Blackburne: Coconut Chocolate
Left Field Brewery

355 mL can from the LCBO, one of three Blackburne variants included in their winter mixed pack. Dated Sep 30 2022 and served barely chilled.

Pours pitch black, capped with one finger of tight, creamy, dark tan-coloured head. Within a few minutes, it has wasted away to a narrow collar and filmy cap, tossing a couple far flung strings of lace about behind it - looks the same as the other Blackburnes. The aroma is rich and inviting, immediately reminiscent of chocolate-covered macaroons - I'm getting cacao nibs, dark chocolate and toasted coconut, with hints of caramel and molasses. Maybe a touch of chocolate covered coffee beans in there, along with a modest whiff of ethanol.

Rich, chocolatey cacao nib flavours right off the bat, with dark chocolate, caramel, coconut and fudge also coming through. Finishes with more cacao & coconut, with hints of vanilla, mocha coffee, roasted malts and alcohol dissipating into a bittersweet, chocolatey aftertaste. Full-bodied, with low carbonation and a silky-smooth, fulfilling mouthfeel that seems more or less identical to the original. Great drinkability for an imperial stout: my glass emptied itself rather quickly, but I think one short can is an appropriate serving.

Final Grade: 4.18, an A-. Speaking as a beer geek who doesn't usually care for coconut stouts, Blackburne Coconut Chocolate is one of the best examples I've come across to date. The coconut is more of a subtle, secondary presence - i.e. cacao nibs/chocolate are the focus, yet the coconut works delightfully well in a complementary role. Significantly better than the chocolate orange variant, and about on par with the original - maybe even slightly better, if you have an appreciation for coconut and/or macaroons.

 

355 ml can served cool into a chalice. Part of a seasonal stout pack - cost came to $5 CDN for the can. Canning date was end of September 2022.

Appearance - Super dark brown virtually black with a finger plus of semi-long lived light frothy tan head. Not much in the way of lacing, but cuts an imposing enough figure.

Smell - Lots of roasty notes, some dark chocolate for sure and yes there is a some mild coconut notes on here. More subdued than expected, but the coconut element (which can be hit or miss) is not in your face which is a pleasant surprise.

Taste - Fairly bitter, lots of roasted malt, some dark chocolate and yes again a semi sweet dark chocolate and coconut flavor towards mid sip. Finishes bitter and long lasting. booze is reasonable well hidden.

Mouthfeel - Really good stuff, full bodied, medium-low carbonation and has a near velvety texture. Full without being syrupy too.

Overall - I rather enjoyed this stout, probably one of the best ones I've had recently. The coconut usually stands out for the wrong reasons to me, however in this case, a slight intensifying of the flavor and aroma profile would make this a pretty awesome beer as the coconut is natural tasting and not forced. Would happily pick up many more of this if sold solo.