Sharp’s Coconut Stout (Waitrose) By @spectreUK

This Sharp's Coconut Stout is part of their limited edition Adventure Series from their 2019 Reserve. Ah, 2019, when adventure was a little safer. Sharp's Brewery have combined dark chocolate malts, oats and coconut to create a creamy stout. I can't remember trying a coconut stout before myself so this can be an adventure first for me anyway. I just won't be travelling out of our locked down area, I'll just have a coconut stout adventure right here in an armchair.

At 5.2% in volume this pudding stout is shown on the label as having a chocolate and coffee aroma, with a flavour described as; "luxurious, smooth mouthfeel with chocolate and coffee undertones." Pale malts, as well as chocolate, caramalt, and oats were used in the brewing, with Magnum hops added and Sharp's special ingredient of coconut. I don't know about you, but using certain phrases such as "mouthfeel" always gives me a bit of an unpleasant shiver…

On opening the bottle there was the expected dark mouthwatering chocolate malt smell, with deep roasted coffee at the back of the aroma. This almost black coconut stout has a creamy head which almost matches its creamy flavour. There is great depth in that flavour. There is an initial sweetness from the dark chocolate malts, which is instantly pounced on by the bitter herbal Magnum hops, with warming promise of spice, mixed perfectly with the bitterness from the roasted coffee flavour, followed closely behind by the sweet pale malt and caramalt. Then there's the fulsome oats to fill my belly and that sumptuous creaminess produced by the coconut whisking me away to a far off land. Not off to a deserted Caribbean island like some tropical pale citrus beers have a tendency to do, rather looking through the window off a Alpine log cabin whilst sitting next to a roaring fire. I gaze outside at the cold icy winter's snow landscape, whilst warmed by my luxurious pudding Coconut Stout!