Homemade Chocolate Coconut Cream Stout

I have been slacking on the blog for a while now, but finally I have the motivation to write. Giving my IPA craze a rest and going to try this Chocolate Coconut Cream Stout. A fellow coworker of mine, Dan the man, was kind enough to share this homemade creation of his with me. Let us see what this top chef can do!

Appearance: Pours a free flowing brownish green tone with two fingers of head, that slowly dissipates to one. Looks dark and stormy as I can not see through my tulip glass, but it has a thin viscosity that makes it inviting.

Smell: As I bring my nose to this stout for the first time, I smell milk chocolate as if it was Yoo-Hoo. Not overpowering at all but it paints an impression in your head after numerous swirls and sniffs. Chocolate smelling malts present but not getting any hop aroma. Where is the coconut?

Taste: Not too much flavor but that may be due to the nature of this light and session-able style. Coconut flavors stand out alot more during tastes, especially as the beer warms up towards room temperature. Starting to taste like a mild Mounds candy bar :)

Mouthfeel: Light, almost watery but not due to its stout like presence. Carbonation settles well, not biting at all.

Drinkability: Very impressive Danielson! It is a session beer and can definitely drink more than one. Although it is not my style, I am very impressed with the overall rating being that it is a homeade beer as I have not had that many that interest me. I give it a 7.5/10 for now...need to taste another one or two to hone in on certain characteristics. Great imagination and use of the coconut as I have never seen that before in the craft beer industry! Thanks again!!

Dogfish Head Miles Davis' Bitches Brew

I know I'm over a week late, but in honor of Sam Calagione's new show Brewmasters on the Discovery Channel, I wanted to review the beer featured in it's first episode, Miles Davis' Bitches Brew. I have only watched the premiere, but it is a good show and I recommend it for beer lovers and even non-beer enthusiasts who are interested in seeing what goes into brewing fine craft beers. Congrats, Sam, and hopefully you get that record deal with Sony.

The episode goes into detail what Sam was looking for in this beer, a fusion of imperial stout and African tej, an Ethiopian honey wine. Usually when I review a beer, I try not to read too much into a label or what I've read on a website about it so that way I don't have preconceived notions on what to expect. Since I've already watched the episode, that's going to be near impossible, so I'll try to pick out the ingredients I saw in the show in what I drink.

Appearance: Pours a dark viscous black with brown lacey head of about a finger. It looks superb and really inviting.

Smell: Roasted malts, chocolate, and coffee really dominate the scent. I could also be picking up some sweetness from the honey, but this is why I don't like prior knowledge because I don't know if the smell is from suggestion or I'm really smelling it. On the other hand, I wish I knew what gesho smells like so I could try to pick it out.

Taste: Very interesting, tamer than what you would think from an ale where 3/4 of the blend is imperial stout and from the strong malt scents. There is still some roasted malts in there, but the honey and earthy hop flavors (I'm guessing the earthy hop flavors is the gesho) are more present on the finish.

Mouthfeel: Between medium and full bodied, smooth, perfectly carbonated, and surprisingly a little thin, but I guess that is the tej cutting into the stout. The bitterness on the finish cuts out any alcohol on the aftertaste.

Drinkability: One of the reasons I love Dogfish Head and Sam Calagione is the willingness to take risks, be creative, and do unusual things. A blend of imperial stout and tej, essentially a honey wine, sounds so out of whack, but they pulled it off. It's so different and strange that it's impossible to classify it and compare it to anything I've had. Not only that, but it's incredibly easy to drink at 9% abv, which could get me into trouble. I highly recommend this beer and the show Brewmasters which airs Sundays at 10p.m. on the Discovery Channel. If you've had this brew too, let me know what you think of it, I'm interested to see other people's takes on it. 9/10

Glass type: Duvel tulip glass
Serving type: Bottle, 25.4 oz.