Year of New Beer: Extra Vanilla Brain Check, Akasha Brewing Co (Louisville)

Written By: Dion on 04/06/2020

Every now and then, a beer lets you know right off the top that it means business. Big, aromatic nose? Check. Thick, heavy body? Check. Complex, layered flavors? Check. Damn this Corona, I would've loved to have shared this with friends. Huge notes of rich, sweet chocolate alongside freshly brewed coffee and an undercurrent of cinnamon. Oddly enough, the vanilla isn't overpowering, instead lingering in the background as a lightly charred malt grips the olfactory nerve. Once the brew hits the tongue, however, things take a turn to the sweeter side. The operative word here is viscous. Fudgy chocolate is married to a subtle cinnamon bite, both pairing up extremely well with the creamy vanilla that hits in the middle. Caramel, brown sugar, and a persistent roasted coffee bean hang on through a sticky sweet finish. Really nice beer, even if it did give me the die-a-beetus.