beer_name: Toasted Coconut Porter
text: I regretted not getting a try of this one last fall. As coconut, especially when toasted, is among my favorite flavors, I couldn't let this one slip by this season. Tried a half-pint of it at Bailey's Taproom, Portland. From Roots' website: "Toasted Coconut Porter - IBU 25 5.0% A.B.V. A medium Bodied London style ale, with a slight hint of roast malt & backed by the subtle, sweet tropical, hand toasted Coconut Flakes." A: Cola brown-colored, actually rather thin. Shines through with an attractive auburn-ruby, but sometimes too much clarity isn't a good thing; it just plain looks thin. A slim sudsy head, with a few huge bubbles that belong in a sink or tub rather than a beer glass. Virtually no lace. S: Dark and toasty malt wafts gently from this one. A bit sweet and just a little earthy/peaty. Pleasant all-around, but never found any trace of coconut... T: My quest for the 'coconut' is on...first sip, nothing. Second, still not there. Turn back to the paper to read some...wait, what's that? Is that...it may be...that's it! Well, not quite so revelatory was the experience, but I can say that given time, it will come. Subtle toasty coconut sweetness can be found later in the aftertaste of this modest porter. The rest of the brew is a decent yet mostly unremarkable brew. Dark and malty, lightly sweet. Just a little earthy and herbal with a faint flavor I can liken best to dry tea leaves or maybe raw tobacco. M: Pretty thin and lacking carbonation. It's not quite 'watery', but is soft and slightly creamy. Body is medium-light. Finishes dry and without much aftertaste. D: Flavors are pretty good, though - once again - I'm disappointed at the subtleness of that aforementioned Coconut. I want to give this a try again (as Geoff at Bailey's told me, he remembered this brew being tastier last year...). Still, pretty easy to drink - a reasonably good porter.