Drip - Coconut
Finback Brewery

From the Carwyn Cellars "One" subscription pack in December 2022. Drunk in August 2023.

L: Utterly black, devoid of light, movement, carbonation and almost, but not quite, head. The head that does exist is mocha-coloured and thin. It looks just like a pastry stout should.

S: There's coconut, hence the name, but the overwhelming aroma is chocolatey peanut butter. It's like I stuffed Reece's Piece in my nose. It forewarns me that this will be a sweet beer, my lips will be glued together, and my moustache will be stuck to my face. Spoiler: I was right...

T: Taste largely follows the nose. It's dominated by chocolatey peanut butter and backed by sweet, roasted coconut. But it's sweet. So very, very sweet. The downside is (what, there's a downside to chocolate peanut butter?) that after the peanut butter and coconut rush, an almost sickly sweet sensation flows over my palate, making me hesitate about the next sip. It'll cure my body's craving for sugar, but also likely to put me in sugar shock if I'm not careful...

M: It's as smooth, silky, oily and mildly carbonated as any pastry stout should be, but it's sticky. As forecast, my lips are stuck together, and my moustache clings to my top lip.

O: Why do pastry stouts always come in 500ml (16oz) cans as a minimum? It's quite normal that after the first mouthful, the reaction is, "Oh my God, this is delicious!" but after the third sip, you're thinking, "Holy crap, I still have 450mls to go... This is going to be hard work!". It's a beer that is a delight when you first stick your nose in and take your first mouthful, but it's relentless at wearing down your palate and sugar defences to the point that the last half of the beer is a chore. This beer is a poster boy for that experience. It's tasty, and I make no bones about that, but it's too much. If anything has ushered in the resurgence of lager, it's beers like this.

Cheers!
#287

Pours a pure onyx black with a dense, dark tan that surprisingly provides some lacing. The nose has roasty coffee notes, vanilla, some coconut, and a bit of peanut butter.

Roasty coffee notes lead the taste, and are delicious, followed by a nice peanut butter flavor and some vanilla, but the coconut is MIA on my palate.

The mouthfeel is rich, creamy, and decadent, on point for the style. If this is a seasonal from Finback, I’d buy this every year.

 

 

A: Pours an opaque yet still clear thick viscous jet black in color with moderate amounts of fine active visible carbonation rising along the edges of the glass and faint dark chestnut brown + dark golden yellow + dark amber + dark cola brown colored highlights. The beer has a two finger tall dense creamy foamy dark mocha head that slowly reduces to a large patch of very slightly mottled thin film covering the entire surface of the beer and a medium thick ring at the edges of the glass. Slightly heavier than moderate amounts of lacing are observed.

S: Moderate to strong aromas of dark roast coffee + dark chocolate over the top of slightly stronger than moderate aromas of roasted + toasted + caramel + chocolate malts with moderate amounts of lactose sweetness. Light to moderate aromas of vanilla + peanut butter + coconut. Hints of earthy hops.

T: Upfront there are slightly stronger than moderate flavors of roasted + toasted + caramel + chocolate malts with moderate amounts of lactose sweetness. That is followed by moderate to strong flavors of dark roast coffee + dark chocolate. Finally there are light to moderate flavors of vanilla + peanut butter + coconut along with hints of earthy hops. Slightly stronger than moderate amounts of lingering roasty bitterness.

M: Full bodied with moderate amounts of carbonation. Slick and smooth, very thick.

O: Easy to drink with well hidden alcohol and a really pleasant thick + slick mouthfeel. Enjoyable with a really nice combination of vanilla + chocolate + peanut butter + coconut along with tons of coffee. Well balanced between the sweetness of the lactose + malts and the roasty bitterness,.

