Coconut Nephilim
Central State Brewing

 

Released 6/28/19; drank 9/17/19 @ the Yarchives.

Black appearance.

A rough pour yielded a big dark head; almost no lace.

Coconut, fresh earth, mild milk chocolate & a faint metallic note in the nose.

Sticky medium thick mouthfeel.

Coconut & table sugar flavors up front; mild hop bite & faint metallic notes on the finish.

Not quite ready for prime time...

Pours with a huge, firm, uneven dark brown head. Retention is good, with a 1/2 finger of foam remaining several minutes after the pour, and leaving behind adequate lacing.

Nose promises a wonderfully traditional roasty imperial stout, with waves of roasted barley, brown sugar, molasses, caramel, toffee, minor char, banana, nuts, honey, orange marmalade, espresso, and restrained coconut as a well integrated addition to the mix.

Less sweet up front than I anticipated, with a fairly traditional - albeit thick and high ABV - take on an imperial stout. The coconut is at first as restrained on the nose, but as the sip develops, the strength grows, adding a roasty, nutty edge that is surprising, but not unpleasant.

Thick, full mouthfeel, but incredibly drinkable for such a sky-high ABV.

From the tall boy can in a snifter. This interesting little brew pours
a rich obsidian with a nice head of tan foam that settles to a thick ring,
thin wafting layer, and shows subtle lacing. Nose of cocoa, subtle char,
subtle earthy malts, and a strained sinus to detect just the hint of
coconut. Flavors surpass the nose with subtle brulee and char over
a nice layer of bakers cocoa and deeply toasted coconut with dark
coffee overtones. Great mouth feel; full body, smooth, moderately
slick and coating, rich, lightly creamy, subtle carbonation, and a
deeply roasted finish.

Overall this is somewhat of a surprise considering the rather
subtle nose. Very nice!

Cheers

Who says that stout can't be tropical? Coconut is not just for rum anymore; it takes on the character of imperial stout exceptionally well- an observation that Central State exploits in their flagship imperial stout.

Espresso black and releasing a creamy lightly tanned foam, Coconut Nephilim soon entices the nose with dark roast coffee, deep caramelization, cocoa, coconut and hints of char. Roasty sweet on the early palate, a sense of scorched sugars, molasses and brown sugar frame the beer's initial taste.

Cocoa, espresso and roasted nuttiness continues to saturate the middle palate with a walnut brownie character rather than that of coconut. A light vanilla creaminess comes with the toasted coconut flavor before trending bitter with coffee, broad woodsiness and a mild drift of smoldering embers.

Full bodied start to finish, the beer's base imperial stout stands head and shoulders above any other flavor additions. If it were not for the label saying "coconut" I may have described it in a normal stout nuanced characterization.