CoCoNut Porter - Maui Brewing Co., Maui

When I think of great craft beer I usually picture Colorado or California, not Hawaii. Hawaii seems like a great place for a lot of obvious reasons but it just doesn't strike me as a place you could expect to find a lot of craft beer... On a recent trip to Colorado I stumbled upon a couple beers from Kona and Maui Brewing Co. I figured there might be something to these beers if they've made the costly trip from Hawaii and landed on a shelf on the far side of the Rockies. I picked up these cans of Maui Brewing's CoCoNut Porter because it struck me as the most unique selection that was available. I mean, when's the last time you had a coconut flavored beer?

The CoCoNut Porter pours just as dark as you'd expect. It's black and has a pretty thick head of off-white colored bubbles. That head fizzles out very quickly until there's nothing left between you and your beer. The aroma of this Porter is quite potent, it's very roasty and smells almost like burnt toast. There is a nutty quality to this beer but it doesn't quite smell like coconut to me, but I'm certainly no expert.

Maui CoCoNut Porter tastes more like toasted bread than roasted malt. This beer is definitely dark but it doesn't have the strong bitterness that Stouts and some stronger Porters have. The sweet coconut bring a lot of mid palate sugary sweetness that helps fill out this beer. My least favorite aspect of this beer is its finish. There's a very dry and bitter finish that left me thinking more of a coffee Porter than a sweeter beer.

This beer is a great Porter with a sweeter take on how to serve up a big roasty beer. It's definitely worth tracking down.