Benthic
Half Acre Beer Company

 

12oz can at share. Black pour, a fsmall beige cap. Aroma is boozy, roasty and some chocolate. Taste is chocolate and coconut, light coffee and plenty of bourbon. Slick and smooth.

 

**
11/25/22

Can to snifter.

Motor oil black, beautiful medium brown head.
Aroma:
Light cocoa, light bourbon.
Taste:
Cocoa, brown sugar, coconut. Oak.

Feel:
Super thick, a touch syrupy.

Very good.
**

2021 vintage review

Benthic has quickly become one of my favorites - not just among beers with adjuncts, but any BA stout. Not only do coconut and coffee blend so well together with their base, but the mouthfeel and body are insane for any stout, let alone one with coffee. In my experience, the body is unmatched for any coffee stout beer that is distributed this much.

Not much else to say. It's a world class beer with a great body, perfectly carbbed, and a deft hand when it comes to the coconut and coffee. I actually think that the base has a wicked large amount of coconut, and more than should be expected for the "base".

 

Pours black. No real head to speak of. Bourbon, coffee, coconut. All adjuncts are quite subtle. Moderate mouthfeel, a little lighter than the abv might suggest.

 

 

 

12 oz can poured into a tulip

A- Black with a two finger mocha head.

S- Chocolate, bourbon, oak, coconut, coffee, touch of vanilla and molasses.

T- Chocolate, bourbon, oak, some coffee, coconut, molasses, some vanilla, touch of dark fruits.

M- Smooth, chewy, full body.

O- A great barrel aged stout, a tasty sweet treat.

 

Pours black with three fingers of mocha colored foam. Head retention is great. It's an awe-inspiring sight. Aroma is roasty and toasty with heavy coconut over the top. Coconut is both raw and toasted, but leans more towards raw in a 60/40 split. Coffee adds a bold body note that simmers throughout. Vanilla bean and molasses seep into the back of the nose, adding sweetness without upsetting the balance, rather, these two sugary notes inflate the nose with a few subtle pumps of air, resulting in a big difference in dynamics. Flavor profile is coconut forward, here hitting an opposite split with toasted coming out heavier than raw. Coffee works its way forward, but remains the shadow of coconut. Coffee is bold, expressive, but otherwise a second thought to coconut. Roasty and toasty malts add firm support, but remain true to character without divulging into grainy. Vanilla bean is subtle, adding just a tiny mole hill of sweetness to the overall profile. Chocolate and late fudge develop the mainstay sugary notes within the profile more so than vanilla bean. Mouth feel is thick with a creamy, low-grit texture that keeps this drinking so smooth. It's got presence and panache, but isn't showy or heavy. Overall, a balance stout that retains a robust sculpture, and manages to showcase coconut along the way.

Served in a 15.5oz Spiegelau tulip from a 12oz can. 2021 canning.

This is what coffee and coconut should be. Coconut that's nice and toasted, then maybe a little bit pulped to bring out the residual sweetness, all in service of balance against a chocolatey, nutty coffee roast. Thick but soft, with plenty of barrel oak and bourbon heat playing backup.

2021 vintage. Nice barrel presence, coffee roast , vanilla , bourbon. Coconut is subtle. Long finish , with slightly bitterness. Medium mouthfeel.
Overall very well done BA imperial stout. Adjuncts don’t overpower the stout but I would have like a little more coconut flavor. Drinks lower than abv.

12 oz. can. Almost black. Looks a little murky. Smells of coconut and bourbon with heavy roasted malt. Tastes of coconut and bourbon with coffee bitterness to cut the sweetness. Then a strong roasted malt and something like a spicy rye flavor. Heavy and sweet, but aggressively spicy and bitter in the back end to bring it into balance. Hits hard. Really good, though.

Benthic has been on the scene for quite some time but this my first time getting my hands on one. Half Acre did a very good job with smoothing out this barrel aged stout. The wood of the barrel is light but the thick, rich bourbon is there all the way. It mixes with cocoa syrup to create a velvety profile. There is a bit of coconut to let you know it is there and I appreciate this as most coconut-added stouts don’t quite hit the mark for me. So smooth for a barrel aged beer.

