Mikkeller 'Vanilla Sky' IPA brewed with Vanilla Beans. 7% abv. Light honey color. Hazy. Two fingers of white foamy head. Excellent retention and lace. Nose of vanilla, light malt, floral hops. Sweet bread emerges as the temp rises. 

Front taste of light fruit, bitter citrus rind, vanilla. Aftertaste is bitter citrus hops, botanical, vanilla on the sustain. Light body. Mouthfeel is warm, tangy, pungent, juicy in the aftertaste.

This is a good IPA with a slight variation that I suspect would be missed by occasional beer drinkers. The vanilla aroma and taste is surely there at the start, but as the temp rises it becomes nearly hidden under the bushel of strong citrus hops. 

If you want the promised vanilla, it's yours to smell and taste promptly after the pour. Just know that minutes later the vanilla will be barely distinguishable. Good news is, when the vanilla drops off, you are still left with a decently good category IPA, one with bright juicy bitter citrus flavor. Recommended. 

From the brewery:

"India Pale Ale brewed with vanilla beans. Brewed at D’Proef in Belgium."

[source: mikkeller.dk]

Big Sky Brewing 'Moose Drool' Brown Ale. 5.1% abv. 26 IBU. Dark brown color. Nearly two fingers of ivory head. Good retention and low-moderate lace. Nose of malt, nutty, slight smoke. Front taste of caramel, roasted malt, notes of dark fruit. Aftertaste of caramel, earthy hops, distant bitter. Thin-medium body. Mouthfeel is thin, small bead carb.

This is a decent brown ale, certainly an example of its category, but unfortunately nothing more. The nutty and smoky notes of the aroma do not carry over to the taste which is largely roasted malt. There is some hop presence in the aftertaste but not nearly enough to stand this beer above the fold. The promised mix of different malts and hops are barely detectable, failing to create any complexity.

Brown ale is one of my favorite beer styles, and many people love Moose Drool, so I was unexpectedly disappointed. It fits its category, but is not impressive or memorable. I originally ended this review with "pass on this one." However, I won't discourage you from trying one - you may well enjoy it like many others do - but I can't recommend it either. Like many other beers I've reviewed, I can and do enjoy this beer, but it is far from my first choice.

From the brewery:

"Moose Drool is the world's premier brown ale. For a dark beer, it is extremely drinkable and excellent complement to most foods. Four different malts are used in this brew. We also do four hop additions consisting of a combination of East Kent Goldings' Liberty and Willamette."
[source: bigskybrew.com]