Brewer Q & A (Issue 22)

92 Rating – Tallgrass Brewing Co. – Vanilla Bean Buffalo Sweat

Responses from Tallgrass founder and CEO Jeff Gill.

Who came up with this beer's recipe?
Myself and our second-ever employee combined with a team effort in the development of VBBS, our first-ever cask beer experiment.  

What’s your favorite aspect of this beer (flavor, aroma, etc.)? 
How well the vanilla aroma and flavor meld with the coffee and chocolate sweetness of the base Buffalo Sweat, our Oatmeal Cream Stout.   

Where does this beer’s name come from?   
Our use of select Ugandan vanilla beans is central to the distinctive character of this beer, so it was very appropriate to use both vanilla and bean in the name. Buffalo Sweat, well, that is a story for another time. 

Is this your "desert island beer?"
Not quite. I love my hops. 

Can you describe this beer in 10 words or less?  
Sweet chocolate and coffee seamlessly highlighting pure vanilla goodness.

Do you know a story – or have a personal story – that revolves around this beer?  
This beer is a result of our very first cask ale experiment. In late 2011 we threw two Ugandan beans into of a couple of firkins and left them next to my desk. Two weeks later I came in one morning and the brewery smelled amazing, but Buffalo Sweat was all over the floor and the only clue as to what had happened was the open bung hole on one firkin and a perfect circle cut into a ceiling tile directly above it. The cask had overpressured and blown the bung clean through the ceiling! We carefully placed the other cask in the cooler to bring down the pressure, and when we served it at a bar a week later it was the amazing combination of vanilla and stout-y goodness that is Vanilla Bean Buffalo Sweat.