Last Snow - The Funky Buddha Lounge & Brewery

Sean9689

Illinois

4.4/5  rDev -1.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

On-tap at Hunahpu's Day 2012.

A - Pours darker brown, cream-colored head, thin ring on top.

S - Amazing nose, to say the least. Coconut, coffee beans, chocolate, light roast, expresso, burnt sugars, and vanilla. You just want to hold this up to your nose and breath...yes, that good.

T - Not quite as good as the nose, yet still excellent. Coconut, expresso, roasted coffee beans, vanilla. For 6.5%, it drinks very cream-like, which is really cool. The milk chocolate notes are quite as evident on the palate, yet still very good. Finish is toasted coconut and chocolate roast.

M - Medium body, rich and smooth, light carbonation, creamy finish.

O - One of my favorites on-tap at Hunahpu's Day. I was left thinking, "what the hell just happened there." Definitely a standout on any tap list, and truthfully, one of the top beers there.

Serving type: on-tap

03-13-2012 23:21:05 | More by Sean9689

brystmar

New York

4.35/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 5

My brother won a 22oz bottle of this from Ryan's Funky Buddha trivia contest on the forums. Shared with him and some great BAs at the end of tonight's tasting.

Un-labeled, unmarked brown bomber with a silver cap. Brown pour like most porters, minimal head or lace. But honestly, none of that matters when you can smell this beauty from across the room.

Heaps of fresh coconut, vanilla, chocolate, and coffee blend in perfect harmony to create one of the best aromas I've ever smelled. Traces of mint in the background. Each of us was hesitant to drink our respective pours because the aroma was so damn good. It's difficult to convey just how incredible this scent actually was, but I'll say this: I would not hesitate to purchase this scent as an air freshener for every room in my apartment.

Ratings over-inflation really deprives this beer of its glory, though I'll readily admit my guilt in this regard. Last Snow is one of the few beers absolutely deserving of a 5.0 in the aroma category. I saved the final ounce of mine for many hours after the bottle kicked just so I could continue sniffing it. Only other beer I've done that with was 2010 Chocolate Rain.

Taste holds a stronger malty character, backed up by coffee and vanilla. Coconut is here too but more subtle. A touch sweet in the middle, yet finishes with a strong surge of coffee and lingering coffee bitterness. A great flavor profile -- no doubt -- but it's overshadowed by this beer's impeccable aroma.

Only real flaw is its lack of body. Toss in a few oats to thicken this brew up and you'll get more arbitrary beer geek points from reviewers like me. But more importantly, please start brewing this on a commercial scale! Ryan & crew have ridiculous talent at brewing, and it's a shame that very few people have had a chance to enjoy the fruits of their labor.

Between EBF and tonight, I'm counting my blessings. Not nearly enough BAs have gotten to try these Funky Buddha masterpieces, and I'm glad I got to share two of them with friends this evening. Can't wait for them to expand!

Serving type: bottle

04-15-2012 05:34:16 | More by brystmar

johnmichaelsen

Oregon

4.35/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

On tap at Capone's the other night.

The beer pours a dark brown color with fairly good head retention and light lacing. The nose on this beer is just great, as I picked up considerable coffee, vanilla and light coconut. On the palate... yowsza!!! This is just delicious. The beer is moderately sweet, but with a boatload of coconut to go along with the coffee and vanilla. Yummm!!! Mouthfeel is light to medium, but with a long, rich, sweet and light creamy finish. Alcohol is completely unnoticeable.

Couple of thoughts about this beer. Obviously, it's a fine beer, but I was amazed by the amount of flavor it delivered considering the (relatively) low alcohol. Also, drinkability was just off the charts; I could drink this all day. This beer really pushes the envelope (as did all the FB beers I've tried), and was just so much fun to drink. Kudos to the brewer for making such an ususual, yet still very fine beer.

Serving type: on-tap

06-07-2012 20:34:19 | More by johnmichaelsen

mdfb79

New York

4.35/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

From 06/07/12 notes. Had on tap at Churchkey during the FB event.

a - Pours a very dark brown, almost black color, with less than an inch of dark tan head and low carbonation evident.

s - Smells absolutely amazing; like an almond joy candybar. Tons of sweet coconut, vanilla, sweet chocolate, roasted malts, milk chocolate. If you like coconut it's awesome.

t - Tastes of roasted malts, coconuts, sweet chocolate, bitter chocolate, light vanilla. A major step down from the nose. Very roasty but not as strong in the other areas. Still quite good, but nowhere near the nose.

m - Medium body and low carbonation. Pretty easy to drink.

o - Overall a pretty cool beer here with a fantastic nose, though I'm sensing a theme aside. MBCP and all its variants aside, I've found most FB beers (this, No Crusts, Pina Colada) to have wonderful, interesting smells, and good, but not great tastes. Seems to me what Short's shoots for, but normally misses. This is still a very good beer and they are nailing the noses on their beers. If you like Almond Joy/Mounds candybars, this is a must try. Would love to have it again.

