Mixpack Review 2: Big Muddy Vanilla Stout

The beer I'm about to review appears to local, but could perhaps be described distributionally as regional.

In a few minutes worth of searching, all I can say for sure is that Big Muddy Brewing is or was a brewery that does or did serve food and a reasonable selection of beer. Beyond that, who knows, man? Southern Illinois is a mystery to me. Shout out to KFVS-12 and 100.7 KGMO, which are undoubtedly popular there.

My spouse selected the Vanilla Stout from my mixpack tonight. Stouts are what I often treat myself to when I've been on a long run of cheap beer. I'm admittedly biased in their favor, but I also wholeheartedly hate the state of Illinois. We'll see what happens.

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Beer company: Big Muddy Brewing
Name of beer: Vanilla Stout
ABV: 6.0%
Origin: Murphysboro, Illinois, United States
Founded by: Chuck Stuhrenberg(...?)
Bought out by: I'm not sure but their website implies they are independent.

Beauty of Pour: 8 out of 10. It's pretty, for sure. But that's a pint glass and a 12oz beer. Pouring with care, it took a solid 4 minutes to get the beer into the glass. I spilled it even while being careful.

Odor: 8 out of 10. Surprising low odor. There's a hint of vanilla but I had to huff it several times to even catch it a little It is quite plain. Nothing off putting, though.

Carbonation: 14 out of 15. The bubbles are throughout, not overly lively. It's even. Minus 1 for having to sift my shitty Quarantine Moustache through a 2 inch tall pancake to get to the damn beer. The carbonation is nearly perfect. Makes me wonder how it would be on tap.

Mouthfeel: 12 out of 15. This is smooth, but not silky. It has a low density for a stout, perhaps a little thin.

Flavor: 45 out of 50. I was 5 ounces into this beer and it suddenly felt like my tongue was getting sneak-attacked by vanilla. It's labelled as a Vanilla Stout and it didn't punch that flavor into my soul for a good portion of the beer. I appreciated that. I can usually tell the difference between real vanilla extract and the artificial stuff squeezed from the glands of a raccoon anus: I am pretty sure they put the real stuff in here.

Complete score: 87 out of 100. This was a good beer and a good stout. I'd like to try it on tap and I'd definitely buy a six pack if it was less than 9 dollars. For slightly more, I'd have to think about it.

Thanks for reading.