Pipeline Porter / Kona Brewing Co. (Hawaii) Appearance (0 to 4 stars): 4. I can't deny it. I like dark brown/caramel brews. Guiness. Newcastle.
Aroma: 4.0. I don't drink coffee, but I love the aroma, and this brew has plenty of the Kona-grown stuff.
Flavor: 3.0. Takes a big adjustment, tasting coffee in a brew, but once I got used to it, I liked it. Not love... but liked.
Texture: 3.5. Smooth and rich.
Drinkability: 3.5. Not really a hot-weather brew. More like a beer you can almost eat a pastry with.
Overall score: 18.0 / 20.0
Cost: $9 / 6-pack. On the label: "Limited Release Pipeline Porter made with 100% Hawaiian Kona Coffee."
Summary: This is the first "packaged" beer by Kona Brewing Co. in eight years, and it's a quality product. It's seasonal, too, produced only between October and March.
This ain't a beer for everybody. It's unique, and the fact that I lived in Kona, met a few coffee farmers there, makes me proud of this local concoction. For anybody who 1) loves beer and 2) loves coffee, this might work. For me, it's a novelty that rates high, but not higher than the finest of brews.
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