The "moment you've all been waiting for"...
So my brewtha brought over his batch (Batch 1) Friday night, and we had a tasting with two other couples. The weird thing: No single batch stood out as *the* one. Ok, maybe not so weird, but a little unexpected. I figured one method would prove to be the most palatable.
First, the technical stats:
Batch 1 (coconut in mash): OG (TBA) FG 1.009, ABV, 6.8%
Batch 2 (coconut in boil): OG 1.073 FG, 1.009, ABV, 7.4%
Batch 3 (coconut in secondary): OG 1.065, FG 1.008, ABV 7.1%
The comparison isn't completely apples-to-apples, because we used Wyeast 1056 in Batch 1 and WLP001 in Batches 2 & 3 (I went to a different LHBS than my brewtha).
I'll spare those of you not interested in judging-style tasting notes the agony of reading through them. Conclusion: Mixing the three batches is the best option, meaning if we used 1/3 the coconut in the mash, 1/3 in the boil, and 1/3 in the secondary, we'd probably have a killer coconut brown ale. Except, that the final product is more of a dry stout in character and quality.
Now for some details...
Batch 1 tasting notes:
>Aroma: light hop aroma, some malt aroma. Notably choclatey and nutty. No noticeable fruit esters or alcohol.
>Appearance: Thin head (poured from growler, not keg), light tan in color. Very clear. Nice ruby highlights when light shone through, but otherwise dark brown.
>Flavor: Significant malt roastyness character. Very clean flavor with a roasty dry finish, and definite chocolate and nut flavors. Hop bitterness is low. Coconut is barely perceptible in aftertaste.
>Mouthfeel: Medium to medium light body (comparably lower, probably due to lack of carbonation maintained in growler). Dryness noted in finish. Very slight alcohol warming.
>Overall: Very drinkable, but for intent, could use more coconut flavor.
Batch 2 tasting notes:
>Aroma: Distinct bourbon, vanilla, and coconut lead the aroma. Chocolate and *espresso* notes. Some hop aroma. No fruity esters or alcohol detected.
>Appearance: Thick, medium tan head that persists. Very clear w/ruby highlights when light shone through. Dark brown in color.
>Flavor: Light, and slightly earthy hop flavor followed by significant coconut, then roasted malt, chocolate, and coffee. Hop bitterness is light. No fruity flavors noted. Dry, slightly roasty flavor in finish.
>Mouthfeel: Medium to medium light body. Distinct drying sensation in finish with a light tickling from carbonation. Somewhat creamy. No alcohol warmth noted.
>Overall: Great aroma w/good coconut presentation. Quite drinkable, though ABV may be a little high for a sessionable beer.
Batch 3 tasting notes:
>Aroma: Light coconut aroma w/some alcohol detected. Roasty aromas followed by chocolate notes. Low to no hop aroma detected with no discernible characteristic. No noticeable fruit aromas.
>Appearance: Somewhat rocky, light tan head that persists. Dark brown in color with mild haziness. Displays same ruby highlights as other two batches when a light is shone through.
>Flavor: Some light hop and roast malt bitterness w/balance toward roast. Distinct coconut finish with an equally distinct dryness. Definite chocolate and light coffee notes in the middle of the swallow.
>Mouthfeel: Medium body (heavier than other two, possibly attributable to secondary addition of coconut extract). Dryness noted in finish. Carbonation slightly lighter than anticipated given appearance of head.
>Overall: Very drinkable with decent coconut and chocolate flavors. Chocolate notes seem to balance coconut and hops.
Summary: If trying to brew to the nut brown style, I would probably decrease the chocolate and increase the Victory as I mentioned above, decreasing the two-row to adjust OG. While Batch 2 is the most similar to what I can remember of the Koko I had on tap, it seems quite dark compared to what I can remember from the bottle.
If I were to brew this again, I'd probably split the coconut across all three steps of the process: mash, boil, secondary. That all being said, the coconut is not overwhelming in any of these batches, and I think they are all quite drinkable. I like the cleaner flavors presented by the Wyeast 1056, so I'd probably use that yeast in the next go 'round.
If you happen to brew this, I'd love to hear how yours turned out.
