Dolce Mio by Baxter Brewing Co. was reviewed as a Spice, Herb or Vegetable Beer (Style Category 30A) according to the BJCP 2015 Style Guidelines.
This has an intriguing ingredient list - cacao, vanilla bean, lactose, and lemon that in the wrong hands can go off the rails. An initial cannoli smell backs off to allow more traditional brown ale aromas through. It looks like a brown ale pouring brilliant brown under a ½” light brown to beige cap that is a little thin. The flavors start reassuring – the added ingredients let the brown ale character shine through and end delightfully with the cannoli and the brown ale working back and forth together. The cacao flavors work with the malt flavors, the vanilla bean is used with a light touch to enhance flavors rather than dominate and the lemon is a light accent. The hop flavors are low, but the hop bitterness is just big enough to keep the lactose and vanilla bean from being cloying. This is a big flavored and very repeatable beer where all the parts work together well. It crosses the line briefly wandering into porter territory but for me, a little more creaminess would put it over the top.