Coco Loco - NoDa Brewing Company

VelvetExtract

Massachusetts

4.18/5  rDev +3.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A-Dark brown. Little head.

S-Not sure if its coconut. Maybe some roasty coconut husk. The coconut really doesn't jump out but there are hints of the elusive fruit. There are some tantalizing chocolate notes. A bit chalky and definitely milky with clear coffee.

T-I get some coconut here. Like burnt coffee with coconut syrup but that syrup is faint. The beer's base is pretty tasty and I like the subtle playfulness between the milk chocolate and the soft coconut.

M-Creamy but the carbonation seems to disagree with said creaminess. Its fun to sip.

O/D-Much better than Maui's CoCoNut Porter according to my tastebuds. I'm still waiting for that one Porter that taste like a damn coconut macaroon. This one ain't it but it delivers much more coconut that most advertising the same.

Serving type: on-tap

06-04-2013 02:10:29 | More by VelvetExtract

chinchill

South Carolina

3.43/5  rDev -15.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

On tap at the brewery which claimed: 6.3%ABV 43 IBU 32 SRM
Pour is nearly black; opaque with a durable tan head that leaves the glass rather thoroughly coated with sticky lacing. Deep, dark mahogany highlights at the edge reveal a clear beer.
Aroma: excellent but rather simple, featuring lots of dark roasted malts and a bit of sweet coconut; certainly not as much as the "Coco Loco" name implies.

T: Loads of very dark roasted malts with a trace of smoke. IBU seems much higher than the 43 reported. Marred by on overly bitter taste and too much burnt flavor from the malt. Very rich but not very complex.

M: near full body with soft. Low carbonation.

O: Surprisingly bitter, charred [and rich] version of the style. Suspect the brewer over-compensated for any sweetness coming from the coconut. An extreme robust porter, I conclude, as I move on to the Imperial variant …

Serving type: on-tap

04-21-2013 22:35:33 | More by chinchill

merc7186

New York

4.08/5  rDev +1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

On tap at the brewery, poured into a pint glass.

A: Dark Opaque Hue, Passes No Light, Off White Head Ring, Some Lacing

S: Dark Roasted Chocolate Malts, Mild Coffee, Mild Coconut

T: Robust Dark Malts, Mildly Smoked Malts, Mild Chocolate, Mild Coconut

M: Decent Carbonation, Medium to Full Bodied, Very Malty

Overall, a very robust porter with a mild coconut presence, with a roasty chocolate balance.

Serving type: on-tap

03-24-2013 20:06:11 | More by merc7186

wedge

North Carolina

3.83/5  rDev -5.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

@ NoDa

Lovely deep brown color below a super creamy cap of a head that leaves crazy lacing behind. Primarily chocolate roast in the nose along with a bit of nuttiness, coffee, and cream. Dark roasted chocolate malt, layered sweetness, and a light bitterness. Some char and earthiness, but not much coconut to speak. Sweet through the finish, but not necessarily what I would call "rich". Creamy, medium-plus body. I would have liked the coconut to come through more, but it's enjoyable regardless. Actually, I didn't find this to be especially porter-y...almost more of a sweet stout.

Serving type: on-tap

11-05-2012 19:20:07 | More by wedge

Daktah

North Carolina

3.88/5  rDev -4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Tried at brewery on 10/24/2012. Had sampled before and wasn't impressed, but I'll blame that experience on having tasted too many beers in a sitting.

This time, definitely worth a full glass. Dark, coffee brown color with a small head that quickly dissipated. Smelled mostly like chocolate, a little bit of a roasted malt smell and a general sweetness; no real coconut at this point and not a lot of coffee or other expected smells. The taste brings in some hops and a touch of the coconut. Fairly dry with a reasonably hefty mouthfeel, which was great - definitely enough body for the style. The coconut was actually most pronounced after taking a break between sips. The sweetness kind of lingered and reminded you that there actually is coconut in this beer.

Overall a really solid beer and one that I am extremely happy to find in town. NoDa is putting out some quality beers.

Serving type: on-tap

10-25-2012 13:07:39 | More by Daktah

sendsilk

Florida

3.35/5  rDev -17.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Had at the brewery with a few BA's while I was visiting from out of town.

I had heard good things about this beer and was really excited to try it! It has a very nice dark roasty porter appearance. It smells a little 'soft' on the coconut aspect.

Drinking this beer, it's not bad at all. It just doesn't really stand out. It's a very solid porter, but I really don't get too much at all, in the coconut department. With the name Coco Loco, I really expect more (or some, at least) coconut forward presence. It's also a bit strong on the char/roast aspect. A little too much to make it very drinkable. At 6% I should be able to drink 3 or 4 of this quite easily while at the brewery. 1 was enough for the night.

