Ballarat is a place that, at times, can be brutally cold. Locals know it. Anyone who’s ever spent a night there likely knows it. The team at Aunty Jacks knows it. So you can see why brewing a porter that’s at once complex enough to hold your attention while still largely accessible is such an appealing proposition for the city centre brewpub.
Vanilla Porter features six different malts and the addition of vanilla to make for a beer that can just as easily take you on a journey as it can be forgotten about as you stare deeply into a roaring fireplace. There’s a mix of dark chocolate, fresh coffee and roasted malts, that band together before being joined by a richer, fudge-like edge and a vanilla-enhanced finish. It makes for a beer that’s a little sweet without being cloying, and in which those roasted flavours build as the beer warms offering the hope it might be enough to help keep those cold nights at bay. Unlikely in the depths of winter, of course, but one can dream...
Will Ziebell
