Sunday was a first for us. We were able to grab the first sample of Vanilla Gorilla Brewing’s Iris imperial vanilla bean cognac stout collaboration with Gordon Street Tavern. Vanilla Gorilla is the small homebrewing company run by Alvin native, Karl Tomko. The 2016 version of Iris is the second iteration of the brew.
Granted, there is not much information online for Vanilla Gorilla Brewing Company, but the beer is absolutely delicious. The beer style is similar tasting to an imperial milk stout. The vanilla bean is feint in the flavor profile, but the beer goes down much smoother than a beer that is 12% ABV.
The cognac flavor never came through, personally. It tasted like a normal milk stout that was infused vanilla beans. On the nose, you get the roasted malt of the stout and it finishes with a slight bitterness that is pleasing. Overall, I can’t wait to see what is next from Vanilla Gorilla.