Serving type: on-tap

07-16-2012 04:34:56 | More by sendsilk

EJ6759

South Carolina

3.58/5  rDev -11.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Had this on tap in a pint glass. Pours dark brown with a nice dark tan frothy head. There is good amount of lacing in this beer. The smell was better than average fairly rich. The taste was really pretty good with a subtle coconut and a hoppiness that came through. The mouthfeel was good and it was well carbonated.

Serving type: on-tap

03-22-2012 20:41:48 | More by EJ6759

Kegatron

Pennsylvania

3.63/5  rDev -10.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

On tap @ NoDa Brewing Company (Charlotte, NC) on 3/11/12. Served in a pint glass.

Pours black, with a touch of ruby coming out along the bottom, topped with a ½ finger of light mocha head. This maintains some sudsy richness around the edges, leaving back swathes of foamy lacing which slowly drip down the sides of the glass. The aroma smells of cocoa, caramel, green citrus, and some burnt roast. I did get some coconut here out of the aroma but that may have been tainted by the fact that they were actually brewing this beer during our visit and the entire tasting room smelled of it.

The taste is much hoppier than the nose was, with a firm green bitterness that has some aggressiveness to it. Cocoa, a touch of vanilla, and coconut fill out the middle portion of profile before this finishes with a roasted backend that leaves this bitter and burnt feeling in the mouth. The mouthfeel is medium bodied with a firm carbonation that is coming off as a bit too lively and sharp feeling at times.

I liked what I got from the sweetness and coconut flavors here but man; this really came on a bit too strong at time with hops, roast, and all around sharp feel of the body. If they could dial the assertiveness of this down a little, it would be a much more accessible and tasty beer.

Serving type: on-tap

03-15-2012 19:02:05 | More by Kegatron

brentk56

North Carolina

4.03/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Appearance: Arrives with a fudge brown color capped by a half an inch of foam; not much lacing, either

Smell: Toasty bread and chocolate; not picking up any of the coconut

Taste: Though the coconut was not discernable on the nose it does arrive, though vaguely, at mid-palate on the tongue, complementing the chocolate elements that are up front; a little chalky in the finish but nice and dry

Mouthfeel: Medium body with moderate carbonation

Overall: A very approachable chocolate stout; would like to see the coconut play a more prominant role

Serving type: on-tap

03-05-2012 01:47:08 | More by brentk56

BeatBama

North Carolina

4.6/5  rDev +13.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

This beer may set the standard for a coconut Porter.

Appearance: A dark, rich pour. I could not see light through my glass, though I was in a darker area of the restaurant. Nice lacing was present as the beer disappeared. Little head...1/16" or so.

Aroma: Not much of the coconut, but a wonderful chocolate malt

Mouthfeel: A solid mouthfeel, not thick, not thin, just a well-rounded presence

Taste: Wow, really good. The addition of coconut was noticed, but the chocolate came over the top.

Coco Loco is one fine porter, and an excellent beer for a cool evening.

Serving type: on-tap

01-14-2012 22:42:10 | More by BeatBama

CBlack85

South Carolina

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

On tap at the brewery, served in a pint glass

Beer pours dark brown with deep red/ruby highlights, with aobut 2 fingers worth of dense dark tan head. The head slowly recedes leaving behind a minimal amount of lacing.

The aroma is big on roasted malts, caramel, adn chocolate with hints of vanilla. I never did get any of the coconut in the aroma.

Slightly bitter chocolate and roasted malts are featured, with bits of vanilla, coffee, and just the slightest bit of coconut. Really, the coconut seems like an afterthought, just enough to make the beer interesting but not enough to overpower the beer. I had tasted this beer when it was still being brewed on their small batch system, before the big equipment came in, and I seem to remember the coconut being much more pronounced. Medium bodied and moderately carbonated. Slightly slick on the toungue and very easy to drink.

Overall, this is a great beer. Very well crafted, a great offering from the NoDa crew.

Serving type: on-tap

12-28-2011 19:22:11 | More by CBlack85

VncentLIFE

North Carolina

4.22/5  rDev +4.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Very light transparent brown. No head.

Smells like a coffee heavy porter. Decent body, lots of roasted malt.

Kind of tastes like chocolate wafers. Crisp malt. Dark chocolate is the main flavor. Coffee accentS as well cinnamon.

Body is heavy for a porter, but not too much.

Very well done.

