Avery Coconut Porter

Review Date 10/24/2021  By John Staradumsky

  Style: Imperial Porter   Brewery: Avery   Country: USA   State: Colorado   $ Per OZ: $.15   ABV: 8%

It had been in my beer fridge, my garage beer fridge to be exact, for quite some time. A bomber bottle of Avery Coconut Porter from 2014 that predated the actual refrigerator itself, but was one of the first things to go into it when I bought it. Every time I would go out to the garage for a beer and open the door, the bottle would peer back at me. “Drink me,” it seemed to say, even though only the bottle neck emblazoned with it’s bright red “A” was usually all I saw.

Still, I knew exactly what beer this was; I also knew it was quite formidable a beer, and one I should drink on some kind of special occasion. And wouldn’t some aging on this one be apropos? So, it stayed there for many years, until on a Friday night when I had worked hard all week and was tired and wanted something to sip on and savor as my reward, I popped off the cap.

It was worth the wait. The beer is a little different every year in alcohol strength. My bottle says it has an alcohol content of 10.8% by volume; in 2016 it was 9.5%, and the brewery website today puts it at 10.4%. The label on my bottle says:

Copious quantities of coconut coupled with time basking in bourbon barrels complement the chocolaty and sumptuous nature of this delectable porter.

I don’t recall what I paid for my 22 ounce bomber bottle, but whatever it was, it was worth it. Total Wine still has some bombers left in Atlanta at $14.99 each. The beer now comes in pint cans as well. There’s something about a bomber bottle, especially one like this wrapped in green foil with the Avery logo boldly emblazoned on it, that screams “special occasion.”  Avery further describes their beer on the label as Porter with Coconut Added Aged in Bourbon Barrels.

Avery Coconut Porter pours to a dark almost jet-black color with a medium head of creamy tan foam and a nose exploding with toasted coconut and boozy bourbon. Taking a sip, the beer is medium to full in body and rich with thick layers of dark chocolate, boozy bourbon, so much wood it leaves splinters in your tongue, toasted coconut (coakunut with the wood?), and a big boozy bourbon finish.

This beer was a sipper for sure, a real corker of a brew, and one I wish I had more of. I haven’t seen it since I bought this bottle, but if I did, I would be all over it. You know I would, but I'm not sure I will hang onto it for 7 years this time.

Glad I tried it?  T

Would I rebuy it??