The Thursday Tappening
Vanilla Connection - Saints Row Brewing, Rockville, MD
This nano brewery is just over a mile from my apartment, so you’d figure I’d be there every other day but this was only my second visit. I appreciate the atmosphere at Saints Row. It’s open, industrial, welcoming, warm...everything you’d expect a small start-up brewery to be. There’s plenty of seating and enough space to have a band come in and play, which is what happened when I was there last week. It’s a family owned and operated brewery and that shows through how much the employees care about the service they provide and the beer they brew. They always seem to be making new beers and exploring new roads based on how often the post on Instagram about new releases. They also allow dogs! Most breweries do, but I love it when I get to see one while visiting, and I DID. Met a beautiful, fully grown Australian Shepherd that was just chillin under the table next to mine. He didn’t have the traditional coloring that most Aussies do - he was only black and white, and he was gorgeous. Went and asked the owners if I could say hi, and they obliged. He was happy as a clam just chewin’ on his stick while his parents were enjoying their beers and conversation. Learned that his name was Koda, and I was reminded of how my sister and I would often binge watch Disney movies when we hadn’t seen each other in a while. With one of our favorites being “Brother Bear”, I jumped at the fact that his name was Koda, which is also the name of the main character. If you haven’t seen the movie, please go watch it because it’s adorable and heart warming, as most Disney movies are. This of course isn’t at all relevant to the beer itself, but it’s relevant to the event and it made my night a little extra special.
My night was also made special because I got to meet up with my high school buddy, Raza. He’s been living in NYC for the past year or so, and earlier that day he told me he was in town for the night. The timing was serendipitous. We were lucky enough to meet up within a few hours of texting each other, which rarely happens. I was planning on going out to Saints Row anyway because of their Instagram post about Vanilla Connection, but having a friend tag along to share the experience always makes things more fun. It was awesome getting the chance to catch up with him. We hadn’t seen each other for a good while, and I’m glad we had a good two hours of just one-on-one time. We covered a lot in the time we had together - what he’d been up to, what I’d been up to, reminiscing about funny high school memories, and where we wanted our lives to go next. That’s about as specific as I can be considering we talked for so long but it’s not about the specifics, it’s about the overall event. He was also pretty thrilled that there was a dog too! So many connection moments!
I showed up about 45 minutes before him so that I’d get the chance to review this the old fashioned way, with classic pen and paper. You can see my level of sanity based on how scattered my notes are, and how clearly excited I was to go say hi to Koda. I’ll also mention that getting the chance to be away from a screen was a nice break for my eyes so if you like to write, get a nice notebook and step away from your computer if you get the chance. Taking those notes and turning them into this was a bit of a challenge because of how bad my handwriting is, but I powered through. So without further adieu, onto the beer!
The description of the beer on their website reads:
Someday we'll find it, the #VanillaConnection The lovers, the dreamers, and me. We begin this hazy journey with a generous foundation of flaked oats and wheat to create a creamy smooth body. Hopped with a blend of Citra and Mosaic for citrus orange aromatics and flavor. We then finished with hand processed premium whole vanilla beans. The result is an orange creamsicle bursting with creamy vanilla and orange smoothness.
Before I took my first sip, I was pleasantly overtaken by the smell of this beer. I actually had to stop myself from drinking it to take another big waft. Thought I was in a Yankee Candle factory for a second. It’s labeled as a vanilla citrus hazy IPA, and I absolutely smell the vanilla, a good amount of cinnamon, but not much of the citrus, which was surprising. After obsessing over the smell for a few minutes I finally took my first sip. Immediate thoughts: light on citrus, light on vanilla...light in general, almost to the point where it’s a little watery. It felt like a series of undertones that were all trying so hard not to out-do each other that nothing really stood out. I taste the vanilla and cinnamon but for a hazy IPA I thought it would’ve been a bit more dense. I was a little disappointed by this. I wanted it to be more powerful or present, but it wasn’t. Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t bad by any means, just not what I expected. I imagine my expectations were so high because of how incredible the smell was. Unfortunately the candle-like scent didn’t translate into the taste. I’m not sure if it makes a difference, but they were pouring the beer from a small cask instead of a traditional tap. I highly doubt it does, but I figure it’s worth mentioning. I’ve had other beers here, such as a maple bacon stout and a tangerine IPA that were both excellent. This is probably another reason for my disappointment - previous experience often can be.
After having it a second time, I had the same reaction - awesome smell, underwhelming taste. At least it was consistent! I would recommend this beer to someone who is interested in getting into craft beer or IPAs. It’s not as bitter or hoppy as most IPAs are and it definitely has a unique flavor that is pleasant but not overwhelming. If you’re into a strong hops flavor, I would suggest ordering something else. Would I order it again? Yes. Would it be my first choice? Probably not. I wasn’t exactly yearning for more after having my first. One thing is for sure though, I’ll be back there soon ready to try more.
P.S. Sorry for the awful image quality. The lighting was not ideal.