Barrel Aged Ken Schmidt / Maui / Stone Kona Coffee Macadamia Coconut Porter - Stone Brewing Co.

FosterJM

California

4.45/5  rDev -1.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

1026th Review on BA
Bottle to Snifter
500 Ml C/C

2011 Release
I was lucky enough to win a bottle and shared with GuruDel.

App- A very dark brown pour with a two finger khaki head that was a bit slow to recede with only a minimal amount of cling and lace.

Smell- Such a great smelling beer. Opens with the bourbon, moves to a bit of a roasted nuts and moves to a bit of a heavy cream interlaced with coffee, vanilla.

Taste- A beer that I believe finally lived up to the hype. It was very smooth and drinkable with layers and depth. Opens with a subtle bourbon and segways to a blend of the nuttiness and chocolate. A bit of trace vanilla and cream round this one out.

Mouth- A bit thin but I was expecting it to be. Most porters arent the best for being full/thick beers. This was a nice medium body with a good creamy low/medium carbonation level. Bourbon, Chocolate and Malt residual flavors.

Drink- A very good beer. I am very happy that Vince and I at least one beer between the two of us. This was smooth, creamy, flavorful, well blended and a great use of a barrel.

Serving type: bottle

01-04-2012 03:46:27 | More by FosterJM

MasterSki

Illinois

4/5  rDev -11.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Generously shared by Nate. Served in a Hair of the Dog tulip.

A - A finger of tan foam settles to a thin cap, thick collar, and minimal lacework. Very dark brown body with some lighter ruby glints at the fringes of the glass.

S - Very nutty, with nice earthy bourbon, vanilla, fudge, molasses, oak, burnt coffee, and perhaps a touch of coconut as the beer warms up.

T - The taste is heavier on the vanilla, milk chocolate, and fudge, with less overt bourbon barrel presence, which is a bit surprising how long this sate in barrels. There was also a surprisingly strong coffee flavor - did they add more coffee to the barrels?

M - Medium body, lightly tannic, some dry roast nuttiness, chewy texture, lower carbonation, and minimal alcohol warmth.

D - A very nice barrel-aged porter. It's not a world-beater and definitely commands far more in trade value due to its rarity than it does due than quality. That being said it's an enjoyable treat if you can track it down and something I'd happily have again in the future.

N.B. We opened up a bottle of the base beer alongside the BA version. The base was infected. =(

Serving type: bottle

01-03-2012 00:42:27 | More by MasterSki

pixieskid

France

4.75/5  rDev +5.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Happy Holidays to everybody, especially to Javib458 for the trade.

Note to those of you fortunate to get a bottle; cellar temp is the ideal to taste the decadent layers of this well executed barrel aged version of one of my all time favorite beers!

Pours your usual stout black with a 3 finger khaki head.
Aroma; toffee, coffee, macadamia nuts, and a hint of wood and vanilla.
Taste; is nicely layered yet but also has a solid overall profile considering all of the components of this beer.
First you're hit with ripe coffee. Then you get that toasted coconut signature from Maui's coconut porter. From there, an incredible milk chocolate note blended with a hint of vanilla and oak.
Finishes like a bourbon milkshake...yeah, it's awesome.

Overall; thrilled to have the chance to try this beer, having been born and raised on Maui, the base beer (as well as coconut porter) has always held a special place in my heart.

Serving type: bottle

12-25-2011 23:09:56 | More by pixieskid

Phelps

Arizona

4.05/5  rDev -10%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

500ml bottle into a tulip.

As dark brown as dark brown gets. The light tan head, maybe half a finger tall, remains for a good long while, thick as pancake batter. Some spotted lace on the walls of the glass.

Endless macadamia nut in the nose. Crumbly cocoa nibs as well. Coconut, if there, seems less toasted and more fresh. As I explore deeper, I pick up fresh vanilla as well as toasted oak and coffee. It’s like the most complex Almond Joy I’ve ever had. I could smell this all night.

Macadamia nut also leads the flavor, followed swiftly by tangy dark chocolate. Esters of new oak and vanilla emerge as well. Upon the swallow, a flash of some sweet, dark, fruity bourbon is swiftly followed by heavily roasted coffee, toasted coconut and more vanilla. As it warms, every flavor is easily picked out. Nuts, coconut, toffee, oak, booze. Give this a chance to warm to reveal itself; it just keeps getting better and better. There’s perhaps some odd mildewy flavor at first, but it’s eradicated by the good stuff upon the swallow.

