4th Anniversary
Westbrook Brewing Co.

4.19/5  rDev -1.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
by Radcpa from Washington

Very dark appearance with slight tan head that dissipates quickly. Mild coconut and chocolate aroma. Taste is a very pleasant almond and coconut blend with a touch of chocolate. A little thin.

Dec 27, 2020

4.2/5  rDev -0.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
by chinchill from South Carolina

22 oz bottle as, I hope, UGA beats Auburn for the SEC championship.
Essentially black body with a good light brown head.
All expected elements present: chocolate (the most obvious adjunct; more milk chocolate than dark chocolate until the aftertaste), almond (although hard to detect without some warming), coconut (faint), and dark roasted grains. Perhaps a bit sweeter than ideal but achieves good balance by the finish. Improves with warming.
Nice smooth and near full body.
Be forewarned: this has partially hidden ABV and is easy to drink quickly.

Dec 02, 2017

4.04/5  rDev -4.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
by macrosmatic from Florida

Big thanks to dogdoc for sending this one! Reviewed from (long-standing) notes. Consumed May 7, 2015. Poured from 22 oz. bottle into a Cycle Brewing snifter glass.

A: Essentially black and opaque, with a thin mocha head that fades quickly. Minimal if any visible carbonation bubbles.

S: Chocolate, roasted malts and pipe tobacco. A bit of coconut and mildly boozy.

T: Chocolate and bitter cacao. Dark roasted malts with a modest amount of accompanying bitterness. Some coffee flavors with more rich tobacco. A fairly noticeable alcohol heat and ethanol sweetness in the middle, but it doesn’t come across as fusel. There is a nuttiness on the exhale that I’m willing to call almond – but it’s not strong. Coconut flavors might be here if you work at it, but they’re mild as well; this stays true even as the beer is allowed to warm.

M: Heavy-bodied, but not glass-coating like Cigar City stouts. Alcohol presence is noticeable but not overly hot. Low carbonation sensation.

O: A reasonably tasty beer, but I’m disappointed by the relative lack of the promised coconut and almond flavors. I had really high hopes for this beer – thought it sounded amazing. But it ended up as a fairly good chocolate-forward stout, albeit maybe a bit warming for a non-barrel aged stout at the listed ABV…rather than a coconut and nut-forward stout.
I kept expecting the flavors to really open up as this warmed, but if anything the alcohol is becoming more prominent instead…which isn’t helping particularly.

Jan 08, 2017

4.36/5  rDev +2.8%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
by yesterdayfaraway from Missouri

L: pours pitch black with no head
S: big chocolate, vanilla sweetness and some coconut. Nice complex aroma, layered. Just not powerful enough to get a 5 here. But it is almost 2 years old
T: very nice and layer like the aroma, but like the aroma it is all subdued. I imagine it was better fresh. But there is nice chocolate, and a almond/ vanilla sweetness.
F: it's thick and smooth, but not elite
O: a good beer, but I'm too late to the party

Sep 17, 2016

4.25/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
by Marius from Netherlands

On tap at CBC 2016, day 2. Whiskey, chocolate, toasted coconut, vnailla and some roasted nuts in the background.

Aug 02, 2016

3.77/5  rDev -11.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 3.75
by Jadjunk from Georgia

"Our 4th Anniversary beer is a smooth black imperial stout aged on toasted coconuts, whole roasted almonds, cocoa nibs, and vanilla beans. Cheers!" Brewed in the style of an American Imperial Stout. Available in 22 oz. bottles and on limited draft.

Poured from a 22 oz. bottle to a snifter glass.

(Appearance) Pours a creamy foam head of a mocha brown color over a dark brown, near black body. Retention is good and lacing is light and spotty. 4.25

(Smell) Coconut milk smoothness and vanilla cream up front, with nutty toasted almond and soft chocolate undertones. The coconut and almonds come together for a fluffy, milky and unusual aroma. Potency is moderate. 3.5

(Taste) Dark chocolate syrups and rich toasted bread malts with subtle notes of vanilla cream, a toasty nut finish and creamy coconut flavors. Finishes smooth and lightly syrupy. 3.75

(Mouthfeel) Texture is slick, fluffy, lightly chewy, medium dry. Carbonation is light, generating a mild frothiness and a mildly crisp finish. Body is medium for the style, heavy overall. Balance is nearly even sweetness to earthy toasted and roast malt and adjunct bitterness. Alcohol presence is mild and there are no off characters. 4.25

(Overall) An interesting stout, but I don't find the coconut nor almond to come through all too brightly, leaving this a fairly sweet and easy drinking, but not too complex nor uniquely flavored stout. Tasty dessert ale, a bit on the sweet side. 3.75

Westbrook Brewing Co.'s
Chocolate Coconut Almond Imperial Stout
3.77/5.00

Apr 17, 2016

3.98/5  rDev -6.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
by ccg from Virginia

Bottled on 12/17/14. Finally opened 3/13/2016. I've been storing it in a wine fridge at 55 degrees, but I still should have opened it when it was fresher.
It looks great. Jet black, lightly carbonated, nice rings of dense bubbles around the edge, nice lacing when tilted or swirled.
Light roasted malt and nutty smell. Zero coconut on the nose.
Flavor is also some chocolatey roasted malt and vanilla with some vague nuttiness. If you chew on it a bit and pay attention, the coconut does make an appearance.
Mouthfeel is great. It's creamy and dense.
Overall: Well, it says right on the label, "Best enjoyed as fresh as possible. Do not age or cellar this beer!" And they were right. Despite being properly cellared, the coconut in this beer is almost gone, and the almond is weak. I never had it fresh, so I don't know what it used to be like, but the coconut is very subtle at this point. Still, this is a darn good chocolate/vanilla dessert stout with subtle coconut/almond notes. But it's definitely not (or no longer) the liquid Almond Joy bar that I read about. I really wish I'd opened this bottle 9 months ago.

Mar 14, 2016

4.05/5  rDev -4.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
by Schlegelq1 from New York

wish the coconut came through more otherwise good.

Feb 14, 2016

4.09/5  rDev -3.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
by Dope from Massachusetts

Bottled 12/17/14

A: Pitch-black pour with a dense black head. Decent retention but no sign of any lacing. Appears pretty still once it has completely settled down.

S: Strong vanilla initially. Definitely smells like almonds with some milk chocolate backing too.

T: Up front is plenty of vanilla with a bit of toasted coconut. Strong bittersweet chocolate with some char in the middle. Bittersweet chocolate continues into the finish with some light nuttiness. Long-lingering earthy cocoa between sips.

M: Fairly heavy; smooth.

O: Really nice stout. Unfortunately the coconut is super subtle but it's still a great chocolate/vanilla stout of course. This is 11 months old so maybe the coconut has faded a bit, hard to tell. The bittersweet chocolate really stands out for me in this one.

Nov 23, 2015