Kona Brewing Koko Brown Ale

[rossi46]

Here is what I'm going to do in batch 2 style. I had to sub some hops, but should still be ok.
Style: American Brown Ale
TYPE: All Grain
Taste: (30.0)

Recipe Specifications
--------------------------
Batch Size (fermenter): 5.25 gal
Boil Size: 6.78 gal
Bottling Volume: 4.85 gal
Estimated OG: 1.059 SG
Estimated Color: 25.3 SRM
Estimated IBU: 30.8 IBUs
Brewhouse Efficiency: 75.00 %
Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amt Name Type # %/IBU
8 lbs Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) Grain 1 68.1 %
1 lbs 8.0 oz Victory Malt (25.0 SRM) Grain 2 12.8 %
1 lbs Munich Malt (9.0 SRM) Grain 3 8.5 %
8.0 oz Cara-Pils/Dextrine (2.0 SRM) Grain 5 4.3 %
12.0 oz Chocolate Malt (350.0 SRM) Grain 4 6.4 %
0.25 oz Warrior [17.80 %] - Boil 60.0 min Hop 6 13.7 IBUs
0.25 oz Nugget [14.50 %] - Boil 45.0 min Hop 7 10.3 IBUs
0.50 oz Cascade [8.90 %] - Boil 10.0 min Hop 9 5.0 IBUs
0.50 oz Ahtanum [6.00 %] - Boil 5.0 min Hop 10 1.8 IBUs
1.00 lb coconut (Boil 15.0 mins) Spice 8 -
1.0 pkg American Ale (Wyeast Labs #1056) [124.21 Yeast 11 -

 

[rwfishbu]

What's the word? How did they all turn out? I made a starter tonight for my batch I'm doing this weekend. My yeast is from April 4th, so I will step it up again Friday after work.

I'm racking Batch 3 to keg and carbonating today. Batch 2 tastes great, and I'd make it again without any changes, but it doesn't resemble the Koko Brown you get in the bottle. It's closer to what I remember getting on tap at the wine and food festival where I first tried Koko Brown.

My brewtha is bringing Batch 1 over on Friday for sampling, so we'll be able to compare them all side-by-side. I'll post more thorough tasting notes after that.

Great to hear you're trying it out. Keep us posted!

 

[wazzu1991]

I took a brewery tour from Redhook again (free sampling class and beer for $1) and the guide mentioned that they also brew for Kona!

As I was walking back to the car I found a pair of the employees from the brew side smoking outside. They said that they add coconut extract to whirlpool... who knew!?

Thought you guys would like to know that tidbit of info.

Now I just need to find out how to add a "whirlpool" to my BIAB setup.

Redhook, Kona, Widmere are essentially the same company, AKA Craft Brewers alliance. I think they also own part of Goose Island.

I always describe the Koko Brown as a liquid Mounds bar with alcohol. It is great. Although I think I would get tired of it if I had a whole keg of it, whether it was homebrewed or not.

 

[JasonOdd]

My friends and I like a glass of it after dinner and we have quite a few dinner parties. Couple that with the fact that I was only able to get 2 sixers before it was pulled off the shelf... and I am ready to have a keg of it.

I look forward to rwfishbu's tastings!

 

[rossi46]

Brewed it today. OG came in alittle high, but should be good.

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[rwfishbu]

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.

 

[rossi46]

Mine should be ready in a month or so. It's happily percolating away at 66 degrees. I will give it two weeks in primary and rack to keg for two weeks then carb. There sure is a oily film on top from the coconut oils. Looks like it may inhibit a thick krausen. I used wy 1056 that was from April 4th and my son turned down the temp on the mini fridge and froze it. But I made a 2 step starter and ferm took off in a few hours so no harm I guess.

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[rwfishbu]

I made contact with Hale's Brewery in Seattle. They brew a coconut porter. The brewer said they toast the same way I did, but they put all the coconut in secondary. They recommend aging until the coconut flavor is the strength you desire.

Yet another experiment for someone to try...

 

[rossi46]

I made contact with Hale's Brewery in Seattle. They brew a coconut porter. The brewer said they toast the same way I did, but they put all the coconut in secondary. They recommend aging until the coconut flavor is the strength you desire.

Yet another experiment for someone to try...

Interesting. may have to do another when this one is done. or I'll try mine in a couple weeks, and if its doesnt have enough flavor I can just add more.

