In my hometown, there’s a bar that specializes in whiskey. 

They serve 100 different brands of scotch, bourbon, whiskey, and rye in elegant glassware, by bartenders who look like they stepped out of 1902. You can’t help but feel classy when you’re lounging in the bar’s leather arm chairs, sipping an Old Fashioned cocktail. 

That feeling of effortless class comes to mind when I sip today’s sophisticated brew, Bourbon Barrel-Aged Vanilla Smoked Porter. It’s from the Belgian-style brewmasters at Ommegang, who’ve been brewing up masterpieces like this since 1997.

The craft beer mixologists created it with six different types of specialty malts, fermented it with their house yeast, and aged it for six months in Bourbon Barrels on whole Madagascar vanilla beans. The result is a sumptuous craft cocktail of bourbon, chocolate, and vanilla, rounded out with a smoky campfire finish.

Each smooth, full-bodied sip makes me want to turn off my phone, open up a chess board, and debate philosophy. “I drink, therefore, I am.”

If you want to impress your buds with your urbane taste in beer, consider adding a few bottles of this Porter to your cellar. Split one with your classiest friend as you savor a cigar on a clear night — or, pour some into a solo cup to drink while beating them at Halo. Sophistication is a feeling, after all. 

*Ommegang won Gold at the 2019 World Beer Awards!

Rated 4.11 on Untappd

Tavour strictly supports independent beer. Brewery Ommegang is certified independent by the Brewers Association