Moctezuma Coconut Vanilla
Seven Island Brewery

Found this in a bottleshop in Chicago's Bucktown. Poured into dimpled glass seidel. Blackest black (eff Anish Kapoor) and beautiful tan head. All that god means when she says "stout."

Cocoa swimming in what resembles a barrel-aged syrupiness.

Taste is more nuanced, more complex. Coconut and a nilla sweetness.

Incredible feel. Not dry. Silky, no coat. An onyx tease down the throat.

A beast is amok in Corfu.

Whatever the Greek word is for Chutzpah, I give Seven Island Brewery very high Overall Hugs. Even thinking about brewing in a hot climate like Greece so you can afford the very expensive process of barrel-aging AIS... well, that's ambition.

Two guys and a nano in Greece. That's the story here. But then, it gets better and they contract brew with 18th Street in the god-forsaken rust belt town of Hammond IN. Try to go figure... if you can stretch your mind that far. I can't.

As for this Coconut Vanilla rendition of Montezuma, it's above par. Lots of things can go wrong in the AIS BA process and only one thing here: it is a bit more "stale" than I prefer. But that, of course, is just me. Aficionados of the AIS style mostly will find Coconut Vanilla to be a player on the field.