Aloha, Tesla! Like the coil? And its inventor. Yeah. This beer rules! It can “catch a wave” anytime and always “hang on for 10 seconds!” Charlie don’t surf! Yeah. So last weekend—as I’ve briefly mentioned—the horse racing event we attended was complimented by a lil’ microbrew festival! There were some 20 beers on tap, many I had only had in the bottle before. This beer, I’d NEVER had! GWOW! While Mrs. Beer had to inform the beer wenches of some of the finer point on beer (and some of the less fine… like, um, why dark beer is dark… stupid beer wenches) it was a fine spread of brau* and while I’ve had Kona Brewing Company’s other brews and been mixed on my feelings (Longboard Lager: meh… Fire Rock Pale Ale: quite decent) being introduced to this’n was a pleasure. REEEEAAAAD ON! And hit the pipeline! Beachbreak! Invertebrate! Tubular!

Kona Coffee infuses this beer with its standout character. In fact it’s Kona (grown on the Big Island of Hawaii, that is) coffee grown about 15 miles from the brewery on a family owned farm. And its fusion into this dark, roasty beer is excellent. The brew has a relatively low 5.4% A.B.V. so the alcohol largely stands back and lets the other flavors roll. The hops too are restrained, but plenty present enough to provide balance and a light floral note or two in the otherwise rich, chocolate-coffee taste and nice, roasted finish. The dark, rich malt is the defining character here, with hops and coffee acting as braces… flying buttresses, if you will* for the roasted malt nave and transepts that are this excellent porter. A light alcohol narthex is also present, as are aromatic ambulatory chapels. The Romanesque unmalted-Wheat crypt was destroyed in a 12th Century fire, as this is, y’know… an all barley malt brew.

* from the German for “guttersnipe.”

* and yes, you will.