Koko Brown

Kona Brewing Co.
Kona, Hawaii

Available: AZ, CA, CO, CT, FL, GA, HI, ID, IL, IN, KS, KY, MA, MD, ME, MN, MO, NC, ND, NE, NH, NJ, NM, NV, NY, OH, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TX, VA, WA, WI, WY.

Kona Brewing Company was started in the spring of 1994 by father and son team Cameron Healy and Spoon Khalsa, who had a dream to create fresh, local island brews made with spirit, passion and quality. It is a Hawaii-born and Hawaii-based craft brewery that prides itself on brewing the freshest beer of exceptional quality, closest to market.

ABV: 5.5
ABW: n/a
Color: n/a
Bitterness: 28
Original gravity: 1053

A beer with an appealing ruby-red color and a dense collar of foam, followed by a delightful aroma of coconut, gently roasted grain, a hint of dry chocolate and light hop resins. Rich, sweet malt fills the mouth with chocolate, creamy coconut and a hint of dark fruit, while bitter hops grow in intensity. Creamy coconut dominates the finish with sweet biscuit malt, dry chocolate and more muted hop bitterness.
- Roger Protz

The color is alluring, a rich garnet brown capped by light tan foam. The aroma is restrained; a little toasty malt, some caramel, perhaps a whiff of vanilla. On the palate, moderate bitterness is followed by very light coffee flavors, after which oak-like coconut notes waft in. The palate is dry and focused, and the finish is fairly clean. Along with coconut, the label says that the beer has “natural flavor” added, and I wonder about that bit—this doesn’t taste very much like coconut to me. It’s otherwise well done, though, and it would be nice with braised short ribs.
- Garrett Oliver

Roger Protz
Roger Protz is the author of Complete Guide to World Beer and 300 Beers to Try Before You Die. He is a respected beer authority and editor of the CAMRA Good Beer Guide.

Garrett Oliver
Internationally recognized brewer and expert on traditional beer, Garrett Oliver is the brewmaster of the Brooklyn Brewery and the author of The Brewmaster's Table.

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