This Imperial Porter has been brewed with Tonka Beans, the fruit of the South American Cumaru tree, which are used for their nut and fruit flavours, and cacao nibs.
I have to admit that Tonka beans are completely new to me, but they work well in this dark velvety beer.
Tonka pours a deep purple brown with a cappuccino head and smells of boozy figs and hazelnuts.
The malting is the king here, rich and round and packed with treacle tart, honey and digestive biscuit flavours, it’s chewy and succulent and delicious, the hops only there to provide a light herbal freshness to the edges of the beer.
The cacao nibs give you a dark chocolate underbelly and the Tonka beans add a very particular earthy plum compote, coconut and oily Brasil nut woodiness to the finish.
Oh, and Tonka is a great name for a beer.

Source: Hawkshead Brewery