Coco-nutter Almond Chunk
Trillium Brewing Company

 

Canned 5/19/20

So I actually got this from my trip to Trillium back in the early summer and never got around to it. I had one can of this already, and I was sadly quite disgusted by how sweet it was. Maybe reviewing it will help, maybe it'll hurt, but I was just disappointed that Trillium put something out like this

Pours an inky black with just a finger of light brown head that quickly fades to a ring and leaves minimal lacing

The nose is, to my surprise, actually pretty inviting. I get primarily heavily roasted dark malts, sweet bourbon, dark chocolate, vanilla, and only a very slight hint of sweet coconut

The front end of the sip carries a lot of roast, malty and slightly astringent. The swallow sweetens this up in a weird way, which is probably what I identified with not liking the last time I tried it. There's lots of vanilla and bourbon, with coconut having a larger presence. The almond character is actually quite nice, as it dries out a lot of the lingering sweetness

Obviously this is full bodied, and when paired with mild carbonation, this drinks like a rich dessert. While this is good and filling, it leads to a little too much sweetness

Well I'll be damned, this isn't bad at all after actually reviewing it. It's not something I could have a lot of, but it is by no means bad, just a bit too sweet

A- Black bodied brew from the tallboy can into a tulip glass. The head rises up to a finger high with a foamy and creamy texture donning a dark nutty color. Head retention is pretty good and lacing forms with some long webs midway through the drink.

S- Roasty and nutty just about sums this one up as the dark bitterness from the grains overshadows the sweetness and the adjuncts come on strong with almond first and then peanut and just a hint of coconut. Dark Belgian chocolate comes to mind with just a bit of vanilla and eventually nice medium dark roast coffee when it warms up. Peanut butter comes out specifically with some time and on the whole it leans towards the bitter rather than the sweet, but balanced nicely.

T- Much like the aroma with a bit of dark dried fruits injected from the yeast and the fermentation which is a surprise to no one. The heavy dark roast grains, nuts, nutty malts and coffee are most notable and it is refreshing how this strikes a great balance between sweetness and roasty bitterness, never even approaching cloying. Dark chocolate, peanut butter, almond, light coconut, raisin/cherry and espresso come to mind. Coconut becomes more obvious with warmth. Surprisingly coffee forward considering all the nuts.

MF- Moderately heavy body with a medium level of carbonation. The beer is a bit slick, a bit warm and it finishes with a light bitterness. Frothy and creamy texture.

A big stout with a lot of added things in the way of nuts, vanilla and coffee. The malts are obviously the base that brings everything together as the nuts come on strong early and the coffee taking over later with chocolate and roast barley everpresent.

 

 

 

Pours a syrupy black with murky brown at the edges and a half finger of tan/light brown head that quickly disappears. Aroma has nuts, cocoa, toast, coconut, a roasty acridity, and some booze. Taste is sweet, nutty, and toasty with cocoa and toasted coconut notes. Finish feels a little syrupy but actually isn’t terribly sweet. There is a distinct boozy note in the finish and exhale. Body only feels medium full but is definitely on the verge of syrupy. Overall this is just ok. It’s unapologetically a pastry stout but the booze is way more prominent than I’d expect for a non BA beer. I also thought that the roasty acridity was too much given the other flavors here.

Drank from a 1 pint can purchased at Trillium Brewing Company, Boston, MA
05/19/20
Served in a tulip

The beer poured an oily looking, near pitch black and was topped by a small, creamy, khaki colored crown that quickly fell to a thin collar. Some patchy, streaky lacing clung to the sides of the glass.

The aroma was outstanding. Coconut came through big time. Rich coconut oil perhaps. Good dose of vanilla too. Chocolate notes were also apparent. Nice mix of milk and dark chocolate. Sweet overall but not excessively so. As the beer warmed, some nuttiness came forth. I might guess either almond or peanut. The coconut also become more prominent.

The flavor profile was similar to the nose but not quite as punchy or as smooth. Roasted malts dominated up front. Coconut appeared next, along with some vanilla. Dark chocolate came through in the center. The beer finished with more roasty bitterness, a touch of booze and a lingering metallic note. Later, the metallic quality subsided and the coconut intensified.

Medium bodied mouthfeel. Slightly oily. Perhaps a touch thinner than I anticipated. The liquid contained a medium bubbled but fairly prickly effervescence that turned creamy, slick and smooth on the palate.

Trillium’s pastry stouts typically fall in the 12-14% ABV range, and it was nice to have something that was similar in flavor and aroma but lower in alcohol. I would love to see more of their stouts offered in 16 ounce cans and medium format bottles versus the current 750s.

 

 

 

As described and definitely a pastry stout.

Very dark coming out of the can; not quite pitch black. Looks a little thin for a stout. A finger and a half of light khaki head that came from an aggressive pour. Toffee and graham cracker on the nose. Vanilla and peanut butter as it warms up. A lot going on in the taste. See everything listed in the commercial description! Light touch of lactose is perfect for not being too sweet. Just a touch too thin for my preference on the mouthfeel. Very good beer overall that I would buy again, but I wouldn't rush out to get it.

L - looks like cola coming out of the can and settles into pitch blackness. Tan head darkens from the inside out, dissipating quickly to leave a mocha-graded ring.

S - huge, bright nuttiness. Cashews, almonds, coconut. Butter cookies and a hint of licorice. Even a bit of brown sugar candy.

T - oh that's sweet. Cinnamon-accented swaths of milk chocolate, dark chocolate, and fudge..chocolate. The sweetest drink from Starbucks level of lactose-fueled light roast coffee. Coconut still dominates, as it is wont to do, but the other flavors still manage to make a strong showing. There's a smooth marshmallow fluff..ness which I assume is the vanilla. Finish features a flash of Skippy's peanut butter. Not the stuff in the jar, but the commercial peanut butter-flavored snacks that were less rich and more sweet. Lastly there's a burst of nuttiness lead by walnuts and pecans that slowly mellows out into hot stickiness.

F - thinner than I was hoping for this level of decadence, but at least it's smooth and creamy as can be.

O - similarities to Trillium's monster bottled stout game, but in a more drinkable package at a fraction of the price. Big, boisterous flavors that almost seem to get away from the beer at times. Too big for their britches or something. A touch unrestrained, but a shameless pastry stout all the same.

Found this one to be like a lot of other sorta-pastry stouts out there -- subpar appearance due to the fat content of the adjuncts, great aromas from the adjuncts, lackluster flavors since the adjuncts and malts don't quite meld cohesively, and a moderately thin mouthfeel (probably mostly psychological from the insanely thick mouthfeels of pastry stouts). This was definitely more pricey than it was worth, if you want something in this vein I'd seek out Mast Landing Gunner's Daughter for something at a lower price point but equivalent flavors/aromas

77/100

 

Canned 5.19.2020, opened 5.30.2020

Dark brown motor oil, two finger creamy, rich broaden foam cap, good retention, settles to a pencil thick layer , some lacings

Aroma is chocolate, almonds, coconut ,

Taste is Sweet , almonds, chocolate, coconut, hint of coffee, hint of peanut butter

Medium sudsing, sweetness lingers , almost creamy

Good dessert beer