aloha plenty
stone brewing co.’s NEW/limited release brew “aloha plenty,” or the Ken Schmidt - Maui/Stone - Kona Coffee, Macadamia, and Coconut Porter, is a big deal.
beer advocate buzz aside, i know this because of two exchanges i witnessed (earlier this evening) at my neighborhood liquor store, clem’s bottle house.
within a 30 second window, the clem’s clerk (my buddy paul) got bombed by two different camps, requesting the “new stone collaboration.”
“i’ll be right back,” paul replied, and retreated to the back.
at the counter, the beer enthusiasts waited (impatiently) to get their paws on this premium brew.
paul returned with only TWO 12-oz bottles/per customer (because the demand is SO great, there is a cap.)
shocked, i broke out my iphone, and recorded the following:
after the exchange, paulie hooked me up with a bottle, and i took my prize home.
without hesitation, i poured plenty of aloha into a chilled pint glass. instantly, i was hit with an explosion of kona coffee, macadamia nuts, and coconut < a luau in my mouth.
i need to get back to clem’s…
mahalo, stone.
JonnyUps
Wednesday, 23rd September 2009 at 9:59 pm
I had some of the Aloha Plenty last night and my verdict is this:
Stone steps it up EVERY SINGLE TIME they release a new beer. 13th was amazing, VE09 was amazing, Aloha Plenty was amazing. It’s nuts, Escondido is pumping out some world recognized beer these days.
Manolastra
Wednesday, 23rd September 2009 at 10:58 pm
I just bought what seemed to be the last one in Hillcrest’s Whole Foods. Once I get my hands on a second one, I’ll drink it. One to try it, the second for a special occasion, because I’m sure it’ll be amazing!
CajonKev
Thursday, 24th September 2009 at 10:26 am
Not being disrespectful of any of the great folks who posted or are looking to acquire this awesome beer. But I did want to offer a slight clarification.
This is NOT a Stone beer…
This is NOT a souped up Maui Coconut Porter…
It IS a beer designed and brewed by Ken Schmidt using his own recipe and ingredients none of which were based on any previous beers…
Ken won the collaboration contest to brew with Stone/Maui which allowed us all to enjoy this fabulous offering.
Of course Maui provided the insight on how to “ramp up” a prototype home-brew to distributable quality and quantity. Stone did also, as well as providing the brewery and distribution.
But this is all Ken at the beginning and all collaboration at the finish.
And in full disclosure yes I know Ken (as do many in SD).
I have not had the bottle yet but I did get the draft at the release party and it was fabulous. Comparing it to the prototype I think they did a fabulous job of transferring Ken’s vision into a marketable product.
Pricey? You bet… But just try to figure out the ingredient cost not to mention the labor to toast all that Coconut!
Thanks for a great beer Ken and a reason to talk about it!
Mike G
Thursday, 24th September 2009 at 11:44 am
Aaaahh!!!!
You poured into a “chilled pint glass” ? I’m going to cry. Stouts should be served in a brandy snifter glass.
But more importantly, this beer needs to warm up to get any of the flavor. Think wine temp. Think cellar temps. 55º is a good starting point. Fridge temps are around 40º. A chilled glass will send ice cold. This is not a beer to drink ice cold.
Get another bottle Chris, it’s a totally different experience once it’s it at cellar temp or below.
Chris Cantore
Thursday, 24th September 2009 at 1:06 pm
thank you for the tips, mike g.
regarding the glass temp > on a 100 + degree day, i promise you, the glass did not fall below 55 degrees.
otherwise, i need to invest in a brandy snifter glass…
thanks again !
Judy
Monday, 23rd November 2009 at 7:01 pm
Thank you Cajon Kev for clarification on the Aloha Plenty…my favorite beer. Yes, this beer was Ken Schmidt’s award winning brew that Stone Brewing chose to represent in a collaboration brew as their next collaboration. This time, was special , as usually, Stove has chosen two other COMMERCIAL craft brewers for this occassion. This time, they chose to support Ken Schmidt, a talented HOMEBREWER,
and his special recipe .They also invited Mauai Brewing to join in to support this endeavor. The indgredients were a challange but OH do we LOVE this beer. Stone, thanks for completing the challange and turning out a gorgeous brew. Stone, how could you temp us with this beautiful brew, then leave us thirsting for more. You can’t drink just one! I hope that this fine porter and Ken’s other delicious brews will be made available to the public soon. The Aloha certainly resides in this beer…a vacation in a bottle. Thanks to all connected with this endeavor.