I want this to be thicker, but it is a porter. Just a shade under medium in body, softly fizzy. Fairly hot for its ABV, numbing the tongue and warming the nose.

I had my doubts at first, but this brew is best at room temperature and eventually becomes a brilliant combination of flavors. Very excited I got the chance to try it.

Serving type: bottle

12-21-2011 06:54:06 | More by Phelps

scottfrie

California

4.1/5  rDev -8.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks for sharing, Kevin! Poured into snifter. Reviewed from notes.

A: Pours a dirty dark brown color with a finger of brown head that quickly faded into a faint collar.
S: Nutty and creamy smelling with smooth notes of coffee and a hint of vanilla and chocolate. There is a hint of bourbon in there as well but it’s not as powerful as I was expecting. Smells great though.
T: Follows the nose with creamy flavors almost like melted ice-cream. The nuts and chocolate come through the most, but I get hints of vanilla, oak, and bourbon barrel in the aftertaste. Good but not as complex as I was expecting.
M: Body is on the thinner side of full with low carbonation. The mouthfeel is slick and very smooth. I hardly get any alcohol warmth.
O: I was a little let down given the hype but there was very little wrong with this beer. The flavors were creamy and great, but could have been a bit more potent – especially the barrel. Very smooth mouthfeel. Thanks again for sharing, Kevin.

Serving type: bottle

12-16-2011 17:38:40 | More by scottfrie

seanpierceCEO

California

5/5  rDev +11.1%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

There's not a whole lot I can say about this experience but I'll try.
Having had Ken's Aloha Plenty version (which Greg from Stone has said is way better than the production run) I had very high expectations.

The appearance was classic american porter: deep set black, with a nice leather brown head. It totally makes you want it.

As far as aroma, I got everything I was expecting. The most prominent aroma was the coffee, it smelt of freshly pulled espresso shots and that first morning cup. The toasted coconut would come out every couple sniffs and lent a nice balance to the slight alcohol in the aroma. Being my experience with Bourbon is slight, I'm not sure I got it in the aroma but it may have been there.

Taste...was god-like. The flavors came together incredibly well. Every ingredient complemented the other. The mouthfeel was smooth and silky with a sight syrupy drip at the back end. This barrel aged version brought the production version on-par with the Aloha Plenty.

General impression...I'm sad I had to share the bottle and that it was a limited run. If it is every released in the future, I will be there with bells on.

Cheers!

Serving type: bottle

12-07-2011 06:43:25 | More by seanpierceCEO

REDAMI

Ohio

4.43/5  rDev -1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A - Black syrupy pour, low sandy colored head which disappeared quickly.

S - Light coffee/chocolate scent. Very well balanced blended nose no singular notes.

T - Basic coffeeish porter flavor, followed by coconut, finishing with a woody aftertaste.

M - Well balanced, very fine carbonation from the barrel aging, alcohol warmth.

O - One of the better porters I've ever had. Infused stouts generally get more attention, but the flavorings lend themselves well to this style. A very good beer overall.

Serving type: bottle

10-29-2011 02:29:08 | More by REDAMI

dsgolovin

California

4.72/5  rDev +4.9%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Was probably the only person to open this up at the bar.

A-Poured jet black with two fingers of thick head, more foam than I had expected. Nice.

S-This might be the best smelling barrel aged porter that I have had to date. Really excellent bourbon, coffee and roasted malt smell. I would shower in it if it would not lead to social problems.

T-Taste is more subdued than the smell, but still pretty amazing. Really smooth and well balanced, not too much booze.

M-Solid coating of the mouth, not quite as viscous as Hunahpus, but still what I'd want from a barrel aged stout.

O-quite an exceptional beer and was very glad to have tried and shared it.

Serving type: bottle

09-20-2011 10:08:33 | More by dsgolovin

DJButters

California

4.95/5  rDev +10%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

That's right. I won a bottle and to the victor goes the spoils. Shared at Toronado SD with friends and family. Drank the same day after pick up.

A: Nothing spectacular. Looks like a nice port. Dark color with minimal, no head.

