Yellow Dog Brewing Co. Chew Toy Coconut Porter American Porter at 5% ABV | 33 IBU (C$4.50 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 473 ml, packaged on 21-Nov-2017, acquired 13-Dec-2017, reviewed 19-Dec-2017)
Appearance: clear ruby brown with a short, short-lived beige head, minimal spotty lacing. (3/5) Aroma: coconut, chocolate, coffee. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium body, moderate-lively carbonation, off-dry moderate bitter finish. (3/5)
The only beer I’ve previously had by these guys (that wasn’t a collab) came in at a fairly meh-tastic 6.5/10. Their P49 collab was worse (6/10), and their Blindman collab was far better (8.5/10!). On the other hand, I love coconut, so… I dunno – cautious optimism? And that paid off. Initially, I didn’t think there was any coconut, but the more I let it warm, the more it came out. The underlying flavours are clean chocolate and coffee, with no deep complexity, but that works for this style. It ends up being reminiscent of a Bounty Bar, with a smooth body marred only slightly by a too-high carbonation. If this actually were chewy, it would be stellar, but as it stands it’s merely good. (14/20)
7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com
