Coconut Hiwa Porter

Review Date 4/28/2017   Last Updated 9/29/2020    By John Staradumsky

It was the last beer of my first night in Hawaii: Maui Coconut HiwaPorter. Now, if you know anything about me, you know that I love coconut, and nothing disappoints me more than a coconut beer without any coconut flavor. I had heard nothing but good things about Maui Coconut Hiwa Porter, so it was on my radar as beer I most wanted to find. At the Relish Burger Bar they didn’t have it on tap, but they did have cans, so I forked over $8 and brought one back to my room.

It was really late by then (about 8:30 PM local time, or 2:30 AM my time, which I never was able to shake for my whole time in Hawaii). Still, I poured this black beauty into a glass on the 9th floor overlooking the beautiful peaks of Maui and the lovely and unmistakable aromas of coconut wafted through the air to my nose. Maui Brewing doesn’t say much about the beer on their website, except:

A robust dark ale with hand-toasted coconut & hints of mocha.

I could have told you that, and in fact, I’m about too. Anyway, Maui Coconut Hiwa Porter has an alcohol content of 6% by volume with 30 IBUs. Yes, I paid $8 for a can at the resort, but saw it for as little as $9.99 a six-pack in my travels through Hawaii. What does Hiwa mean? In the language of the Maori, those Polynesian adventurers from New Zealand, it means “alert” or “watchful”. It also stands for Hawaiian Injured Workers Association, but I think Maui brewing names the beer for the former, not the latter. I do digress.

Maui Coconut Hiwa Porter pours to a beautiful almost jet-black color with a thick creamy tan head and inviting roast and coconut in the nose. Taking a sip, I get more of both in the palate, waves and waves of roast and coconut and chocolate with light phenols and subtle hints of vanilla. The toasty coconut really intensifies in the dry roasty finish.

This is a beautiful beer, and you really, really get the beautiful toasted coconut here. I expected that even more being a Hawaiian beer, and Maui Coconut Hiwa Porter delivers the goods. One of our sight-seeing ventures on Maui was a tropical plantation where we saw pineapples, papayas, passion fruit and of course coconuts growing. I half expected to see cans of Maui Hiwa Coconut Porter sprouting from the coconut trees….

The only downside here was that, on only day one of our trip my Holy Grail of coconut beers was already mission accomplished. Wait, my Lyft driver is telling me something…what’s that? Maui Brewing makes an Imperial Hiwa Coconut Porter? The chase is on!!!

Update 9/29/2020: I can't buy Maui Brewing beers here in Georgia sadly, but they are sold in California. That being the case, I have been sneaking a can or two into my orders from Craftshack.com. This is the second can of Hiwa Coconut Porter I am enjoying at home this year (I've had a number of their other beers too). The beer pours to a dark brownish black color with a very thick rocky tan head and an intense roasty nose. Taking a sip the beer is medium in body with robust roasty notes and fluffy toasted coconut notes wafting throughout. Almond-joy like and delicious, the toasty coconut really comes through especially as it warms.

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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