Choclate Coconut Stout - 1st tasting

Last time, I mentioned that I took Charlie's Holiday Cheer to our office open house. I also brought along the Chocolate Coconut stout. I knew it wasn't ready, but I thought that maybe, just maybe. . .

The beer was highly overcarbonated, without CO2 hooked up. The head was chocolate milk colored and lasted a long time, until finally collapsing into a dark, glossy, chocolate color, coating the sides of the glass with cocoa streaks that looked like mud. The beer was brown and as it settled, more of the cocoa would settle at the bottom of the glass. The taste was a bit uneven, but held some promise.

Last night, I tried it again. Still overcarbonated. I bled off the excess pressure and poured a slow pint that was half head. By the time the head settled, I had half a glass of beer. My goodness! was the beer tasty. But it looks hideous! When I went back to pour a second glass, I found that I had to bleed the excess gas off yet again!

Bear in mind that the beer was a kit with an addition of coconut extract. The kit called for 1 ounce of cocoa powder to be added to the priming solution at bottling/kegging. The cocoa is too much for me. Next time I brew this--and I will brew it again--I will leave it out and see what happens.

My cousin will be dropping by this afternoon, and I will get his opinion. He and a buddy of his won a regional brewing contest a few years back with their oatmeal stout.