Robin Shepard
For those who enjoy fall beers, be on the lookout for Vanilla Wafer Porter from MobCraft. This rich seasonal brew should be on local shelves any day, says brewery co-founder Henry Schwartz. It will also be sold for the first time in cans. “Outside of our core year-round beers, Vanilla Wafer Porter is our most popular product,” says Schwartz. A robust porter that oozes with cookie and candy character, it lives up to its name.
What is it? Vanilla Wafer Porter from MobCraft Beer of Milwaukee.
Style: The porter is a dark-colored ale, ranging from brown to deep black from dominant amounts of chocolate and smoked brown malts. It is medium-bodied with hints of caramel, toffee and chocolate, while remaining balanced with a clean finish. The style goes back to the 1700s, when it was a favorite beer of the porters who worked the London shipyards. Porters commonly fall around 4.5 to 6.5 percent ABV.
Background: MobCraft is known for taking recipe suggestions from social media and turning crowd-sourced ideas into beers on a regular basis. Nearly all of the brewery’s offerings begin this way. Vanilla Wafer Porter was introduced by MobCraft in 2015 based on a recipe from Colt Seaberg of Rockford, Illinois.
This dark black beer is modestly strong at 7 percent ABV. It’s made with five different malts and additions of cocoa nibs and vanilla for added sweetness. A touch of flaked oats gives it a soft and creamy texture, which also helps bring out those cookie and candy tones. It is released in fall to coincide with how the taste of Wisconsin drinkers begins to shift to more full-bodied and stronger beers as the weather gets a little colder. “I think we have a sweet tooth in Wisconsin and this beer has really rich chocolate flavor,” says Schwartz.
In past years the beer has been found in 22-ounce bomber bottles. However, this fall Vanilla Wafer Porter is being sold only in six-packs of 12-ounce cans for around $10. MobCraft has been transitioning from large-format bottles to cans since it moved from Madison to Milwaukee in 2016. This beer may also turn up on draft in a handful of Madison’s larger taphouses and bars. In the MobCraft taproom you will occasionally find it being served on a nitrogen tap line to accentuate its soft body and sweetness.
Tasting notes:
- Aroma: Light roasted chocolate, with a hint of coffee.
- Appearance: Very dark black body with a thick, soft, brown head.
- Texture: Full-bodied with lots of softness.
- Taste: Lots of bready caramel, roasted chocolate and toffee-like accents. There is vanilla in the background that eventually blends with all the other sweetness.
- Finish/Aftertaste: Lingering chocolate and vanilla sweetness that make the vanilla wafer description very apropos.
Glassware: The short-stemmed Belgian-style tulip glass will help drinkers appreciate the bready-cookie and roasted chocolate notes because the outward flare of the lip allows all those aromas to expand and mingle under the nose.
Pairs well with: soft cheeses with their own touch of sweet, nutty and buttery flavors. It’s especially nice with Gouda and Havarti. All that rich chocolate and vanilla also means it can be wonderful all on its own as a dessert beer!
The Verdict: I was a little skeptical of “vanilla wafer” in the name for fear this beer might be just too sweet. After easing my way into a glass over the bar at MobCraft’s Milwaukee taproom I soon found I was drawn in, rather seduced, by the bready caramel and sweet chocolate goodness of this porter. It’s definitely robust and flavorful. If you don’t appreciate sweet beers, then it’s likely not for you. As it warms the bready-wafer, lightly roasted chocolate and soft sweet vanilla melt into a candy bar in a glass. It’s bold enough and strong enough at 7 percent ABV that it fits right in with what I look for in cooler fall drinking weather.