 

 

2021 can poured at fridge temp. Pours motor oil black with a LOT of head. Light brown. Sticks around for a long time and leaves a significant amount of lacing. Nose is milk chocolate, coconut, bourbon, grainy bread, tons of malts, and marshmallows. Although coffee is in this, it's not really coming through on the nose for me. The taste is insanely good. It's tough to explain. What hits the palate first is very different from 2 seconds after. It evolves rapidly. A mocha sweetness on the end. Initially it's a touch of roasted malts, toffee, bourbon, vanilla, and coconut. The alcohol does come through, but in a nice warming way. Mouthfeel is thick and creamy. Overall, a freaking amazing beer.

 

This is the 2021 Benthic coming in at 13.5%. Big, thick ,heavy and beautiful. The Dark Matter coffee really shines in this one. Coconut is subtle but noticeable, not overwhelming. As it warms the barrel starts to show itself more. Amazing mouthfeel. Super smooth and balanced. Very impressive.

 

Canned on 10/5/20; consumed on 3/27/21

Pours a jet-black body capped with a finger and a half of rich, pale mocha foam; solid head retention leaves a creamy half-finger of cap, a large, silky collar, and broad walls of webby lacing draping down the sides of the glass.

Aroma features an inherent nutty characteristic at the core of this one, a foundational aspect from which creamy coconut, raw bakers chocolate, underlying hazelnut, and a dusting of fresh peanut is built; nougat over the middle into charry malt on the back end of the bouquet eventually cedes to a formidable bourbon barrel presence, which in turn contributes vanilla and an interspersed caramel to the close.

Taste brings a hefty bourbon presence countered with coconut cream and evolving to charry chocolate toward the mid-palate; toasted vanilla and coffee flow into a silky roast profile on the back end, a burly booze in tow, while defined oak barrel offers residual lingering of both raw spirit and malt profile saturated in cooly adjuncted heat.

Mouthfeel shows a medium-full body along with a soft, passive carbonation; sleek textures course across the palate with slickness and light char fully synchronized past the mid-palate; an oily back end, inky, slightly sticky, and now sporting a vaguer char, phases into a boozy prickle and a fulfilling warmth past the finish.

Boozy bourbon and an established, roasty malt profile unencumbered by a silky, nutty sweetness flowing through, and while a substantial alcohol bite challenges the finer points of the flavor profile at times, the adjuncts are imbued with such finesse that a harmony in the profile is largely preserved.

 

Stark black with a level espresso tan head condensing slowly to a sparse film and curled ring.

The nose is immediately filled with bourbon, but in an approachable way, like syrup with hints of maple, gooey coconut pie and a well-distributed toasted oak.

The coffee comes out more in taste, via luscious mocha ribbons with coconut whip, but again the bourbon has a powerhouse presence. It delivers a nice barrel char that's somewhat peppery and nougaty, and even contributes a touch of peanut, while still well-balanced, and not too spicy or hot at all.

Benthic 2020 has a medium-full, round even thick feel, deftly avoiding any gloppiness via its fine, thin carbonation, finishing paper dry with a warming exhale of hazelnut wafer.

This past year's is the best I've ever had.

---

2021 is very, very coconutty--it's creamy and rich, syrupy and decadent, yet still a boldly yet drinkable bourbon barrel aged coffee stout. That said, it seems like a less serious version of itself, but not enough for me to change my score.

Pours a a thick looking pitch black. 2 finger tan head. Head retention is amazing for the ABV, and there's some nice lacing on the glass.
The nose has caramel, coffee, toffee, chocolate and coconut on the nose. Very beautiful aroma.
Taste - Caramel and coffee hints up front. Back side has the coconut, chocolate, toffee.
Thick and very full bodied. Smooth feeling. Very little "burn" from the 14% ABV.
Amazing stout and I do recommend it.

Can courtesy of skochdopotato.
2020 version.
Thick black appearance. Thick brn head.
Smells of coconut, chocolate, molasses, vanilla, barrel.
Tastes like molasses, vanilla, oak, bourbon, chocolate, strong.
Thick. (Benthick)
Overall: very solid imperial adjunct stout.

 

 

Definitely wanted the adjuncts to be a bit more prominent in this beer. I really enjoyed the base and the barrel, but wanted the coconut to come through a bit more clearly. Overall enjoyed, but don't know if I understand the hype.

 

 

 

Amazing coconut taste not so much of the coffee taste.

 

Coconut nose leads the way to more coffee as the beer warms.

This beer is thick, but not overly so. Coconut and coffee are prominent throughout with barrel underneath. Carbonation is a solid level, as well.

A bit heavier barrel, and this beer would be way up there. This beer ranks a bit higher than 2019 for me.