 

[rwfishbu]

I took our three batches to our homebrew club meeting last night. Those that tried it liked Batch 2 (coconut in the boil) method the best.

 

[JasonOdd]

Mmm glad to hear that rwfishbu, that's how I did mine! Just racked it to secondary tonight. I converted yours to an extract w/ a mini mash. The OG came out pretty high, but I doubt that will hurt such a sweet beer. I'll post my recipe and steps once it's kegged and drinkable with a photo.

Next time I'll do the all-grain version since I "just" (today) switched over (making a Mac and Jack clone tonight for my first all grain)... yay me!!

 

[rossi46]

Racked mine to keg tonight. See how it is in a couple more weeks.

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[PowellAvenueBrew]

What a great thread. We've been working on our own Coco Brown for a couple batches now and I think we've done a great job getting that liquid mounds bar beer. The story about the beer is here: http://powellavenuebrew.com/2011/08/daves-coco-brown/.

A few suggestions after reading the thread. Maybe sub that chocolate for a debittered chocolate and black. This takes away some of the tannic harshness and allows for the coconut to shine through more. Also we've been using Whole Foods shredded coconut (unsweetened) straight into primary. The oil does get EVERYWHERE, but it is oh so worth it.

We've kicked a couple kegs of this now and it's definitely become a house favorite.

*Update - We added a pdf and beerxml of our Dave's Coco Brown to the website if anyone wants to check it out.

 

[rwfishbu]

What a great thread. We've been working on our own Coco Brown for a couple batches now and I think we've done a great job getting that liquid mounds bar beer. The story about the beer is here: http://powellavenuebrew.com/2011/08/daves-coco-brown/.

A few suggestions after reading the thread. Maybe sub that chocolate for a debittered chocolate and black. This takes away some of the tannic harshness and allows for the coconut to shine through more. Also we've been using Whole Foods shredded coconut (unsweetened) straight into primary. The oil does get EVERYWHERE, but it is oh so worth it.

We've kicked a couple kegs of this now and it's definitely become a house favorite.

Thanks for the suggestions and feedback! I'll defnitely make some tweaks after I work through the two batches in my kegs.

 

[bambam190]

I toured the brewery last Feb when I was vacationing, it is awesome

 

[PowellAvenueBrew]

I toured the brewery last Feb when I was vacationing, it is awesome

I think it's a must if you are in Kona. We had a great time there earlier this spring. I was surprised though the Koko brown they brewed at the brewpub wasn't as good as the bottled stuff stateside.

 

[Ceetar]

I think it's a must if you are in Kona. We had a great time there earlier this spring. I was surprised though the Koko brown they brewed at the brewpub wasn't as good as the bottled stuff stateside.

Definitely. also their food is really good.


I still haven't found a bottle on the east coast, as much as I've dreamed of it every night. (Although in my dreams I'm back in Hawaii) My only experience is from the brewery nearly a year ago, and it was amazing.

I'm going to have to try to brew it myself, although I doubt I could duplicate the hype I've built up. Sounds like from reading through this thread coconut in the boil is the way to go..maybe a little extra in the secondary? I remember it being really nutty.

 

[Ceetar]

brewing this (well, I adapted the recipe to my own. Extract+grain) right...._now_

house smells like toasted coconut.

 

[rwfishbu]

How are everyone's experiments turning out? Any more tasting notes? Change suggestions?

 

[Ceetar]

How are everyone's experiments turning out? Any more tasting notes? Change suggestions?

Mine's been in primary since the 19th. going to check/bottle it next weekend. I put the coconut in the boil. I scooped most of it out, but left some in the fermenter. Wasn't sure what to do there to get the best flavor. I'm going to taste it and if it needs more coconut I think i'm going to toast some more and add to secondary for another week or two. otherwise bottling and hopefully drinkable in January. I modified the adapted recipe in here to my own purposes too, so we'll see how that turns out.

I think i'm calling the beer Mad coco-nuthouse.

 

[Ceetar]

I bottled and tasted my version. I boiled the toasted coconut for about 15-20 minutes in the boil, and even left some of it in the primary (which was probably a bad idea, bottling-wise). The beer tastes really good, but the coconut flavor is barely perceptible. I only tasted a bit, and thought I detected some of it, but certainly not the powerful taste in the original. Neither of my parents or brother could detect it over the toasted/roasted/coffee flavors of the grain.