And voila, the finale of the ESB, #12 as determined by random number generator. This one pours black with a chocolatey brown head, full and bubbly but fading quickly. First whiff is strongly chocolate and peanut butter - didn't realize this was another PB stout. The coffee is there, but I think it comes through more in taste. It has a strong malty, coffee backbone that the peanut butter sits upon like an oil slick on water. It's really not too bitter. This stout definitely has the flavor of bitter coffee and baker's chocolate, but not like some of the other stouts in the box. It's a lot more balanced with the peanut butter. The coconut actually comes through. Usually, for me, it tends to get a little lost along the way, but no, I'm pretty sure I taste it surrounding the peanut butter. The vanilla is there too for a nice little menage a tois. Yeah, this is nice. It kind of makes me think of sipping an overpriced coffee drink, but that could just be me with coffee on the mind at the moment. Everything fits well together, much more than expected. Very smooth, desserty, but not cloyingly sweet. It does have a shake-like quality to it that sets it apart from the rest of the box.

 

Solid,motor oil black with a brown,tarnish head.
Light carbonation with an above average body overall its got a great feel.
Aroma is vanilla, dark chocolate, roasted malt, milk chocolate and cream.
Taste has some sweetness but is far outweighed by a hop and dry dark chocolate bitterness. Milk chocolate and cream.
Overall its a great imperial stout that comes off like an imperial stout and dessert beer hybrid.

 

L: Pours dark like coffee with a small head.
A: vanilla, coffee and chocolate
T: sweet, chocolate with hint of vanilla and coffee
F: smooth and silky like drinking a chocolate shake
O: wonderful imperial stout that's like a desert. Great beer to end the day with

Coconut Drip pours black with a small but long-lasting tan head. The aroma has notes of vanilla and peanut butter. The flavor is stronger with vanilla, hints of chocolate, peanut butter, and just a little sweetness from the coconut finish. Good feel. Overall, lots of wonderful flavors that mash very well.

Canned on: ????

A - Dark brown pour with thin toffee colored lacing. This beer has some serious legs on the sides of the glass!

S - Chocolate aroma with peanut butter, and coconut.

T - Chocolate char, vanilla, cream, and coconut while ending on the sweeter

M - Full body that's silky smooth and light syrupy on the texture.

O - Nicely done and worth a try.

 

 

 

This is impressive. It’s rich, roasty, and nicely balanced considering how many flavorings were used. I’m picking up a LOT of peanut butter and coconut up front. The coffee is definitely present but it’s more of a mid-palate taste to me. From the aroma, I was expecting something sweeter, but it’s nicely restrained. The only knock is that it seems super boozy. I’m getting tons of alcohol heat, like every bit of that 11% is coming through loud and clear.

L: Thick and black. Thick coffee/cinnamon head.
S: Rich chocolate and spicy
T: Rich and creamy chocolate cake. Some spice (maybe that's just alcohol). Finished with bitter black coffee.
F: Rich body. Thick and creamy.
O: Awesome but the bitter finish was a touch rough. Overall really nice.

There is a lot going on with this beer. It didn't really stimulate anything on the nose but the first taste was full of flavors. Following the three sip rule, I noted the coconut first but then picked up coffee, peanuts and some vanilla, in that order. It is rich and tasty.

16oz can. No dating information found. Part of the Extreme Beer Box: BIG STOUTS (2023).
Black colored body, with a very, very thin red mahogany back lit edge. Really no head upon pouring, just a juxtaposition of bubbles. Does retain a very thin ring. No lacing.
Aroma is quite heavy with coffee and peanut butter, along with the sweetness of vanilla that sits on top of the roasted chocolate malts.
Taste is initially quite vanilla and chocolate sweet, and then the more bitter coffee comes in, along with the earthy peanut butter. The coconut sweetness comes in midstream and extends into the aftertaste, along with the coffee and chocolate.
Smooth and silky mouth feel. Higher ABV& is well hidden. Quiet carbonation.
Quite unique nose and flavor combinations. The roasted chocolate malts, coffee, vanilla, peanut butter, and coconut are all present at different times and in different combinations. Presents similarities to different candy bars - at least Mounds Bar and Almond Joy, though not as sweet, because of the coffee, as these confectionery products.

Can from the stout box shared with Paul.
Inky black in color with a thick bubbly tan head that shows moderate retention. Big chocolate and roast with plenty of coconut and PB. A little weird but it worked.