Toasted Coconut Ale
Core Brewing & Distilling Co.

12 oz can, no date, into Boiler brandy snifter.

Dark porter brown with slight ruby hues at the bottom. Creamy head that nearly fills the glass, so it's probably got a little age on it. Off-white with shades of khaki. Recedes to a finger with no lace sticking.

Aroma is very intense and inviting. I can nearly smell the palms in the Hana rainforest. Very woody, with an emphasis on the toasted part of the coconut. Almost burnt but pleasantly intensely toasted. I get a hint of mint and eucalyptus. Wet/moist earth. I don't think I've ever honestly smelled an island, realistically, in a beer before. There are palms on the back of the can. This isn't corny or gimmicky. They actually have captured the natural smells of an island. For this reason it gets a five.

Flavor is burnt toast ends, flavorless already-been-chewed gum, metallic dirt, coconut, grass, hints of nutty cocoa, and eucalyptus. Despite all of this it's surprisingly drinkable, but it has a lot going on and none of it is particularly sweet. It's a challenging beer but rewards you with contemplation.

Feel is thinner than I'd prefer, a bit heavy on the carbonation (probably due to its time in the can), with lots of starches drying on the palate. Almost ends like microfiber.

Overall, this beer is a little challenging but I respect it. There's craft here. Coconut is pretty large here and that's what's advertised. Core is kinda hit and miss but I'd like to think that if I could find this fresh I'd buy it again.

$1.95 @ Liquor Mart in Fayetteville, AR

 

 

 

A bodied beer that still is pretty crisp. Roasted malt and slight bitter sweet finish.

Taste rating in words: A toasted sweet surprise after a long hard day.

 

 

 

Pours a dark brown cola color with a finger and a half of lasting khaki-colored head that leaves strong lacing.

Strong, sweet aroma of caramel, butterscotch and toasted coconut. Maybe a hint of vanilla. A hint of darker malts behind that.

There's a little sweetness, but much more of a roasted malt flavor in the taste; decidedly less caramel than the nose; then the coconut. A little vanilla and a little bitterness in the aftertaste.

Medium bodied with a slick mouthfeel.

Coconut isn't really my thing. Others may enjoy this more.

 

 

Quite tasty, coconut, chocolate, gets better as it warms a bit. I can't speak to the look, drank from the bottle. Medium carbonation, a great sipping and dessert beer. Yum.

 

 

 

 

 

A - Almost stout like S - Bring on the coconut baby! T - Malt, a bit sweet and coconut comes on board M - like a really mello stout with coconut O - Really well done! Very much enjoyable and different but not to the point of being different just to be different.

This is a great late night sipping beer. Different flavors hit you as the beer warms. Nice Job Core!

Subtle coconut aroma and taste. Compliments well with the dark brown. Coconut is not overwhelming. Hint of roastiness.

July 12, 2015

12 oz bottle, snifter

A – Nearly jet black, with light khaki, large bubbles, and moderately low retention. Does not pour particularly thick or thin.

S – Coconut, coffee, and toasted pecans, almost like butter pecan ice cream or a flavored cappuccino. A touch of hazelnut and chocolate.

T – Chocolate, light coffee liqueur, light butterscotch. Some low herbal hops, and low impressions of hazelnut and coconut. Getting more of the toast flavor than the coconut flavor here.

M – Fairly light bodied and light to medium-light carbonation. Fairly dry throughout.

O – This beer smells amazing, but the flavor doesn’t quite live up to the aroma. Still, very drinkable, and very interesting.