Cookie Cali
Mother Earth Brew Co.

cocoa nibs and coconut added to the classic vanilla cream ale, they keep messing with this one, some more successful than others, and this isnt bad, but it adds additional sweetness to an already near diabetic brew, and its limiting, even if the flavors work, which, no surprise, they do. doesnt look much different from the original, maybe a half shade darker, still creamy and brassy and bright looking, appealing. the nose has some malty richness to it i dont really remember from the original, slightly fuller, which i suppose could be a product of the extras, but sort of casts a graham cracker or even toffee note into this with how strong the vanilla is, its been awhile since i had the original i guess, memory could be faulty, but in my mind its a bit lighter than this smells. heavy vanilla, thats always been here, light butterscotch, golden raisin, and graham cracker cereal, not very chocolate forward to me but the coconut flake character is certainly there, lightly toasty, baked warmth. the flavor is similar but kind of short and focused in the middle, like the start is kind of minimal, and the finish is all vanilla, so the center is where it kind of happens, a little more cocoa to it, but lacking the bitterness nibs often bring, and that element is lost a little to the vanilla and in fact also the grain. the coconut is awesome though, maybe could have just went coconut creamin, more summery and easy, the little chocolate aspect does weight it down some, natural coconut but also a little of that sweet suntan lotion character which has me eager for warm weather. more familiar on the swallow with the lots of lactose and the vanilla, floral and strong, outlasts the coconut and the malt. tasty and fun in small doses, not as overdone as some of them have been, but i still think i prefer the original...