Serving type: on-tap

12-09-2011 23:21:44 | More by VncentLIFE

dirtylou

Washington

4.4/5  rDev +8.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

on-tap at the brewery

appearance: served in a shaker pint - dark brown body, thick and creamy tan cap

smell: chocolate, sweet roasted malt, vanilla bean

taste: Really nice porter - velvety, chocolate cake, vanilla bean, residual sweetness presumably from the coconut, some dry roasted malt. Impressed - not usually one to reach for a porter, but this is quality stuff

mouthfeel: creamy, rich, quaffable

overall: solid

Serving type: on-tap

11-24-2011 05:18:06 | More by dirtylou

Bung

North Carolina

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

Tap Duckworths Balantine. Very dark brown not quite black. Just a ring of white.

Aroma, fair amount of roast, dark chocolate. Some coconut shell.

Taste, large amount of earthy roast malt, coffee, some peat. Accenting coconut. Roast and cocoa linger.

Just to the light side of medium, but coats ok. Pretty roasty and dry, if you like that it will be no problem to drink.

Pretty solid regular lineup brew.

Serving type: on-tap

11-15-2011 01:37:42 | More by Bung

samtallica

North Carolina

4.38/5  rDev +8.4%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured into a NoDa pint glass at the grand opening of the tap room.

A: This porter pours black with ruby highlights and two fingers of mocha colored head. Lacing is exceptional.

S: Roasted malts dominate the nose which is complemented with a subtle sweetness.

T: Roasty black coffee and earthy hops hit your palate first followed by sweet chocolate and toasted coconut in the finish. This is easily the best coconut porter I have ever had.

M: Medium carbonation and medium-heavy body with a silky smooth texture.

O: As mentioned above, this is the best coconut porter I have ever had. It doesn't dominate the flavor of the beer but you know it's there and it balances perfectly with the chocolate and roasted flavors.

Serving type: on-tap

10-29-2011 21:37:43 | More by samtallica

thagr81us

South Carolina

4.08/5  rDev +1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Had at the grand opening. Served from tap into NoDa shaker. Poured massively dark red brown with a one and a half finger cream colored head that subsided to half a finger very slowly. Maintained phenomenal lacing throughout the glass. The aroma was comprised of sweet malt, roasted malt, cream, dark chocolate, and and very subtle vanilla. The flavor was of sweet malt, roasted malt, dark chocolate, cream, and very subtle coffee. It had a medium feel on a palate with medium carbonation. Overall this was a pretty solid brew. The nibs on this one were quite overpowering which was quite nice. The cream aspect added a nice touch to balance the nibs bitterness. A solid brew for the style. Definite must try if you have the opportunity. Tick.

Serving type: on-tap

10-29-2011 19:53:09 | More by thagr81us

corby112

Pennsylvania

3.6/5  rDev -10.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Growler shared by kubrick215.

Pours a dark chestnut brown, almost black color with mahogany edges and a one finger beige head that quickly settles into a thin, lasting rig.  Sporadic spotty lacing left behind.

Roasted malt aroma with lots of silky chooclate and toasted coconut.  Slightly smokey with hits of dark and milk chocolate, lactic cream, toffee and coffee bean.  The toasted coconut character really stands out nicely complimenting the subtle roast and chocolate notes.  

Medium bodied with a strong dry roasted malt presence that never becomes overpowering or acrid.  Deeply roasted with dark chocolate, coffee bean, burnt toast and coconut.  Falls off a bit toward the finish and could use a bit more chocolate flavor/sweetness.

Serving type: growler

03-19-2013 01:14:11 | More by corby112

farrago

New Jersey

4.28/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Dimpled head of a little over a finger, peppered with larger bubbles which create the uneven surface, however retention is very good and the lacing forms an intricate and full weave around the glass sides. Black and fully opaque liquid, some yellow to a dilute orange at the glass bottom and rims, populated with a horde of microcosmic bubbles loosely floating upwards. Very steady roast to the nose without pushing into acrid or bitter territory, dark chocolate powder, coffee, peanut brittle, the coconut almost gets lost in the shuffle, the hops punch throw decisively, pretzel dough, salt, grasses and more sour grain notes, appears to want correct posture and plenty of zip in your nostrils over sweetly soaking in. Medium-bodied, the carbonation is energetic yet fine, lends creaminess to the overall texture. Dark chocolate, cocoa, vanilla powder and butterscotch come to the fore before any coconut, here the roast is dialed back, cutting down on coffee accents. Some raw, uncooked nuttiness. You get mixed dark fruits in trade off for the citric element. The hops less obtrusive here and just add pep and lift to the finish as well as inner mouth perfume. While dry, keeps you sipping.

Serving type: growler

02-10-2012 02:30:44 | More by farrago