Sycamore Brewing The Salty Coconut Red Ale (Rum Barrel Aged)

I have never gone to a brewery only beer release before, but now I can say that I have. This past weekend I went down to the Sycamore Brewing here in Charlotte, NC and picked up a few bottles of The Salty Coconut Red Ale, 6.8% ABV. This is aged in rum barrels from Nicaragua and Barbados and brewed with a hundred pounds of coconut. For how long this beer resides in the rum barrel is beyond me and I don’t know what rum or rums were in these barrels prior to sycamore using them. This is a small batch brew, which means only a small number will be brewed, 1000 to be exact. The brewer has hand written the barrel caretaker’s name and the bottle number on the bottle of the label. This bottle is 712/1000. Sycamore does brew this beer with out aging them in rum barrels. This is Sycamore first ever bottled beer. The Salty Coconut Red Ale pours a deep red color with a thin white halo head that fades as quickly as it can. The aroma of coconut hits you as soon as you pour it. I also found a light rum scent there that with the coconut is how I imagine coconut rum to be, as I have never had coconut rum yet. I am sure that is good. But anyway this isn’t a liquors blog! So the taste, well yes you do get a huge rush of coconut hitting your taste buds with nice light yet faint rum flavors round it with a dash of salt. Sycamore does say on the label to have a sip and think of turquoise water and your toes in the sand. No I didn’t think of that, instead I thought of a palm straw hut bar and tropical weather. Now you’re thinking this isn’t a beer for winter. But it is and it is okay for the unseasonable (warm) weather here in Charlotte, NC. The mouth feel is slightly medium with a nice rummy coconut finish with a little tiny alcoholic burn. After taste is in the name COCONUT. That is what I got and it sticks around with hint of salty rum for a bit. This is a good beer and I would like to try the un-aged version of it. I give Sycamore brewing The Salty Coconut Red Ale a B. I think this goes to show you that a tropical tasting beer doesn’t have to be pilsner, lager, wheat, or even radler colored. The rum barrel aging adds even more of Caribbean taste and flavor to it that is great.  I really like the idea behind this as well. I recommend trying this if there are still any of the 1000 bottles left. Cheers! Please enjoy responsibly! Happy Holidays!