Serving type: on-tap

06-13-2012 20:15:08 | More by mdfb79

thagr81us

South Carolina

4.33/5  rDev -3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Had during Brewvival 2012! Served from tap into a Brewvival sampler imperial pint. Poured pitch black with a half finger brown head that subsided to a minimal amount slowly. Maintained good lacing throughout the glass. The aroma was comprised of sweet malt, vanilla, coffee, roasted malt, coconut, and chocolate. The flavor was of sweet malt, vanilla, coffee, roasted malt, white chocolate, and a hint of coconut. It had a medium feel on the palate with medium carbonation. Overall this was a very good brew. When I saw this one come up on the board at Funky Buddha's booth, I kind of batted my eyes at it thinking it was a Winter Warmer based on the name. But WOW! I'm glad I went back and had a go at it. This thing was insane as far as the flavors and aromas coming off of it. I don't know how they got the white chocolate flavor to stick in the flavor, but definite kudos to that one. A definite must try if you get the opportunity, which I hope to get again in the future.

Serving type: on-tap

02-29-2012 18:21:28 | More by thagr81us

Florida9

Illinois

4.33/5  rDev -3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: dark, dark brown. Almost black but not quite there just yet. Forms a thin dark head that reduces even further to a thin surface coating.

S: tons and tons of dark roasted coffee beans, then there's a note of toasted coconut, coconut that's been toasted too far. But the aroma is just works.

T: dark and roasty. Roasty coffee, roasty malts, and toasted coconut. Very mild sweetness. Finishes with a stronger coconut flavor that just seems to grow on the finish.

M: on the heavier side of medium. Mild to moderate coffee bitterness. Medium carbonation.

O: a very interesting beer. Typically I don't like these weird combinations, but this one works and works well.

Serving type: bottle

08-04-2012 01:34:16 | More by Florida9

oline73

Maryland

4.2/5  rDev -6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

I had this on-tap at Churchkey in DC. Served in a 4 ounce snifter.

Appearance: The beer pours almost black with a layer of creamy off white head. The head fades and leaves a ring around the edge of the glass.

Smell: I'm getting lots of coconut with some roast and dark chocolate notes. Quite sweet.

Taste: A lot like the smell thank goodness. Sweet coconut and chocolate. The only issue I have with this beer is the overly bitter finish. I thought it was a bit out of place.

Mouthfeel: The body is on the thicker side with foamy carbonation and a dry finish.

Overall: This beer would have been absolutely phenomenal if the finish were a bit smoother. As it is, I still loved it and would definitely have more.

Serving type: on-tap

06-13-2012 02:36:15 | More by oline73

Rhettroactive

Virginia

4.18/5  rDev -6.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 4

From tap to snifter at ChurchKey DC on 6/7/12
*From notes

A: Things start well, as this certainly looks good. Dark leather brown with a creamy quarter finger head. A dense and thick collar follows.

S: Coconut coffee. Pretty awesome stuff, to be honest. It's slightly green to a point, yet it's elegant and really well put together.

T: Minty up front, yet it quickly evolves into fresh coconut, which attacks the mid. Some charred cocoa, grass, and a touch of coffee round out the finish. Like a liquid Mounds bar.

M: Bummer. Undercarbonated and a bit thin. Something cleary is wrong with the way these FB kegs were filled or tapped.

O: Maybe my favorite Funky Buddha offering of the night, sans SNACK ATTACK! This is very elegant, and a beer that I could have multiples of without getting sick of it's schtick. Easily recommended, a really solid offering from South Florida.

Serving type: on-tap

06-21-2012 03:23:58 | More by Rhettroactive

Alieniloquium

Florida

4.15/5  rDev -7.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

On tap at Funky Buddha. Served in a wine glass.

Appearance - Dark in here, but it pours black with a nice head. Khaki head. Collar of foam.

Smell - Coffee and coconut in equal portions. Something sweet resembling chocolate. Maybe that's the white chocolate. Vanilla?

