Coconut Porter - Great Crescent Brewery

secondtooth

Indiana

4.2/5  rDev +19.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a nice and sleek black, with no head or lace, from the growler.

I don't get much coconut in the aroma, but its an appealing mix nonetheless. A little chocolate, some woodsy qualities, kinda roasty.

This is thin-bodied (for a porter), but the taste is superb. Not as cocoa or coffee-oriented as some porters, this one's got a distinctive wood-smoke character. Fans of German rauchbier (smoke beer) may find this particularly attractive and enjoyable.

I say, a fine and well-done porter, with a lot of flavor and a unique palate. Superb, and congrats to Great Crescent for another memorable, top-tier brew!

Serving type: growler

04-10-2011 02:33:53 | More by secondtooth

NastyNate11

North Carolina

3/5  rDev -14.5%

05-02-2013 02:15:15 | More by NastyNate11

barczar

Kentucky

3.61/5  rDev +2.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

Pours an opaque deep brown/black with a foamy one inch burnt caramel head that dissipates somewhat quickly, leaving no lacing.

Tar, cola, roast malt, and chocolate form the initial aroma. Unfortunately there's a pretty strong metallic character that's overpowering. Nutty notes emerge. As it warms, coconut sweetness becomes evident.

Flavor is overpowered by that tangy character. I've been told their beer is not pasteurized, so it should never be out of refrigeration. This was purchased and stored integrated, so I'll score based on other elements.

Chocolate, tar, and lightly roasted malt form the backbone of flavor, with coconut hitting mid palate, carrying into a slightly dry, toasted finish.

Body is a touch watery, with carbonation tending to the high side.

Coconut is less prevalent than I expected. Good representation of chocolate character, and not overly bitter at the finish.

Serving type: can

03-26-2013 00:52:42 | More by barczar

Cincy_Joe

1.75/5  rDev -50.1%

02-17-2013 04:03:17 | More by Cincy_Joe

whendeathsleeps

Indiana

3.75/5  rDev +6.8%

01-12-2013 23:59:40 | More by whendeathsleeps

Thorpe429

Illinois

1.93/5  rDev -45%
look: 4 | smell: 2 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.25

Thanks to Chris. Odd roast and a touch of coconut. Very odd and dry. Acrid. Not a fan of this one at all; couldn't really find anything that I liked.

Serving type: can

01-09-2013 03:10:06 | More by Thorpe429

Lukass

Ohio

4.25/5  rDev +21.1%

12-26-2012 21:19:32 | More by Lukass

sendbeer

Georgia

3.25/5  rDev -7.4%

11-01-2012 15:46:11 | More by sendbeer

bzach

Indiana

2.75/5  rDev -21.7%

10-21-2012 06:38:19 | More by bzach

smithj4

New York

3.75/5  rDev +6.8%

09-15-2012 01:51:56 | More by smithj4

headyhopzhead

Indiana

2.5/5  rDev -28.8%

09-08-2012 23:27:10 | More by headyhopzhead

dbrauneis

New Jersey

3.63/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A: Pours an opaque jet black in color with some very light hints of red highlights when held up to the light and some light amounts of visible carbonation right at the surface. The beer has a two finger tall dark mocha head that quickly reduces to a mottled extremely thin film covering the majority of the surface of the beer and a thin ring at the edges of the glass. Light amounts of lacing are observed.

S: Moderate aromas of dark roasted malts with some light hints of coconut and something akin to soap.

T: Very similar to the smell, the taste of this beer is light to moderate flavors of roasted malts with some very light notes of coconut and again that something akin to soap.

M: On the lighter side of medium bodied with light to moderate amounts of carbonation.

O: Extremely easy to drink due to the very light body in the mouthfeel and light pleasant flavors (though I really wish the coconut flavor was stronger). I wish I was not able to detect the soapiness in the smell and taste.

Serving type: can

08-17-2012 00:23:56 | More by dbrauneis

metter98

New York

3.85/5  rDev +9.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A: The beer is essentially jet black in color—the slightest trace of red of visible near the edge of the glass when it is held up to the light. It poured with a quarter finger high tan head.
S: There are aromas of roasted malts in the nose along with some hints of coconuts.
T: Like the smell, the taste has flavors of roasted malts and hints of coconuts, the latter of which becomes a little stronger as the beer warms up.
M: It feels light- to medium-bodied on the palate and has a low to moderate amount of carbonation.
O: This beer is easy to drink because it is relatively light-bodied. It was a disappointing that the coconut aromas and flavors couldn’t be a little stronger.

Serving type: can

08-16-2012 14:44:36 | More by metter98

ColdPoncho

Ohio

3.75/5  rDev +6.8%

07-22-2012 02:32:16 | More by ColdPoncho

laxer8811

New York

4/5  rDev +14%

07-01-2012 00:40:44 | More by laxer8811

spamages

Michigan

2.9/5  rDev -17.4%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

A: Black, nearly opaque with a beige head

S: Fruity, very slight roast, vague hint of coconut

T: Not very porter like. Tart, hint of cherry, very slight roast. Much more fruity than I would like. Lingering sweetness.

M: Thin, highly carbonated.

O: I really expected more coconut in a coconut porter.

