Year of New Beer: Hug Machine, Boone Creek Brewing (Lexington)

Written By: Dion on 10/09/2017

When someone offers you beer, you take it. When that someone is local homebrewer Joe Rice, you count yourself lucky to be the recipient of said gift. For this one, Joe takes coffee from Smokin' Aces and combines it with toasted coconut to produce an imperial stout that would be the envy of many professional brewers. The nose opens as a straight coffee bomb, leaving me wondering, at least initially, what happened to the coconut. A little aeration and warmth allays those concerns as a subtle coconut begins to emerge against a backdrop of chocolate malt and dark fruit. Very similar on the tongue with the coffee presenting bold and slightly acidic. An earthy bitterness builds as the coconut develops and balances things out, sweet and creamy alongside a sturdy roasted malt. This is delicious and only gets better as my glass becomes increasingly (and frustratingly?) empty. Nice work Joe, and thanks for the beer!