Taste - Very intense coffee. Much more intense than the nose. Coconut also secondary. Coffee lends a bitterness that is eased by vanilla and chocolate. Lingering vanilla flavor in the finish.

Mouthfeel - Bitterness makes it less drinkable than its more popular sister beer, but still great flavor for the body.

Overall - Tough not to compare it to Maple Bacon, but it's not up to that level. Maple makes the difference. Coconut is the highlight of this beer.

Serving type: on-tap

01-23-2013 00:36:59 | More by Alieniloquium

ColForbinBC

New Jersey

4.13/5  rDev -7.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On-tap, served in tulip glass

The body sits an ink black with just a faint bit of brown around the bottom edge when held up to the light. The cap was a khaki color, creamy, and never truly receded. Thick, creamy sip marks line the inside of the glass.

Notes of coconut, creamy white chocolate, and coffee beans. It smells like a mounds bar in a glass.

Super creamy white chocolate hits the palate first, before a wave of sweet, toasted coconut. The coffee bean flavor comes out in the finish, creating an interesting turn on the palate from sweet coconut to acrid coffee beans. They didn't transition all that well. The coffee and dark roast finish is somewhat short lived.

Full body, smooth and creamy. Carbonation is on point.

The transition from coconut to coffee is a little sharp and the finish doesn't linger all that much. However, this wins points for creativity. The combo of white chocolate and coconut is fantastic. This is a must try for anyone out there.

Serving type: on-tap

11-01-2012 13:25:51 | More by ColForbinBC

tarheels86

California

3.83/5  rDev -14.3%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Tap at CK. Pours a deeper clear ruby. Massive off white foam. Big rocky retention. Nose is out of this world. Super rich espresso, coconut hazelnut frappacino. Taste is a little weak but this is not an imperial stout. Thinner than expected with rich frappacino character. The rich Dunkin Donuts iced coffee nose and taste is uncanny but still a bit contrived for me. Could simply be not even a beer if it were given to me blind. Delicious. Tangy lactic palate. Sharper coffee finish. Liked this one a lot. But more of a Starbucks concoction than a porter. 6/7/2012 9/5/7/3/16=4.0

Serving type: on-tap

09-06-2012 20:17:19 | More by tarheels86

Thorpe429

Illinois

3.78/5  rDev -15.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap at Churchkey. Served in a mini snifter. Pours near black with a thin head and a few spots of lacing. The nose carries heavy, heavy chocolate along with a touch of underlying roast. Mild coconut in the background. Then more chocolate. Hersey-syrup-type chocolate. A bit cloying as it warms a bit. Flavor is more heavy chocolate with some underlying coconut character. Some roasted malt beneath. This is a hard one to score as there really isn’t much underlying beer; it’s really heavy chocolate, though not what you’d get from chocolate malt. I can’t knock the nose too much, as it was really wonderful, but have taken that into account in my overall score.

Serving type: on-tap

12-15-2012 19:14:11 | More by Thorpe429

billab914

Virginia

3.7/5  rDev -17.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

On tap at Churchkey the other night. Black in color with a thin tan head barely covering the top of the beer. It left a little lacing on the glass as I drank it as well.

The aroma smells like like opening a bag of shaved coconut and sticking your nose in. Coconut oil seems to remind me a little of sun tan lotion for some reason. The coconut dominated too much for me, but at least it was a pretty good coconut flavor.

In the taste I get a little more roasted flavor that really helps cut through the coconut. I still get a pretty bold coconut oil presence to it though. It was very interesting, but again the bold coconut just makes it seem too one dimensional for me to call it great.

The mouthfeel was thin and carbonation was low. Again, as with most of their beers I got to try it just feels way too thin for the style.

Overall, it was a pretty cool and interesting beer, but the coconut just dominated way too much for me. I was really wowed by Three Hour Tour a while back, this one just didn't compare that favorably for me as far as coconut in beer goes.

Serving type: on-tap

06-14-2012 16:19:52 | More by billab914

drabmuh

Maryland

3.65/5  rDev -18.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Things are beginning to slightly look up in the Funky Buddha world, this beer was passable but still not a beer I could have a lot of. Served on draft at Churchkey and served in a snifter.

Beer is black with a thin tan head of small bubbles, decent retention, no lacing, no carbonation to speak of, looks fine.

Aroma is mostly coffee and some coconut, mild roast, a little malt.

Mostly coffee in the flavor profile, there is a mild hint on coconut in the mid to late palate, beer is medium in body. A decent flavored porter but not my favorite by a long shot.

Serving type: on-tap

06-19-2012 00:11:23 | More by drabmuh