Jeremiah Johnson Brewing Company - Vanilla Porter

Jeremiah Johnson’s seasonal Vanilla Porter presents a very dark brown hue topped by a rich-looking head of persistent brown foam. The Madagascar vanilla makes its appearance right away in the aroma, offering its inviting creamy character as a high note atop prominent tones of milk chocolate and caramel that are bolstered by touches of roasty coffee. The story continues on the palate with a very nicely realized porter base offering plenty of roastiness, dark chocolate, and coffee. Deep-down caramelization merges with the vanilla addition to evoke creamy, sweeter impressions while woody, earthy hops present moderate bitterness in concert with the roasted malts to create a delicious balance that’s never overly bitter nor overly sweet. For pairing options, grilled meats and veggies are the way to go for savory options. Charbroiled burgers and roasted Brussels sprouts spring to mind. However, dessert pairings featuring chocolate, coffee, caramel, and/or vanilla are a natural fit, although we’d avoid anything too delicate. A rich chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream, chocolate covered coffee beans, and a caramel drizzle sounds just about perfect to us. Cheers!

Born and raised in Montana and named after the famous mountain man, Jeremiah Johnson had always had an adventurous spirit and dreamed about starting his own business. Initially, as a recent graduate of Montana State University, he didn’t have the means to jump into entrepreneurship, so he ended up embarking on a career of sales and marketing, followed by economic and real estate development. Finally, in 2018, an opportunity arose for him and his wife Katie to make their dream a reality while embracing their passion for craft beer. The duo acquired Great Falls’ struggling The Front Brewing Company, which had opened in 2012, and transformed it into Jeremiah Johnson Brewing Company. During the transition, they introduced Golden Bobcat Pale Ale in partnership with Montana State University, brewed with locally sourced ingredients to highlight the region’s agricultural industry. It’s a theme that continues to this day, as the brewery stands as a highlight for Montana’s agricultural Golden Triangle region.

Since launching the brewery, Jeremiah Johnson has opened two brewpub locations: one in downtown Coeur d'Alene, Idaho – serendipitously adjacent to Montana Ave – and a second in Whitefish in northwestern Montana’s Flathead Valley where they acquired the former Great Northern Brewery location at the Blackstar building and overhauled it into a gleaming brewery restaurant. There, brewers can create and test small batch experimental recipes, picking the best to move up to full-scale production at their main Great Falls facility. Today, the brewery offers seven year-round and seasonal beers in addition to their smaller-batch offerings, and they are the official beer of the Big Sky athletic conference. For more info about the brewery and their ID and MT locations, check them out at jjbrew.com.