From the Brewery: 

“‘Cool Beanz’ Coffee Porter is an easy drinking porter, a balanced yet notably coffee focused beer. We brew this beer with our local Coffee Roaster Philz Coffee. The Philz roast we use, Philtered Soul, is roasted with hazelnuts and lends a nice nutty roundness to the beer.” 6.0% ABV

The Pour: 

Poured from a 22 oz bomber into my stout glass. Super dark brown with a red hue, offering a small amount of opaqueness. The head is light tan, and settles lightly to leave pretty good lacing.

The Nose: 

Roasted malts, roasted coffee, and milk chocolate undertones.

The Mouth: 

Medium-thick bodied, with a bit of mild harshness/bitterness going down. The initial flavor is of roasted malts mixed with a lactose flavor. This leads to a very roasty black coffee flavor, transforming yet again to a sweet mocha and ever-so-slightly salty/nutty flavor that coats the palate and lingers in the mouth.

Final Thoughts: 

I’d never heard of the Palo Alto Brewing Company before finding this bottle at a local beer store, I am more than pleasantly surprised by “Cool Beanz.” The roasted malts and coffee/espresso/mocha flavors mix and blend incredibly well on the palate, and the profile transformations that take place are some better ones I’ve had in a beer lately. Any fan of dark beer or a good roasty coffee would be doing themselves a disservice by not giving this one a shot. 8.5/10

Palo Alto Brewing Company – Palo Alto, California