subtle.   Flavor is forwardly malty... almost thinking this is an Amber versus a Pale Ale.   No real discernable vanilla in the taste.   Finishes with a definite hop bitterness, slightly sour.   An interesting offering, but was hoping for a bit more on this one.   Quite amberish up front, with a very subdued Pale Ale at the rear.