MOJO FLTR: Coconut & Vanilla
Verboten Brewing and Barrel Project

absolutely fantastic beer, aged in wheated whiskey barrels with toasted coconut and vanilla beans, its decadent but not too sweet, robust but it hides its strength decently well, and really something quite special, ive never thought these guys get enough credit for their excellent beers, especially the big barrel aged ones, really just about as good as any out there. black and thick and shining, short headed, viscous and pretty slick looking, wonderful aroma of warm coconut baked into dark chocolate, sexual vanilla, decent whiskey, lots of wood and char and roast, some deep bitter notes to this to combat the desserty sweetness, which i think makes this more balanced than most, vanilla seems high end, coconut is bold, proportions are awesome, espresso nuance in here, no harsh alcohol even as it warms some. great stout at the center here, beautiful interplay between the very obviously toasted coconut and the rich vanilla, caramel and floral notes together, silky and sweet, even some oiliness from the coconut making it smooth on the palate. the whiskey is there the whole way as an accent, the wood is mellowing, and there are layers of cocoa, brownie, coffee, and even maple to this, with good back end roasted intensity keeping it from presenting as too sugary, the coconut seems very natural, and the overall quality is outstanding. light spiciness perhaps from the whiskey, a hint of cigar to it, brown sugar too. not a unique combination of extras in a big stout, but the quality and dosing are both wonderful, and this is killer overall. verboten should get more love than they do for this sort of thing...