Let me begin by saying that I rarely get nostalgic about things like "IPA Day" or anything like that. But like any other beer geek, an excuse to drink a delicious beer is hard to complain about. So let's get started. I chose to review Coconut IPA for a couple reasons beginning with the fact that its a newly released beer that carries with it a fair amount of controversy in the form of a publicity stunt perpetrated by Stone's Greg Koch and one of the home brewers that made the beer. Secondly, it's not a traditional IPA, so it's right up my alley.
Bottle Description: Much like the recent Stone collaborations, (Dayman, wØØtstout) this beer sits in a 22 oz. bottle, and features more of the same artwork that resembles an MMA fighter t-shirt pattern brazened with vines and hop flowers. The Stone collaboration logo is also featured on the neck of the bottle.
Appearance: Beer pours a clear, coppery color with no haze. Good carbonation with a soft, pillowy head white in color.
Aroma: Citrusy, piney hop aroma start to attack the nostrils followed up by mellow coconuts. As expected from Stone, the hops are the dominant player, but the coconuts play nicely here, not too subtle but also not too overpowering. Considering we're dealing with a brewery that knows its IPA's, it should come as no surprise how well this all works.
Taste: This is where I find myself wanting more. Don't get me wrong, this beer tastes fantastic. But I'm not usually a fan of subtlety in beer, especially not beers from Stone. In my opinion, the hops are a little too dominating over the coconut. This beer features big citrusy hops and a well balanced bitterness but not a whole lot of coconut. And when a beer is called "Coconut IPA", I expect just a bit more coconut flavor.
Verdict: When a brewery like Stone makes an IPA, there's a pretty good chance it ends up being world class. But for me, when they do a themed IPA like a coconut IPA, I expect it to be a slight deviation from their norm. The aroma is where this beer really shines. It was well balanced with hop and coconut character. However in the flavor, the hops had court side seats and the coconuts were in the nosebleeds. But few people do IPA's as well as Stone, and even though I wanted more coconuts in the flavor, I could still drink this all day. Not perfect, but definitely not a loser by any means.
Score: 4/5
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