Palo Alto Brewing Co. Bourbon Barrel Aged Coconut Porter
Palo Alto Brewing Company

 

Wow, I never thought I would be giving this high of a rating to a beer from Palo Alto, but here I am. This was brewed by Kasim of Rose & Crown, who is pretty much living the dream with the best beer bar within 30 miles and now a brewery that brews a -bal aged beer that can compete with the best of them. Had this on tap at Rose & Crown for $6, served in a snifter. After not being too impressed by Palo Alto's pale ale and regular coconut porter, both of which were only decent, I didn't expect too much.

This beer pours from the tap darkest brown with a nice tan head sitting on top that lasts for a little while.

Aroma is excellent and complex, with bourbon, chocolate, roast, wood, and coconut.

Flavor is also great. The regular coconut porter wasn't incredibly balanced, but it seems the barrel really mellowed out those flavors and melded them together really well. Roast, coffee, and rich chocolate are in there, along with bourbon, wood, vanilla, and some toffee. Bourbon is nicely balanced and not overwhelming.

Mouthfeel is very nice and smooth with medium-full body. If I had to make one criticism, I'd say it falls a little short on the finish, but that's really just nitpicking.

Drinkability is really high for what this beer is. Overall this is a very good beer, and that's a totally honest opinion. Well done, Kasim. Looking forward to more from Palo Alto Brewing.

On tap at the Rose & Crown in Palo Alto. Apparently made by some little-known brewing company. I tried to find out more information but Kasim, the bartender, didn't know much about it.

A: Pours a nearly opaque brown body in the snifter, with ruby translucence at the edges. It is apparently quite foamy and takes several pours to fill the snifter, with a finger of tan head in the glass remaining as it is served. Retention is nice for an 8.75% brew, and when all is said and done there is a collar on the brew with a broken film on top.

S: Even when cold, it gives off bourbon and coconut aromas that are unmistakable. As it warms, though, it opens up greatly and reveals chocolate, roasted malt, vanilla, and dark fruits.

T: I wasn't sure whether this would be one of those "I'm going to beat you over the head with barrel aging" attempts or something more subtle. Thankfully, it's the latter. The base beer shines through quite well in its solid blend of toasted coconut, caramel, and dark chocolate. Roast is restrained. The barrel-aging lends a vanilla undercurrent to the beer, and when it is warmest (my final sips before finishing), it has bits of dark cherry. A very well-integrated and balanced blend.

M: Light-medium bodied; it feels like a quaffable porter. Slightly high carbonation. Some warmth at the end, but nothing too hot.

D: I enjoyed this immensely.

Draft into a snifter, this beer appears a dark, nearly opaque brown with a thick off-white head with decent retention. The aroma is loaded with bourbon, toasted coconut, milk chocolate and demerara sugar. It's like a glass of coconut rum with a dash of chocolate syrup in it, minus all the cloying sweetness. Caramel, vanilla and chocolate are dominant on the palate, toasted sweet coconut beneath that. There's a touch of heat from the barrel, but it's subtle; this is one of the more mellow bourbon barrel aged beers I've had. The body is on the lighter side of medium, far from syrupy. Roasted, lightly bitter, semi-sweet finish. Nice job with this one, Kasim. Better than most bourbon barrel beers I've tried.