Empress Tonkoko
Brew York

Shared can at Mandag i Annen, Cardinal, Stavanger. ABV is 10.6%. Black colour, moderate to small tan head. Aroma of tonka beans, vanilla, chocolate, cocoa and lactose. Sweet and cloying flavour with the same elements, moderate bitterness.

MARCH 2025.
33cl can (€11 from the pub fridge).
On the bottom of the can: "Lot: G: L1115 - Best before: 20/06/2025".
It is an Imperial Milk Stout (therefore with Lactose) with Coconut, Tonka Beans, Chocolate and Vanilla.
On the label we read that the beer was brewed with a truly complex combination of different malts: Pale, Unmalted Barley, Light Crystal, Dark Crystal, Cara Arome, Chocolate and Toasted Malt.
On the nose warm (chocolate) and toasted notes of coconut, almond, pistachio.
Black color, with dark brown reflections.
Practically non-existent foam, disappears by itself a few seconds after pouring the beer.
In the mouth there is an evident sweetness in which the notes of milk chocolate, toasted notes of (especially) vanilla and coconut (this time clearly noticeable), almonds, I also perceive a sugariness that reminds me of cotton candy.
The finish does not dampen the sweetness that characterizes the whole beer, making these chocolatey and toasted hints remain in the mouth for a long time, transmitting a highly caloric sensation.
All this combination of flavors masks the alcohol content well, even if with the beer that has diluted, when you take a larger sip a note of heat is clearly felt.
For my personal standards, it can easily be considered a modern "Pastry Stout", while I would have expected something different and more balanced.

Copenhagen 1/10 2024. 33 cl can from Meny, Vermlandsgade, Kbh. S. Off-white can with a stylized and confused cow.

Pours opaque dark brown with a small off-white head. Stable. Settles as a thin patch of foam floating in the middle of the glass. Moderate lacing.

Aroma is intense with a sweet odor of dark malts, sweet spice and alcohol. Caramel, toffee and more than a hint of brown sugar. Kahlua and Tonka beans. Vanilla and cacao.

Light carbonation. Rather thick, oily, soft, viscous, creamy and lightly tingling texture.

Flavor is intense with a heavy, boozy sweetness followed by a moderately strong bitterness. Aftertaste is sweet with a boozy undertone. Lingering.

Heavy Tonka Boozer.

Empress Tonkoko by Brew York
Bevis Maun is drinking an Empress Tonkoko by Brew York at The Swan and Railway Hotel Wigan

Canned in a big old tallboy crafty craft can and shared in the Swan and Railway in Winter gang after a CAMRA. Pours a jet black body with nice off white head. Aroma is coconut hot chocolate. Flavour is Malibu and Can Can

Black, light brown foam.
In the smell a lot of coconut, and some note of cocoa.
In the mouth, a coconut assault. And cocoa, too, but the coconut domintes the taste.
Well, a bit monotonous, but, well done, yes.
Alcohol (10.6%!) hiden.
Good.

440ml can from House of Trembling Madness, York (£6.75):
Dark brown bordering on black, opaque with a thin, tan brown head that's more of a patchy surface lacing after a few seconds. The nose is strong with plenty of dark chocolate, a rich sweetness & a good helping of vanilla with some milky notes to finish but very balanced overall. The taste is very similar, lots of milk chocolate, vanilla, darker malts & a bit of alcohol coming through as well with a great balance & silky smooth body to match. It's softly carbonated & slightly warming, easy going for the abv & generally really nice stuff.

 

L- Pitch black. Even held right by a halogen bulb absolutely zero light gets through the bottom corner of the glass. Pours with 3mm dark tan head.
S- Chocolate and vanilla are most prominent to me.
T- Woah! Big-time chocolate and vanilla, and then some coconut too. The chocolate note is dark and pungent, so we're over on the point of the spectrum where you can start wondering if hints of espresso coffee are coming in too.
F- Rich, deep, pungent, winter-warmer, slow-sippin' beer, sat by log-fire in winter... pair with Xmas pudding + custard. There are some mild sweet notes too but I've served well chilled and the ABV% and Taste are pungent enough to balance them.
O- There are some elements to this beer that could have torpedoed it for me (I'll list them as a ps below). But somehow, amongst so much going on, the whole comes together into a rather glorious, exotic and balanced whole.
In summary this is a huge punchy clever and most different beer. This is my 959th review, I can think of zero beers I've had before to draw a parallel with, it's that different.
Bought: £8.50 /440ml can from the Shambles Tavern in York (same place, on draft it's £7.50 per 1/2 pint!). Canned on: 03/01/20 BB: 06/07/21

ps. I can be 'a bit Bavarian' about the beers I drink. I'm a Brit but if it contains more than water, malt, hops + yeast I'm left wondering why. The very elegant and informative can lists added ingredients: Dextrose (BOO!), Lactose (hiss), Coconut, cacao, tonka beans and vanilla. No wonder it tastes exotic with that list added. BTW and an aside it's illegal to import tonka beans, or products thereof, into the US.
...hard to know how to rate. How do you rate pungent chocolate notes when cacao beans themselves have been added rather than it coming from natural barley chocolate malt?...