Serving type: can

06-16-2012 07:14:29 | More by spamages

bsuedekum

Missouri

3.75/5  rDev +6.8%

05-09-2012 02:37:16 | More by bsuedekum

indiapaleale

Massachusetts

3.5/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pour - dark as pitch with no light able to squeeze through. A rich, thick coffee-colored head lays on top that collapses into itself leaving just a ring and some faint lacing.

Aroma - fresh roasted coffee, fudge, molasses, cherries, vanilla and malted milk balls. I also pick up what I can only describe as the aroma of burnt marshmallows. Go figure.

Taste - a rich, malty, roasty porter that has some milky, earthy notes along with a creamy texture and a bit of a mineral-y aftertaste. Hard to pick up a lot of coconut from this one while its cold but give it the chance to warm in the glass for a bit and you'll get a lot more. I let this warm up for about 15 minutes and some of those subtle nutty and creamy flavors are certainly present. This reminds me a bit of a local coffee-roaster's coconut coffee as it has a lot of coffee-like notes and more of a subdued coconut flavor going on.

Overall - great tasting beer but I wish the coconut flavor was a little more pronounced. I get the feeling that achieving a good balance and decent amount of coconut flavor is not easy to do in the brewing process - not without overdoing it anyways. Regardless, this is a solid porter and as it warms more of those subtle coconut flavors do come out.

Serving type: can

05-05-2012 17:27:10 | More by indiapaleale

mcorwin

Ohio

3.5/5  rDev -0.3%

05-01-2012 23:58:17 | More by mcorwin

BEERchitect

Kentucky

2.8/5  rDev -20.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

The chocolate taste of porters with the creamy addition of coconut- sounds more like desert than your standard drinking session.

The dark ale pours with a bark-brown color and mild haze that's difficult to descern beyond the dense color. Silky smooth appearances portray the proportions of rich chocolate milk instead of beer. Unfortunately the light carbonation doesn't allow for much foam character as a thin but creamy head to rise and then quickly fall, likely from the oils of the coconut.

Rich chocolate aromas, roasted grain, and dark roast coffees take center stage just before the beer introduces toffee-rich notes, nutty, and yes coconut scents to prevail. Light on hop character, the light spice and citrus character lurks in the background and is careful not to overpower the delicate coconut character. There is however a musty-malt and slightly vegetal aroma that detracts from the otherwise clean and rich nose.

Roasty flavors with coffee grounds, bitter cocoa, and woody-nutty interplay seems somewhat of oily walnuts but also early-sweet coconut. Earthy flavors grow to almost mushroom-like pungency that extends beyond pleasantries and into distraction at mid palate. This may be a result of coconut and chlorophenolic hop matter or slight infection of the can. Very dry flavors of malt and growing spice of hops finish the beer with an extended aftertaste of musty malt and thin coffee.

Medium creaminess to start, the beer's light carbonation proves fleeting early on and leaves the beer a little watery and this even before mid palate. This leaves a long draw where the beer simply seems empty before the awkward finish of semi-dryness and grain conclude the session.

Serving type: can

04-10-2012 18:58:33 | More by BEERchitect

CummingsK21

Illinois

3.5/5  rDev -0.3%

03-25-2012 14:08:52 | More by CummingsK21

seeswo

Ohio

3.75/5  rDev +6.8%

03-20-2012 02:26:23 | More by seeswo

Cresant

Kentucky

3.35/5  rDev -4.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Served from a 16 oz. can, no date. The beer has the darkest of brown bodies with a rich tan, irregular head. The foam faded to nothing fairly quick.

The smell was of molasses, metal, and fresh brown bread. It almost had a sassafras quality to it. The coconut was not evident in the aroma until it warmed substantially.

The taste was of roasted, but not charred malts. The flavor was bright, but creamy-rich on the palate with a light sweetness from the coconut. There was a gentle bitterness and smooth texture, although the body was thin to medium in density. Overall it was a very tasty and drinkable porter.

Serving type: can

02-20-2012 20:33:23 | More by Cresant

auroracrisis

Kentucky

3.25/5  rDev -7.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Can into a pint glass.

Black with rose highlights, a khaki colored head with spotty lacing.

Highlights of chalk, dark chocolate, and roast on the nose. Hints at vanilla and some coconut.

More coconut on the tongue but still overpowering with porter qualities. Light coffee, strong roast, dark chocolate.

Thin medium with low carbonation. A little bit of drying.

Okay roast with some hints of coconut, but I am pretty sure this can is old. Would love to try it fresh.

Serving type: can

01-28-2012 10:09:47 | More by auroracrisis

tsauce2

Indiana

3.75/5  rDev +6.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

P: 16 fl oz can in to a snifter.

A: SRM is dark brown. Opaque. Head is tan, 1 in, dissipates to line the top of the beer. Medium carbonation. Light lacing.

S: Medium roast malt, chocolate, coffee, maybe some very light natural coconut.

T: Follows nose. Medium roast malt, coffee, dark and slightly bittered chocolate, light hops. Do not detect any coconut. Carbonation is a little flat. Aftertaste is malt, chocolate, coffee, hops.

M: Medium body. Malt, bittered chocolate, and hops all combine to give a bigger than expected feel with bit of the classic porter bite. Dry finish.

O: A good porter. Did not really pick up on any coconut in this beer. Otherwise this beer is very drinkable and a good example of a English Porter. I would by this again.

Serving type: can

01-16-2012 12:45:45 | More by tsauce2