We aged our rich and chocolatey imperial milk stout in freshly-emptied Heaven Hill bourbon barrels to add flavors of vanilla and caramel to the sweet bourbon-like notes. We then added mountains of toasted coconut, elevating an already decadent beer to blissful new heights of dessert ecstasy.

Barrels
Wine and bourbon

ABV
12.4%

Microbes
Saccharomyces

Availability
Distribution, Tasting Rooms, Club

Release
November 2021

Prior Vintages
2020

Silver, Oregon Beer Awards 2022, “Barrel-Aged Stouts”

Platinum, SIP NW 2020, “Stout” category

Thai chicken coconut curry, baked brie with caramelized pineapple sauce, lemongrass and coconut panna cotta

The wonderful part of aging stouts in bourbon barrels is all the decadent flavors that come from the bourbon and the oak. Locked in the grains of American oak barrels are wonderful flavors of vanilla, clove, butterscotch and lighter notes of smoke, caramel, and coconut. These flavors can be subtle, and sometimes difficult to pinpoint, but the complexity that they add makes the difference between a monotone beer and an extraordinary one.

Previously, Coconut Rhino Suit was offered only to club members when we released it in August of 2020. It was such a hit, that we’ve made a larger batch so that everyone can enjoy it this time around!

To accentuate the barrel flavors in our next stout blend, we decided to add 600 pounds of toasted coconut to our signature bourbon barrel-aged Rhino Suit base. It adds depth to the roasted flavor, builds upon the silky, creamy mouthfeel, and emboldens the coconut flavor already present from oak.

With the flavor of coconut in this blend, our intention is to not have it taste like candy or become cloying. We want to accentuate the flavor of coconut that we would get from oak, and add a little more in conjunction with a toasted quality. The flavor is subtle and complimentary, the way it should be in a well-rounded, full-bodied stout.

The whole blend should at first taste, be big, bold and creamy, but our intentions and work for this beer really lie in the nuance and the subtle layers of flavor. Tasting the richness and the complexity in this beer, we are proud of this blend and eager to share!