S: Overwellming bourbon. Bourbon for days... Think 50/50 Eclipse bourbon. Very noticeable for a port base and low alchool percentage. Faint smells of the base brew underneath... Wait... What is that? Mmm coffee, macadamia nut, vanilla, chocolate. Mmmm.

T: The bourbon smacks you in the face. But the finish lasts for minutes followed by waves of vanilla, nutty, coffee... Very good. Fantastic.

M: Perfect. Nothing else. Not over done on carb, like a velvet wash on your tounge. Like a velour jumpsuit for your mouth.

Overall: An amazing beer worthy of the top spot of Stone and perhaps one of the best colab beers ever brewed. Please feel free to trade your bottle to me if you feel otherwise. A complete travisty in life that the beer is not readily avaliable. Great job to all invloved, but I need more. Cheers.

Serving type: bottle

09-11-2011 02:39:13 | More by DJButters

Luvzsurfrz

California

4.18/5  rDev -7.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Bottle opened on 9/3/11 with friends

A: Dark, nearly opaque with a fluffy cream colored head. Good retention with little lacing.

S: Heavenly sweet aroma of rich dark chocolate, macadamia, and vanilla. Could not immediately detect the coconut.

T: Heavy, rich chocolate flavor with faint coconut and vanilla notes. Very light oak taste in the first few sips, and very minimal bourbon throughout.

M: I was expecting more here. Medium to light body, almost slightly thin for what I was expecting. Medium carbonation.

O: Enjoyable and a wonderful aroma! Definitely glad I got the opportunity to try this beer. Sorry to have not had the opportunity to try the original first, so I had more to compare this one to.

Serving type: bottle

09-08-2011 01:00:17 | More by Luvzsurfrz

pastradul

California

4.6/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Split the bottle into 2 Stone tulip glass’ Pours a dark coffee brown with a very nice 2 fingers of cacao head over the top that hangs around for a little bit. The nose is a mild bourbon mixed with some very nice medium roast coffee flavors. Actually a bit surprised at ow much coffee is still left in this after aging in barrels for so long. The mouthfeel is good. Just enough carbonation to help bring out some of te smaller notes on the pallat. Lots of coffee, mild bourbon, vanilla/marshmallow in the back with a slight lingering chocolate malt flavor. Over all a great brew for sure and glad to have tried a bottle.

Serving type: bottle

09-02-2011 04:18:47 | More by pastradul

HopHead84

California

4/5  rDev -11.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

8/27/2011

Shared by Mike at Woodshop Classix, thanks!

A: Near black with a creamy beige head. Good retention and scattered lacing.

S: Rich dark chocolate with a pleasant level of coconut blending with macadamia nuts and a touch of vanilla. Coffee has faded quite a bit, but it's still quite nice. There's a whisper of bourbon and oak. The barrel imparts very little aroma.

T: Dark chocolate and fudge with lots of macadamia and a little coffee. Faint oak and vanilla but not really any bourbon.

M: Full in body with moderate carbonation and a chewy, sticky mouthfeel.

Overall: Really enjoyable, but not much different from the regular version. For supposedly being in the barrel for nearly two years, I can't help but think they blended the barrel aged version with a lot of the regular version.

9/3/2011

I had a 10oz pour of this so I was able to contemplate the beer in a much calmer setting than Woodshop and in much greater quantity. I'm dropping the Overall from 4 to 3.5. I'm also dropping the Mouthfeel from 4.5 to 4.

Serving type: bottle

08-29-2011 05:32:44 | More by HopHead84

womencantsail

California

4.15/5  rDev -7.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Thanks for sharing this one, Mike.

A: The beer pours black in color with a finger of tan head.

S: A rather subtle/minimal bourbon aroma to this beer. The oak does come through, as does some vanilla (actually quite a bit). Very nutty and creamy with plenty of chocolate and a mild dose of coconut.

T: The flavor is a bit strong on the wood at first, but soon the sweet chocolate and coconut notes come through. Minimal bourbon flavor with some good vanilla notes and an almost hazelnut type flavor (yes, I know the beer was made with macadamia nuts). Not very much coffee, incidentally.

M: The body is medium with a smooth, medium carbonation and a creamy feel on the tongue.

O: Definitely a good beer, but I don't think it's so much different from the regular one, strangely enough.

Serving type: bottle

08-29-2011 00:30:07 | More by womencantsail