It almost didn’t happen. Twice, I came so close to missing out on Ballast Point Coconut Victory at Sea, an imperial porter from San Diego, California’s Ballast Point brewery. The first time I passed it by (oh whoa is me) was at Sherlock’s Liquor Store on Barret Parkway in Kennesaw, Georgia. I wasn’t there for beer, you see, I was buying scotch for a Christmas present. I had already bought enough beer for the year, and I have avowed to reduce my stash before buying any more beer for a while. To be sure, I was tempted; I do love coconut so.

Miss number two didn’t quite happen, but almost did. On winter vacation between Christmas and New Year’s Day, I decided to stop by the Green Line brewpub here in Canton. They have been open for a while but still can’t sell their own beer. Sadly, they had a sign in the door that read “Gone Surfing”. Dejectedly, I headed off to Taco Mac, and there found Ballast Point Coconut Victory at Sea on the draft list. That almost made me glad that Green Line was closed…..

From the brewery website:

Our favorite porter with just a touch of the tropics.

This Coconut Victory at Sea takes our popular Imperial Porter to another place. We added sweet roasted coconut to our robust porter brewed with Caffe Calabria coffee and vanilla, the perfect complement to this beer’s subtly roasty intensity. A favorite at our annual Victory at Sea Day, but it’s worth enjoying anytime you need to be transported.

Ballast Point Coconut Victory at Sea has an alcohol content of 10% by volume with 68 IBUs. I paid $6 for an 11-ounce glass at Taco Mac and his sells for $7.99 at Sherlocks.

My glass of Ballast Point Coconut Victory at Sea arrived a beautiful jet black color capped with a thick tan head of foam. Whoa at the heady nose bursting with robust coconut! The thick, rich dark chocolaty palate that screams coconut at the top of its lungs! The deep dark roasted coffee notes! The wonderful roasty finish! The subtly soft hints of vanilla! And through it all, the mighty coconut is never subsumed!

I was truly amazed at the wonderful coconut character here, and the way it was balanced so nicely juxtaposed against the aggressive roast. Too many coconut beers don’t deliver on the coconut, but this one absolutely does. It may well be the best coconut beer I’ve ever tasted, and I may go back for one, despite my moratorium on buying beer.

Still and all, my now coconut satiated brain wants to know the answer to just one question.

How did Maryanne make all those coconut cream pies with no milk or eggs????

And remember, try a new beer today, and drink outside the box.

*Pricing data accurate at time of review or latest update. For reference only, based on actual price paid by reviewer.

(B)=Bottled

(D)=Draft

 

 

 

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