Ken Schmidt Aloha Plenty
Iron Fist Brewing Company

April 29th, 2016 - Not enjoyed in Hawaii, but this does bring some Hawaiian memories to the desk today. The aroma is pregnant with the smell of coffee beans, cacao nibs and pipe tobacco, and powerfully so. There's also something else deeper and more savory that I'm not quite catching - salami, or pepper? The flavor is exactly like the aroma, with more pepperoni and peppercorns, and and aftertaste oozing with chocolate. Also, a touch of academia to really conjure the image of swaying palm trees and ABC stores. And each sip is its own miniature vacation, with the aftertaste featuring those nice chocolate notes for a long and lustrous time.

 

 

 

 

Bought a 22oz bottle $5.79 Foodland
Strong smell of chocolate and coconut
Dark black color
Light-medium carbonation
Heavy mouthfeel
Taste of chocolate and coconut, creamy, some alcohol taste but not as strong as I had expected
Overall a nice sipping beer. Glad I got to try, but once was enough

This is dessert beer, 100%, which I might otherwise be derisive of, but here it is unabashed, entirely advertised, and I can respect that. Moreover, it's done really, really well, just mounds (forgive the pun) of coconut, then a bit of chocolate, and just a bit of nutty macadamia undercurrent to round it all out. Somehow not cloying on the palate, it's just desserty goodness, perhaps aided by a nice, bubbly carbonation and a well-proportioned body that is neither too heavy nor too light. If you're a fan of the sweet stuff, this is a must.

My first beer from these guys, this looks beautiful - jet black, tan head. The nose is REALLY heavy coconut, with the chocolate macadamia sitting in the background, and the coffee a non-participant.

The coconut dominates the taste, too, but the chocolate macadamia comes forward as this warms, and the coffee is (barely) lurking in the background. For a beer weighing in at 9.5% ABV, this is a bit thin, but the feel is spot on for the style and the heft of the beer.

I wish I had a second bottle of this to age for a year to see how it developed. I like it, but with a bit more body, this could be world-class.

Drinks as advertised. A little too desert-ish for my liking when cold, but as this neared room temp this beer really came together nicely with the coffee making itself more known which balanced out the sweetness. Finishes with a nice coco. It really does goes down closer to a 7.5% beer opposed to the 9.5% beer it is. Worth the $10.99 a bomber? Well, that's questionable but of course subjective. But hey! I drank it while in Maui.

Bottles of this started to show up in Arizona sometime in September. Picked up a bomber at BevMo Bell Road 10-8-16 for $9.29.

Beer poured dark brown with a nice tan head that has some very good hang time.

Nose is macadamia nut coffee forward, very nice.

Taste is a very nice combo of coffee, coconut, and chocolate with a hint of nuts.

Mouthfeel is light for the abv and pretty smooth.

Overall this brew has a very creative and tasty recipe that i am glad i tried! It would be cool if Iron FIst packaged this in 12 oz bottles...definitely would buy a sixer ever year!

 

I am genetally sceptical about multi-adjunct beers but this one delivers. It's pours a rich deep dark coffee brown color with a 1/4 inch of Mocha brown Head. Nose reminds me of dried cherry chocolate with a hint of coconut. It doesn't drink as sweet as the nose. Nice in that the coffee, coconut, macadamia nut and chocolate all present their respective flavors. Body is perfectly consistent with what I would expect in a solid porter. Very nice beer - I'm definitely gonna grab a couple of these and drag them home.

 

22oz bottle poured into a snifter

A- pours black in color with just a bit of light creeping through, small foamy off-white head with short retention

S- smells of nutty coffee with some coconut sweetness, milk chocolate on the close

T- plenty of coffee up front with some milk chocolaty notes complimenting. Noticeable coconut sweetness kicks in mid-palate, the finish is nutty with some of the macadamia lingering after the finish, along with more coffee

M- medium body with medium fizzy carbonation leads to a foamy mouthfeel and finish, abv hidden well

O- tasty throughout with all of the adjuncts being noticeable, while remaining highly drinkable

 

22oz bottle purchased for $10.49 in Kaapa'a, Kauai. Dark black, wispy head. Aroma is a small piece of each component. Flavor is mostly mild coffee at first, then the coconut. Sort of sweet, good beer.

 

 

 

Pours midnight black with a head that vanishes very quickly. No lacing whatsoever. Smell is heavy on roasted coconut, macadamia nut, and vanilla. Taste is sweet as shit! Coffee is the predominant flavor combined with coconut flakes and roasted malt with big vanilla on the aftertaste. Some cinnamon and brown sugar is in there also. This thing is a straight dessert. It would be amazing with some vanilla ice cream. Feel is a bit on the thin side but it still drinks very nicely. Overall a solid beer but you need to have a sweet tooth for this one!