Rochester gave the world the cream ale, and we figured the old girl deserved a glow-up. Smugtown takes that blue-collar classic and spikes it with vanilla. Pouring a lightly hazed golden yellow beneath a clean white head, the aroma is straight vanilla and gentle malt sweetness.

The first sip is light-bodied but surprisingly creamy, vanilla riding through the middle before a quick, clean finish that lands dry while somehow still tasting sweet. It’s a neat trick, and one the Genesee Valley faithful will appreciate.

At 5.9% ABV, the vanilla is the whole show here, soft and full and lingering just long enough to make you reach for the next sip. Smooth, sweet, and unmistakably the star.