Coffee and maple of course isn't an unusual combination in and of itself, but it's slightly less usual to find it in such a sessionable, respectable 5.6% porter. Certainly for me, seeing those flavours I generally expect something huge and sticky, a pudding in its own right. Awake though really shows that you can absolutely get those flavours in something much more subtle, a beer that can serve a completely different purpose.
This is kind of a porter in two parts, because upon sniffing it's so maple-y that you only get just a hint of coffee, then on tasting it, the coffee comes through so much more strongly than the maple. It really works well though, and with a very tempting contradiction with sweet maple on the nose followed by quite pronounced coffee bitterness in the mouth. The coffee comes from a cold steep with beans from Hasbean, then you get some richness and smokiness from the dark maple syrup, with notes of dark chocolate too. Because it's not huge, this is really drinkable—it has just enough body to match the flavours, and is nicely carbonated too. Definitely not one to restrict to an after-dinner treat, and a proper bargain too!
