Blueprint Brewing – BouNilla Black

Among many other reasons, part of the addiction that develops when you start brewing has to do with what you learn from batch to batch.  It is definitely a process where you get better at some things while at the same time adding items to the list of things to be worked on.  In the case of the Black Ales, they turned out much better as a split batch than either of the first few I attempted.  On the other hand, the bourbon and the vanilla did not work out for me perfectly and that only makes me want to try using them again in future batches.  Fortunately, not working perfectly still leaves me with a bunch of beer to drink!

Now for the other half of Draft Day Ale . . .

Brewery: Blueprint Brewing (Winter Park, FL)

Name: BouNilla Black

Style: Black Ale (Specialty Beer)

ABV: 4.94% (+/-)

Tasting Notes: Stored in the fridge and served in a pint glass.  Bourbon and vanilla bean added to secondary fermentation.  Reviewed next to unaltered black ale half of batch.

Aroma: Low roasted malt notes with an even caramelly bourbon aroma (though not too strong) and some very faint vanilla.  Really as expected.

Appearance: Black (dark, dark brown) and slightly lighter than the unaltered half of the batch.  Slight dark cream/tan color head with decent (though not good) retention that leaves a slight trail.  Opaque, though clear with rising bubbles visible when held to light.

Flavor: Mild roasted malt with some lightly sweet notes (vanilla?).  A faint bourbon character with some dryness and bourbon flavor at the finish.

Mouthfeel: Medium to light body (lighter than Draft Day Ale) with pretty low carbonation (though has become higher as it ages in bottle).  Very smooth and probably too smooth without the balance of some higher carbonation.

Overall Impressions: Needed some more carbonation (maybe it sat too long in secondary).  Bourbon and vanilla flavors really mellowed the roasted character and bitterness.  My first use of both bourbon and vanilla in a beer that was another good experiment for record and one that needs another go.

Grade: B- (ish) . . . Probably toward B being much like though completely different than Draft Day Ale.

Blueprint Brewing - BouNilla Black (on the right)