Brewery: Cherry Street Brewing Cooperative
Location: Cumming, GA
Brew: Chief Sawnee’s Stash Coconut Porter
Merchant: Ale Yeah!
Service: Growler of draft
Style: Porter
Color: Black (about 35 SRM)
IBU: 27
ABV: 6.4%
Temp: Cold. Growler shops often pour colder than proper consumption temperature. I can only assume that is so it’s just about right once you get home.
Smell: Sweet, roasted, caramel, coconut, subtle fruit (maybe date/fig).
Taste: As my growler filled I assumed I would categorize this as a “flavored” beer but this is a Porter all the way.
Initially you taste slightly bitter Chocolate but it quickly turns to roasted malt with a sweet coconut note that is fairly subtle. Even subtler is a dark fruit note. It’s interesting that the nose and taste are so similar.
The coconut continues to wake up as you work your glass to the bottom. But at no time does Chief Sawnee’s Stash Coconut Porter get tropical. This brew is very well balanced with nothing in the flavor profile overpowering. There are just enough hops here to keep it from being too sweet and tasting like a liquid Mounds™ candy bar. I was glad to find that this is not dessert beer. It’s very drinkable and fairly light. Definitely lighter than is 35 (or so) SRM color would suggest.
I love pairing a pint with a bite of food. This would be fantastic at Raging Burrito pairing perfectly with their Pineapple Jerk Burrito.
This is an excellent beverage you should seek out while supplies last. While supplies last? Yup, it’s a seasonal brew. No pressure.
3 Caps.
Wayne Pelletier
September 1991. I drew from a tall, golden, hazy glass of a fresh and local hefeweizen in Bamberg Germany. Since then I've tasted more than a thousand brews. Here in the Greater Atlanta area we're pretty fortunate. Our local heavies: SweetWater, Atlanta Brewing and Terrapin all do world-class work. But the scene goes much, much deeper. That's where I like to find fresh pints. The goal is to draw attention to those finds on a 3-cap scale. Three seems simple but that isn't to say everything is great, average or terrible. Quite the contrary is the reality. I have come across very few craft/micro beers that are just no good. I assume these are all good beverages brew by good people with good intentions and you should as well. If I cross paths with a local brew that is truly terrible I won’t waste your time, or mine, writing a review. 3 CAPS: Hurry. This is a rare brew worth going out of your way to find. I swear it. 2 CAPS: A very good beer. Stands out as great in the style. 1 CAP: A decent brew that is average for the style. Prost!