Not shy

I have a huge collection of backlogged Irish beer posts sitting waiting to be tidied up and slotted into the schedule. To buy myself some time it's just one today: Coco Buzz, a stout from Trouble Brewing. 5.6% ABV with added coconut and hazelnut.

In the glass it looks like... a stout. It's dark brown with a quickly-vanishing skim of off-white foam. There's a little coconut in the aroma but it's no gimmicked-up pastry job. Restraint is the order of the day. Chocolate kicks in early in the flavour, a fully candy bar sweetness, loaded with coconut, Bounty style. It's not sticky or cloying, however, and fades decently quickly, leaving nothing but a dry cocoa powder residue behind.

In an era where "enhanced" stouts vie for bigger and dafter profiles, it's pleasing to find one that could work by the pint. Whatever about the hazelnut, this definitely delivers on the coconut and stout elements. If Trouble were considering adding such a thing to the core range, I think there'd be an audience for this.