Toasted Coconut Carolina Mountain Monster (aged In Bourbon Barrels)
Asheville Brewing Company

Brewed exclusively for Asheville Beer Week 2016, the yearly installment of Carolina Mountain Monster now meets the savory, candied and fragrant woodsiness of coconut and is then mellowed and matured in bourbon barrels for added caramel, coconut and char.

Dark and tawny brown, the beer is opaque at the center but port-like along the margins. Carrying a fast-fleeting dainty creme of froth, the beer's scent spills on the nose with those unmistakeable bourbon and coconut fragrances, along with chocolate, coffee and burnt sugar. Its lavish taste is sweet with molasses, caramel and toffee- seeming like gingersnaps early and often.

The rich beer slathers the middle palate with its decadent, cakey sweetness. Brown sugar and toasted shortcake enter the malt complexities as does a taste of roasted marshmallow. Meanwhile the base taste of dark-roast coffee, bittersweet chocolate and roasting walnut are nearly missed. Coconut and sweet bourbon command the taste while hints of grilled plum, currant and red grape ensure that there's no shortage of variety at any stage in the session.

Full and lavish, the beer's lightly carbonated feel allows the beer to sit weightily on the tongue, saturating each and every tastebud with its full complement of culinary art. Long, warm, sweet and robust, the beer lingers deep into the next sip with those sultry sweet and spicy bourbon woods, caramels, char, and cherry-like nuance.