Stone/Maui/Ken Schmidt Aloha Plenty – Stone just loves to collaborate with people and I have to say, so far so good.  I loved the Winter Warmer they made with Nogne-0 and Jolly Pumpkin and I also really liked the Tripel they did with Mikkeller and Alesmith.  But this one trumps them all.  This easily one of the best porters I’ve ever had.  Yes and the taste and aroma on this beer is really good but honestly the star of the show has to be the mouthfeel.  I’ll stop right there so I don’t ruin this little review.

Aloha Plenty pours a deep dark brown.  Almost black.  A huge tan head is poured but disappears to what you see above.  The aroma on this porter is fantastic.  Espresso up front with a nice sweet chocolate presence.  As you let the beer warm up a little you’ll notice some of the coconut.  This beer is also brewed with macadamia nuts.  The nutty aroma comes out just a little bit in the end.  It’s not huge and is barely noticeable.  The mixture of the espresso and sweetness is what makes the beer smell so damn good.

The taste is out of this world too.  Just like in the smell, at the beginning of this beer you are going to get the coffee/espresso taste.  As the beer hits the back of your throat, the chocolate pops in.  As it warms up the coconut plays more of a roll.  It sits back there with the chocolate to make a great combination.  The beer is definitely more balanced as it gets warmer.  Now I said above, the mouthfeel might just steal the show here.  It’s thick, very thick, and creamy.  It just coats the mouth and throat.  Easily the best mouthfeel in any porter I’ve ever had.

This beer is a big winner.  Stone, make this an all around beer please.

Found: South Bay Drugs, Imperial Beach, CA (Mail Order)
Price: 8-9 dollars a bottle
Website: http://www.stonebrew.com, http://mauibrewingco.com
What the company says: Here’s a link to the beers page http://www.stonebrew.com/collab/index.htm#coconut
ABV%: 8.50%
Other beers to try from this brewery: Stone Russian Imperial Stout, Maui Coconut Porter
Other beers to try within the same style: Deschutes Black Butte, Founders Porter
Rating: A

Stone/Brewdog/Cambridge Juxtaposition – This beer is a Pilsner.  No your eyes are not deceiving you.  Yes it’s a pilsner.  A black one.  That’s not where the weirdness ends.  Because this beer really doesn’t smell or taste like a pilsner to me.  I actually liked everything about this beer.  Why is that weird you ask?  Because I’m not really fan of the style.  Yeah I know, as a beer reviewer you have to put the hate for certain styles away and I always do but it still doesn’t mean I can’t like the style that much.  There are some pils I like.  Hi Prima Pils.  Now on to why this is such a weird beer.

First off, look at the picture above.  Yes it’s black.  Not like any Pilsner I’ve ever seen.  My pour left me with a huge fluffy, crater filled head.  Great retention and lacing.  Now the first time I had this beer, I was sitting at a bar with Joey from South Bay Drugs.  He split a bottle of this stuff with me.  It was his first time trying the brew also.  We both took a whiff and he asked me what I smelled.  The day earlier I went to Stone for a tour, I responded by saying “This smells like their brewery”  Meaning this smelled just like the hops I smelled at their brewery.  Strong aroma of citrus, grassy, piney hops.  Matching those hops was a rather large dose of alcohol.  Sitting behind that is some lemon, chocolate, and roasted malt.  Folks this is not a Pilsner.  At least this is not a Pilsner like I’ve ever had.

Once again the taste is hoppy.  Not as hoppy as it’s nose though.  The alcohol once again plays a big part in this beer.  I won’t say it got in the way but I will say it’s in there nicely.  Roasted malt and chocolate are more up front here.  Mouthfeel sits more on the medium bodied with a good amount of carbonation.

This is a strange brew that I ended up liking in the end.

Found: South Bay Drugs, Imperial Beach, CA (Mail Order)
Price: Around 8 dollars a bottle
Website: http://www.stonebrew.com, http://www.brewdog.com, http://cambridgebrewing.com
What the company says: Here’s a link to the beers page http://stonebrewing.com/collab/index.htm#juxtaposition
ABV%: 10.00%
Other beers to try from this brewery: Stone IPA, Brewdog Punk IPA, Cambridge Tall Tale Pale Ale
Other beers to try within the same style: Port Brewing Panzer Imperial Pilsner, Clipper City Small Craft Warning.
Rating: B+