Sycamore “Vanilla Affogato”

Style: Coffee Cream Ale
ABV: 6.4%

It’s another Monday, and that means we have a new NC Beer of the Week review for you all! This week, we have another beer from Sycamore Brewing in Charlotte, NC: “Vanilla Affogato.” This coffee cream ale was a selection off the shelves of Tapped. For those who may not be familiar with affogatos, they are an Italian dessert consisting of gelato or ice cream that is topped with a shot of espresso. Sycamore brews their own coffee in-house to make this cream ale, and if you haven’t had the dessert for which this beer was derived, you are missing out! Read below to see what we have to say about “Vanilla Affogato.”

Joe’s Take

I had to save this one as an after dinner treat. I was intrigued when I saw “Vanilla Affogato” was a cream ale as the style makes me think of beers like “Genesee Cream Ale” and not a dessert focused brew with a flavor profile more associated with stouts and porters. 

“Vanilla Affogato” was a nice clear caramel color and was incredibly appealing in my pint glass. The fluffy white head that formed was a nice complement to the color of the beer and this reminded me of vanilla ice cream with a caramel sauce. 

The aroma of the beer was not particularly strong but featured roasty coffee with a touch of vanilla sweetness. The lack of concentrated aroma may have been contributed by the glass I was using and potentially a snifter would have captured more aroma. 

The cream ale was true to its name as the mouthfeel was smooth and creamy. There was a nice level of carbonation that played well to the sweetness of the brew. The beer was light to medium-bodied and the combination of carbonation and smooth mouthfeel made it incredibly easy to drink. 

With a name like “Vanilla Affogato” you might worry that the beer will be overpoweringly coffee flavored or overbearingly sweet. However, this was not the case and the beer struck a nice balance between roasty coffee notes, light malt character, and vanilla sweetness. I may have been influenced by the color of the beer but I also detected some malty caramel notes. The coffee in this beer was more present in the aroma unlike your typical coffee infused beer. However, I enjoyed this fact as the delicate flavors would likely have easily been washed out by any strong roasty coffee. 

Overall, I thought this was a great spin on your typical dessert beer. The combination of style and flavor made for one easy drinking dessert beer.

Nick’s Take

As a fan of Sycamore Brewing and affogatos, I didn’t second guess my purchase of their “Vanilla Affogato” cream ale. I decided to grab a tulip glass for this tasting, in hopes of getting more aromas with the narrowed head. This also allowed me a great view of the beer in my glass. The beer color poured a rich amber, honey-gold that unsurprisingly resembled cream soda (which is a tasty comparison for a beverage). It was quite clear, too. I saw some off-white foam at the beginning, but it dissipated and left thin remnants behind.

The aroma of coffee was expected and welcome. It was a bit lighter and sweeter, as though it had been mixed with some milk/creamer. It still had a richness to it, and on later smells, I detected some faint notes of caramel. The aromas promised a smooth ale.

“Vanilla Affogato” was as smooth and creamy as you’d expect from a beer with this name, and of course of the cream ale style. It was medium-bodied and left a temporary velvety feeling in the mouth upon each sip. There was some mild carbonation upfront; however, once the bubbles settled, it resulted in a soft finish without any drying attributes.

I thought that the flavor of this cream ale was on par with a macchiato and of course an affogato (a treat I don’t have often enough). After months of having a variety of coffee stouts, it was a nice change of pace to get a creamier and sweeter coffee ale that drinks a little more smoothly. The soft coffee flavor and the sweet vanilla and caramel notes I picked up were balanced well. It’s hard not to think of this as the dessert beer it strives to be.

This is a cream ale I could session, and I would gladly welcome having this again sometime; I made the mistake of only buying one can. It would make a great brunch beer, dessert beer, or a solid choice for pairing with some snacks while watching a movie at home. Sycamore Brewing has consistently put out quality brews and I’m wondering why I haven’t tried more. Be on the lookout for this cream ale at your local bottle shop or grocery store.