Coconut Justice
Westbound & Down Brewing Company

generous share by my homie, im not even sure i knew these guys were making beers like this, and it was cool to try, although frankly not as compelling as their hoppy beers, which is their wheelhouse for sure, maybe a little harder to stand out in the flavored stout space, but its nice, maybe a little coconut fade at this point, but its neat that raw and toasted are both used, fuller spectrum that way and they each have their moment in this. its the weller barrels that influence this more i think, super whiskey and oak forward to me, boozy and sweet and rich and that all plays so well, some barrel char, charcoal, deep roasted barley, this is bold all the way. the pour is midnight black and real viscous, with long legs on the inside of the glass and almost no head after a minute. the nose is near burnt, hot rubber, sweet fleshy coconut and coconut dessert, chocolate all through it, espresso too, and even without coffee in it, it almost seems like there is, warm alcohol, brown sugar and molasses, tons of sweetness. the flavor is similar the coconut is obvious and uniquely brings some oils or even fatty character with it, which adds silkiness to this almost creamy brew, great texture even with all the palate coating sugar it finishes with and the utter lack of carbonation, it works with these flavors real well and the heaviness is part of the appeal, snails pace. light smoke and some bitterness for balance on the exhale, concentrated coconut but still not overdone to me, just part of the stout, well integrated and not dominant. baking chocolate, fudge, hot booze, and almost medicinal throat coating on the way down. i cant drink much of this, but i get that its special, deploys quality ingredients, and is more than just a massive beer, there is some real intentionality, even uniqueness to it, and it warms up nicely. thanks again to my buddy for sharing, and cool to experience this side of this now highly acclaimed brewery, boy have they come a long way since the early days...