Maui Brewing CoCoNut Porter

I don't like coconut. Thought you should know that right off the bat before I even open this can of Maui Brewing CoCoNut Porter (I don't like embedded caps, either, but that's another story). Still, I have no idea what toasted coconut in a beer's going to taste like, so we'll give it a run, eh?

The beer pours with a voluminous head, looking rich before I even taste it. There's a hint of coconut in the aroma, but even more, there are notes of chocolate and lush ripe fruit. The coconut's coming through more as the head settles. Well...the taste's not bad. The chocolate really comes through, like a good milk chocolate, and the coconut is only there as a rim about that. much less than in a coconut candy (you know what they are, right? They're the candies you find half of in the Whitman Sampler, because just about everyone takes a bite, realizes it's coconut, spits out the bite, and then puts the half back in as if that didn't count as their "piece." It counts, pal). The coconut is interesting, in that it makes the beer seem richer and fuller than it is, but doesn't linger and stick in the mouth. Nice effect. Good, but I'm not sure if I'd want more than two. Might try it with tomorrow's pork dinner. It's all good with pork chops, man.

Maui Brewing has been a pretty good experience overall through the three beers they sent me to sample. I still think the Bikini Blonde's too sweet, but the other two definitely make the cut. Cheers!