I’ll have your finest imperial stout, stuffed in your 2nd finest stout, aged in barrels. “Excellent sir, Fair State Co-op Coconut Rum Barrel-Aged Lobster Stuffed With Tacos.” The co-op crew took their killer collaboration with Bottle Logic and made it even better. Here’s how they amped it up.
Coconut Rum Barrel-Aged Lobster Stuffed With Tacos
This is a beer that was already crazy and has now been sent to an insane level. The original was big imperial stout aged 12-month bourbon and brandy barrel-aged imperial stout with ridiculous amounts of toasted coconut, vanilla beans, and caramelized cocoa nibs. Now they’ve stuffed it into coco-rum barrels for the past year. And then added even some more coconut, along with caramelized cacao nibs and the choicest whole vanilla beans. Hey Sabu, bring me a bottle.
The thick black brew pours from bottle to glass and the slow slosh hints at the viscous consistency. Half a finger of deep-brown foam forms and quickly disappears, as often happens in coconut beers. Little bits of coconut particulate stick to the walls of the glass as you drink it down.
Huge coconut fills the nose with a creamy sweet aroma, blending wonderfully with the vanilla beans. It’s fresh and wonderful. There’s a hint of rum and bourbon, balancing nicely between sweet and dry. It’s a wondrous one to sit and smell. A touch of alcohol heat is present too.
Huge roasted and chocolate malt coat the mouth from the first sip, applying another layer with each taste. The base beer had tons of caramelized cocoa nibs and they added, even more, this time around.
The coconut is big and fresh, both fresh-shaved and toasted are there. It works nicely with vanilla bean bonanza, with one drying out the sweetness of the other.
As if the coconut they aged this beer on wasn’t enough, Fair State managed to find coconut-rum barrels. Who even knew such a thing existed? There’s a light rum note and sweetness, which is then brought to balance by dry bourbon and barrel character.
At 13.7% ABV (down just a bit from the original at 14%), it has a ton going on and booze to back it all up. A tiny bit of alcohol heat makes its way through the huge cocoa, coconut, and barrel-aged beer here. Not a burn, but a distant reminder that this one is far heavier than the way it drinks.
And Put It All On My Player’s Club Card
The Fair State Co-op folks took an amazing beer and sent it to another level. It’s huge, full of flavor, and yet balanced. It’s got big alcohol levels, yet drinks easily.
Get into the Fair State Co-op taproom and enjoy a glass of Coconut Rum Barrel-Aged Lobster Stuffed With Tacos now. But please, don’t call your bartender Sabu. It’s funny when Moe does it. Not when you do.