 

[Ceetar]

if i do say so myself, this is delicious. nice malty, but nutty, brown ale. I ended up using this recipe:

6lbs Light Dry Malt Extract
1lb Victory Malt
12oz Caramunich I
12oz American Chocolate

boil 30 mins 1.0 Galena pellet 13.1
boil 1 min 1.0 Willamette 3.4


Wyeast American Ale (1056)

put the pound or so of toasted coconut in the boil for about 15.

I can clearly taste the coconut, although my wife claims she can't. I think she's just used to the nutty nature of brown ales and not noticing. next time I'll perhaps toast it a little longer and maybe add a little bit-post boil or something. It's probably darker than it should be. But whatever.

on a related note, Kona's gonna start distrubting to south jersey/penn/delaware, and the Koko should be available as part of the Spring Seasonal Aloha.

 

[Coldies]

I just had this beer over the weekend. Man was it good. After reading through this whole thread i'm wondering if adding .5 lb of toasted coconut to the mash and 1 lb to the last 15 min of the boil would bring out the coconut flavor a little more.

 

[downtown3641]

Recently had this start showing up in Virginia. I picked up a six pack and I've only had one so far. I think the coconut may be a little too much for my tastes. I'll leave a few in the fridge for my wife to have after our baby is born. She loves coconut.

 

[rwfishbu]

I just had this beer over the weekend. Man was it good. After reading through this whole thread i'm wondering if adding .5 lb of toasted coconut to the mash and 1 lb to the last 15 min of the boil would bring out the coconut flavor a little more.

In talking to two different breweries about their coconut (Hale's and Kona through a friend), both say they use the toasted coconut flakes in secondary. They determine how coconut-ty it gets by how long they leave it on the coconut.

In my experiment, we added coconut in three different ways at three different times (read up the thread). We found that by mixing the three beers, we got the best beer overall.

By best, I mean, we had eight tasters; five of them brewers and one (me) a BJCP judge. There was no consensus on which was best unblended, but after blending, we all were in violent agreement that mixed was the best. Soooo... yeah, I'd try it in at least two--if not all three--points in the process to see if a single beer could be achieved.

 

[Coldies]

In talking to two different breweries about their coconut (Hale's and Kona through a friend), both say they use the toasted coconut flakes in secondary. They determine how coconut-ty it gets by how long they leave it on the coconut.

In my experiment, we added coconut in three different ways at three different times (read up the thread). We found that by mixing the three beers, we got the best beer overall.

By best, I mean, we had eight tasters; five of them brewers and one (me) a BJCP judge. There was no consensus on which was best unblended, but after blending, we all were in violent agreement that mixed was the best. Soooo... yeah, I'd try it in at least two--if not all three--points in the process to see if a single beer could be achieved.

I'm gonna try and do as I mentioned, 1/2 lb in the mash and 1 lb in the last 20-15 min of the boil. I have a porter lined up next but I will do this one after I keg my hef.

 

[2BeerSpeer]

What a great thread. We've been working on our own Coco Brown for a couple batches now and I think we've done a great job getting that liquid mounds bar beer. The story about the beer is here: Dave’s Coco Brown | Powell Avenue Brew.

A few suggestions after reading the thread. Maybe sub that chocolate for a debittered chocolate and black. This takes away some of the tannic harshness and allows for the coconut to shine through more. Also we've been using Whole Foods shredded coconut (unsweetened) straight into primary. The oil does get EVERYWHERE, but it is oh so worth it.

We've kicked a couple kegs of this now and it's definitely become a house favorite.

*Update - We added a pdf and beerxml of our Dave's Coco Brown to the website if anyone wants to check it out.

Do you have this in a beersmith file or a way to convert the beer xlm file to beersmith

 

[PowellAvenueBrew]

No, unfortunately I don't have a beersmith file. Not sure if there is a good way to transfer the xml into beersmith. I did just brew up a new batch of this yesterday though.

 

[2BeerSpeer]

No, unfortunately I don't have a beersmith file. Not sure if there is a good way to transfer the xml into beersmith. I did just brew up a new batch of this yesterday though.

I host a LUAU every year with all the bells and whistles...was wanting a good homebrew for the one next summer and I believe this will be it!

 

[Grumpybumpy]

I picked up a 6er of this yesterday and had one last night. Way too much coconut for my tastes. Tasted like a candy bar. A member of my homebrew club made a coconut porter that was out of sight though!