Ken Schmidt Maui Stone Kona Coffee Macadamia Coconut Porter

Brewed by Stone Brewing Co.
Style: Imperial/Strong Porter
Escondido, California USA

An interesting brew indeed, but not amazing. Aroma is full of bitter coffee and very roasty. Some coconut sweetness is present, but a bit too burnt for me to truly enjoy. I’m not a big fan of smokey, roasty beers. Flavor is a bit of mess, with the sweetness and coffee doing battle instead of finding an acceptable compromise. Finish has some nice bitterness, but more than I’d like for a porter, and there is a bit of alcohol present. Overall a nice complex brew, but it doesn’t quite work for me.

Bottle from Cole’s. Black, short-lived tan head with no lacing. Coffee and berries in the aroma. The flavour is dominated by coffee, with chocolate and a slight nuttiness. I don’t really get the coconut. Body is sticky and thin at the same time!? Interesting porter. The name needs a little work, though.

Bottle. Pours dark brown, nearly black, and almost no head. Aromas of coffee, roasted/burnt malt, and hazelnuts. Flavor is sweet, nice and roasty, with some alcohol present, and notes of nuts and espresso. It’s smooth with medium carbonation, and leaves an aftertaste of bitter coffee. I like it, really good stuff. Thanks Dan!

Dark black with big brown thick head. Nose of roast, chcolate, and roast. Flavor is much the same with a wonderful nutty taste that just hangs on. Good bit of hops that round out this fine porter!

Courtesy of jdubFL. Pours deep mahogany with thin off white head. The aroma has dusty dark coffee, burnt malts, some black strap molasses and coconut. The taste has up front coconut moving into coffee, chocolate and black strap molasses. Pretty nice porter.

Bottle. Aroma forward with nuts, followed by coffee, coconut sort of sneaking up as a surprise, and an ample amount of pine and hops. Flavor roasty with coffee notes and more than balancing hops. Tasty stuff.

Pours black into a snifter. Mocha head with medium retention recedes to hug rim. Sweet macadamia, espresso and dark chocolate aromas. Slightly thin with upfront coconut and macadamia and a lasting bitter chocolate and espresso finish.

bottle 10/17/2009. pours thinner than expected from an 8.5% imperial porter... seems clear as well. it is a nice looking walnut stained blackish brownish with a light tan head. the nose is really buttery... almost overwhelmingly so... macadamias and coconut aromas dominate over coffee, chocolate, toast, roasty grain, cinnamon-like spiciness and noticeably numbing hops (maybe alcohol but it is far too cold for that to be a factor?). the palate is fairly sweet but bitterness on the finish helps dry and balance. toasted coconut leads to way in the flavor also... followed by chocolate, toast, mild coffee, porter-like woodiness, nuts and a bitterness which lingers to become more pronounced. the body is medium, perhaps a bit thinner than to be expected. that fact helps keep the creamy texture and buttery slick mouth feel in check. 7/3/7/4/15/3.6