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Published: Feb. 17, 2020, 8:27 p.m.

Episode Notes\n\n

Episode 78: VIP Vanilla Imperial Porter by Great North Aleworks in Manchester, NH

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It\u2019s the Two Minute Beer Review!

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I\u2019m Andrew Burkum and it\u2019s that time again where we take on that massive craft brew aisle to find the hidden treasures waiting for us there.

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This week we\u2019re taking a look at VIP Vanilla Imperial Porter by Great North Aleworks in Manchester, NH. Will this one take us on a limo ride to beer stardom? Let\u2019s find out!

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VIP pours nice and solid black with a pretty, creamy head capping it off. The scent is strong with this one. It\u2019s full of malt, molasses with just a touch of freshly roasted coffee. Oddly enough, the team and I couldn\u2019t detect any of the signature vanilla in the scent of the beer.

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But what about the taste? This one hits nice and hard up front with coffee and cocoa really warming up and wrapping their way around the tongue. These flavors develop as the beer goes down into this really nice, smooth bitterness by the end of the swallow that resolves to balance the beer without punching you in the flavor face. And then, there it is! That vanilla that was promised. It\u2019s sitting right there on top of the whole experience in the vapors that sink into your palate. It permeates the flavor in an extremely satisfying way and tie all of those flavors into a really nicely made package. The beer feels smooth and light but not so much so that it ever seems watery. It\u2019s just a great example of a really clean drinking porter, not chewy but robust and full of flavor. The beer\u2019s sweet, but not overly so at all.

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This beer is an immaculate porter, and it\u2019s really nice to see so many of these coming out when so much of the industry has shifted into heavy IPA production. It\u2019s my first from the folks at Great North Aleworks, but it certainly won\u2019t be my last. Thanks to Mike Hogan from Great North for the sample\u2014we\u2019re lucky Court from the tasting team ran into you! What about you folks out there? Have you tried this one? I want to know what you think! You can let me know by emailing me at 2minutebeer@gmail.com (using the number 2), tweeting me @2minutebeer or responding on Facebook where you\u2019ll find the live video of this episode. I want to hear what you have to say--and make sure to share the episode so others can weigh in as well! Oh and while you\u2019re at it, for my rating on this and countless other beers\u2014some of which we haven\u2019t even featured on the show yet, be sure to follow me on Untappd, just search for me by name, that\u2019s Andrew Burkum spelled BURKUM and send me a friend request!

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That\u2019s all for this week, but I hope you\u2019ll join me next week as I bring you a very special episode live from the Multicultural Arts Center in Merced where I\u2019ll be covering their Mardi Gras celebration and some special beer surprises that they\u2019ll have on tap there! Will we earn our beads this year? We\u2019ll find out next week.

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Look for links to this week\u2019s beer and brewery in the show notes and don\u2019t forget to subscribe to the show in your favorite podcast app and follow us on Facebook so you never miss an episode!

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The Two Minute Beer Review is a part of the Phoenix Podcast Network and is brought to you by Zane-It, where you can find all the best costumes and makeup, Central Valley Youth Legal Services and Superfan Sandra Hay. If you\u2019d like to support the show you can leave us a tip or sign up for a small monthly donation by clicking the link in the show notes or by supporting the Phoenix Creative Collective on Patreon. Our music is by Rialthos. You can find more at Rialthos.bandcamp.com. He also just launched a Kickstarter for his upcoming Lo-Fi Neo-Digital Jazz Compilation, entitled Repetition Legitimizes. Check the show notes for details on how you can contribute and get a copy!

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That\u2019s all for now but I\u2019ll see you next week as we continue on our quest to taste all the beer!

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