Rum Barrel Aged Coconut Porter
pFriem Family Brewers

bottle into glass
Thin amount of tan head. An opaque, inky look to this brew. Subtle, darkly roasted grains, toasted oak, toffee and a hint of that toasted coconut, in the aroma. Dang good blend of dark toasted grains, caramel, with some of the sweetness that fades, some sharpness from the rum barrels, with the toasted coconut in there somewhere, for the taste. Mouthfeel is full, with a toasted wood and grain bite, that leads to those characteristics, without the bite.

Dark mahogany pour, clear; thick, frothy, light khaki colored head. Outstanding smell; blend of cherry-like notes with roasted grain accents; dark brown sugar and toffee. The taste reinforces the smell characteristics; bitter chocolate and cocoa notes with nice esters, tasting more like raspberry, offsetting things; toasted coconut; subdued bitterness percolating underneath the sweetness. Heavy body; smooth and dense mouthfeel; creamy residual sugar feel; a touch of boozy warmth.

There is some neat interaction between the rum barrel aging and the coconut playing here. Both aspects add some intriguing and delightful elements to the flavor and smell. Personally, I get sweet cherry and raspberry notes, likely from the rum barrel interplay, while the coconut adds some nice toasted notes to the malt sugars. Balanced, immensely complex, and just plain wonderful - a nicely executed barrel-aged porter.

Pouring temperature: 44 °F; bottling info: 07 07 23
Source: Tavour

At $13 for a bottle it had better be not just good but exceptional. It did not disappoint. It was so dark it was almost black but could see red shadows of a bright light threw it. The smell was dreamy and left me wanting to chug the whole bottle. The taste would not stop me. The feel was so smooth it slid so pleasantly down. It took extreme discipline to slow down and enjoy it. The after taste makes me want more. Slow down. Is it really 9.5%. I have had session beers that tasted of more alcohol. Discipline.

I made one mistake. I took it out of the refrigerator and started to drink it. It should have been at room temperature. As it warms up it smells, tastes, and feels even better.

The only negative is there is virtually no head. Typical of barrel aged with little carbonation.

Drat, #@#$^&, I finished it off to quickly. Do not even feel the alcohol yet but I am sure I will.

Poured into a Fremont small snifter. Pours a very dark mahogany brown, appearing opaque in the glass with a two finger dark khaki head with great retention and solid lacing. Aroma of dark toasted malt, chocolate, coconut, vanilla and a hint of rum. Flavor is dark toasted malt with a hint of char, bakers chocolate, vanilla and dark fruit from the rum barrel. Medium to full bodied with silky creaminess; excellent mouth feel. Pfriem frequently amazes and that's true with this porter. Delivers on all it promises in its name: rum, coconut and a deep, rich porter base. In addition, there is enough chocolate character to almost make it a dessert stout, except with not with any sticky sweetness; rather dry really. Balance is excellent with clear, but not intrusive barrel character with a deft had in coconut level. The mouth feel is outstanding, creamy and full. Looks nice too. Hits on all cylinders. One of the best porters of the year. Wish I'd picked up two now.

i liked the regular rum barrel aged porter, but this one is on another level, really impressive stuff and sick to score it on tap at a cool little hole in the wall beer spot in sun valley called tnt, definitely check that place out, great beer program and vibes! this is high headed, airy belgian looking, almost two inches high from the tap, jut tan colored on top of steadfast deep brown to just about black beer below it, some carbonation activity evident, some viscosity too, looks really polished and appealing, matte luster. the nose is awesome, heaps of toasted coconut, brown sugar character from the rum, lots of roast and a nice espresso note in the middle of it, on the dry side with dark cocoa supporting all the coconut, lots of nice synergies in this one, i pick up a little vanilla as it warms up slightly too, cozy with a bit of alcohol coming through. the taste and the feel hit together, this is dry but creamy and luxurious, frothed up almost creamy feeling, and it carries the decadent natural coconut a long way in this without it being sugary. the rum is there the whole way but is balanced by the wood and some char, more coffee and dark chocolate in the richer center of this, so cohesive but also not too heavy for what it is, a bit of alcohol yeah, but the body isnt enormous and this doesnt hang with me or deliver heavy damage, its drinkable and hearty and satisfying without being a major commitment. very natural on the coconut and real bold, perfect base beer for the that and the rum, higher than normal carbonation keeps it kind of tropical too. i adored this, expertly refined, a stunner of a coconut beer, memorable!