Hazy Days - Toasted Coconut
Cowbell Brewing Co.

Reminding me of the Coconut hard candy that found in many Asian supermarkets, with the pleasant sweetness and really low bitterness . This is not a typical NEIPA that with massively tropical punch, but definitely worth a try if you’re craving for coconut.

May 7 2023

473 mL can from the LCBO; dated Feb 23 2023 and served barely chilled.

Pours a hazy, translucent golden-orange hue, producing nearly two fingers of soapy, foamy white head that fades within several minutes' time. An attractive swath of arcing lace sticks to the glass, with a tight collar and patchy, filmy cap gracing the surface afterwards. Relentless coconut on the nose - both meat and 'natural' flavouring - with hints of wheat, mango, stone fruit and orange peel. The coconut overload gives the aroma an unappealing suntan lotion vibe.

Tastes like coconut for days. I do get some authentic shaved, toasted coconut flavours, but the natural flavouring imparts a suntan lotion/sweet vanilla flavour that I find repellent. Beyond that, there are hints of wheaty, bready malts, orange, cantaloupe and mango, but they're very much sidelined by the coconut, which lasts through the finish and into the aftertaste. Medium in body, average carbonation that adds some bite to this pale ale's smooth, slightly fluffy mouthfeel. Limited drinkability; a tallboy is practically overkill.

Final Grade: 3.65, a B grade. Most of my gripes with Hazy Days Toasted Coconut are bias-related: i.e. I don't much care for coconut to begin with, and this beer is unrepentantly heavy handed with that ingredient. In one sense, it seems dumb to ding a coconut beer for being too coconutty... but on the other hand, an imbalanced beer is an imbalanced beer, and this is most definitely that. It's tolerable enough to toss back, but I don't feel the need to revisit it anytime soon, either. Recommended primarily to hardcore coconut lovers, but fans of Sabro-laden NEIPAs may also find it worth a spin.