In what is appearing to be the never-ending winter, imperial stouts are reigning supreme. As we all huddle together around our roaring fires, trying to maintain body-heat, we share stories in hushed voices – stories of the fabled stout, the stout that will show us the way. Is Even More Coco Jesus the much revered prophetical dark ale? In the words of Terry Jones: “He’s not the messiah; he’s a very naughty boy!”
Pull up a pew as I try my best to describe this delectably dangerous false prophet.
Background
Even More Coco Jesus is the creation of Danish born, now USA-based brewery, Evil Twin Brewing. It is a special edition follow-up to the tremendous Even More Jesus, which brought great merriment to my evening in Ølbaren, Copenhagen. Having always been impressed by their offerings, as well as being particularly captivated by the previous Jesus (he seduced me with his holy powers!), my expectations for this brew were sitting extremely high.
Oh Ølbaren, how I miss you
The beer
Even More Coco Jesus is an imperial stout with maple syrup and coconut. The beer comes in at an alluring 12% and was served from a 473ml can.
The pour
As you can see from the picture above, I’m cradling a miniature black hole. Light cannot escape this beer. The head initially sits on top like the toasted caramel of a crème brûlée, but sadly then dissipates, leaving you to stare blankly down at a sprinkling of unappetising sediment. Perhaps the consequence of an overpour, but the production remains did cause me to grimace ever so slightly. Without a head it’s no surprise that there was little to no lacing as the beer was consumed.
Goodbye crème brûlée
The aroma
Upon opening the can, the beer’s scent surged expeditiously outward, filling my living room with the smell of rich chocolate, coconut, and vanilla. Unsurprisingly, there was a potent booziness which was weaving its way through the other more enticing flavours. Evil Twin do not want us to forget that this is a 12% monster.
The taste
Upon consumption, my mouth was bombarded by flavour after flavour. Unsurprisingly considering the name of the beer, it was chocolate, piles upon piles of chocolate which initially grasped my taste buds. Following this, there was the sweet maple syrup, tasting like caramelised sugar. I was disappointed by the seemingly light coconut offering the beer brought to the table; I feel Paleo Pinhead is a better showcase of what can be achieved with this ingredient. The beer packed a bitter aftertaste which reminded me of a strong Italian espresso; delizioso! Mouth-feel wise, the beer was certainly thick, almost syrup-esc, and was extremely light on carbonisation.
What I found interesting was that this Coco edition managed to hide its ABV rather well, all things considering. Don’t get me wrong it was still boozy, but it didn’t have the same “knock you to the floor” effect a sip of regular Jesus would (now that’s an extremely strange sentence when taken out of context).
Shout out to James Clay
Verdict
Overall, I really enjoyed Even More Coco Brian. Sure, he’s not the messiah, but that’s ok, he doesn’t need to be. He’s still a bloody good beer. There are faults, but we all know there’s no such thing as the perfect beer. That’s why we keep experimenting, brewers and consumers alike. If the opportunity came up to have it again, I certainly wouldn’t turn it down, but if instead someone was to offer me a new Evil Twin impy stout, I would have to party with Dr. Strangelove.
More Wednesday Beers
Paleo Pinhead Imperial Coconut Porter
The Missing Piece
Treat yourself to a midweek beer and share your #wednesdaybeers
