Fireplace Bananas
Trillium Brewing Company in Canton, Massachusetts, United States 🇺🇸
Collab with: Cloudwater Brew Co / Monkish Brewing Company / Other Half Brewing / The Veil Brewing CompanyStout - Smoked Special Out of Production
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Score
6.76
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Friends who grill bananas together stay together: Monkish, Cloudwater, The Veil, and Other Half came for a visit and together we made a banana-rific beer!
Naturally, when friends have sleepovers and drinks, ideas flow… especially around a roaring fire. What do you roast in your fireplace? Bananas, obviously! And so the idea for Fireplace Bananas was born.
Since bananas add a relatively light flavor, every advanced banana product we could get our hands on (flame grilled, dehydrated chips, puree, dried & ground dried) went into this unique American Stout. The equivalent of 30,000 bananas generated about 25% of the fermentable sugars for this beer. That's about four bananas for every 750ml bottle! A nose of subtle smoke, ripe banana, and a hint of dark cacao lead into a palate of caramelized sugar, banana bread, molasses, and a charred chocolate flavor. Finishes with a rich sweetness and full mouthfeel, underpinned by a subtle bitterness.
STYLE: Imperial Stout
ABV: 10.4%
HOPS: Columbus
MALT: Pale Malt, Beachwood Smoked Malt, Dextrine, C-120, Malted Oats, Chocolate Malt, Black Malt, Munich Malt, C-80
ADDITIONAL INGREDIENTS: Flame Grilled Bananas, Dehydrated Banana Chips, Banana Puree, Ground Dried Banana
Naturally, when friends have sleepovers and drinks, ideas flow… especially around a roaring fire. What do you roast in your fireplace? Bananas, obviously! And so the idea for Fireplace Bananas was born.
Since bananas add a relatively light flavor, every advanced banana product we could get our hands on (flame grilled, dehydrated chips, puree, dried & ground dried) went into this unique American Stout. The equivalent of 30,000 bananas generated about 25% of the fermentable sugars for this beer. That's about four bananas for every 750ml bottle! A nose of subtle smoke, ripe banana, and a hint of dark cacao lead into a palate of caramelized sugar, banana bread, molasses, and a charred chocolate flavor. Finishes with a rich sweetness and full mouthfeel, underpinned by a subtle bitterness.
STYLE: Imperial Stout
ABV: 10.4%
HOPS: Columbus
MALT: Pale Malt, Beachwood Smoked Malt, Dextrine, C-120, Malted Oats, Chocolate Malt, Black Malt, Munich Malt, C-80
ADDITIONAL INGREDIENTS: Flame Grilled Bananas, Dehydrated Banana Chips, Banana Puree, Ground Dried Banana
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7.3/10
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Appearance 7
Aroma 7
Flavor 7.5
Texture 7
Overall 7.5
Poured into a transparent solo cup showing dark brown with a finger of latte colored foam.
The nose shows lightly intense notes of caramelized bananas and light molasses.
The palate is light bodied and moderately carbonated. Mildly sweet with moderately intense notes of caramelized bananas and molasses with a mild bitterness on the finish.
The nose shows lightly intense notes of caramelized bananas and light molasses.
The palate is light bodied and moderately carbonated. Mildly sweet with moderately intense notes of caramelized bananas and molasses with a mild bitterness on the finish.
Tried
from Bottle
on 12 Jul 2026
at 05:38
6/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 6
Flavor 6
Texture 6
Overall 6
Thnx to Koen K. Pours dark brown. No real head. Smell is dark malts, coffee, hidden caramel. Tart, somehow. Taste is full, good body, very, very roasty. Tart espresso. Bit 'plastic'. Sharp carbo. Not my thing at all. Banana isn't very straight forward ( when tasted blind ) but can not be un-tasted when you know. Specifically overripe banana.
Tried
on 09 Oct 2019
at 09:38
7.4/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 6
Overall 7.5
750 ml bottle purchased in Canton. Dark brown in appearance. No head at all. Aroma shows a huge toasted banana character, light chocolate, and toasted wood hints. Flavor is real interesting.
Earthy notes of toasted wood, light ash, and sticky fig. The banana is here but must have mellowed over time. ABV is hidden. Odd stout but it works in a way. Leaves me with strange “banana burps” after I drank 14 oz.
Earthy notes of toasted wood, light ash, and sticky fig. The banana is here but must have mellowed over time. ABV is hidden. Odd stout but it works in a way. Leaves me with strange “banana burps” after I drank 14 oz.
Tried
from Bottle
on 03 Sep 2018
at 21:59
7/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 7
From notes taster at the source brownish tan color with a minimal head, looks like overripe banana puree. Aroma is light bourbon banana roasted chocolate. Taste is caramel toffee banana bourbon with a rich and creamy mouthfeel. Interesting.
Tried
on 21 Jun 2018
at 14:36
7.1/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 6.5
6 oz pour on draft at Trillium Canton. Dark brownish with light tan head. Aromas of roast, light smoke, banana. Tastes of banana, coocoa, dark chocolate, roast. Full body with a dry finish.
Tried
from Draft
on 26 Apr 2018
at 01:17
6.4/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 6
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 5.5
750mL bottle, drunk way too young in retrospect, 11/30/17.
Maple-auburn-mahogany body shows good clarity and dark chestnut highlights. Smattering of light-tan head sits atop the surface in patches.
Initial banana puree notes are interesting, authentic and enjoyable, but are quickly joined by burnt toffee, aggressive roast and sharp, noxious alcohol and other various unwanted esters. Bitter cacao, sharp vanilla and very slight balancing components all serve to further exacerbate the very young, "hot" nature of the beer. Which is a shame, because the banana and burnt/creme brulee characters here are very promising.
In the mouth, it suffers from a rather thin body. Not that there's no malt, but the bitter, dark cacao notes, sharp vanilla and penetrating alcohols easily subdue and dash the body, leaving the end sharp and messy. Carbonation is a bit on the low/loose side, as well, which doesn't help at all. That being said, I do love the banana flavors here; you can absolutely tell the difference made by not using banana extract. The roast, dark chocolate and burnt/creme brulee notes all work wonderfully with it, but it's just way too sharp and alcoholic still. Hopefully it mellows out nicely, though the slightly thin body and loose carbonation do worry me.
Maple-auburn-mahogany body shows good clarity and dark chestnut highlights. Smattering of light-tan head sits atop the surface in patches.
Initial banana puree notes are interesting, authentic and enjoyable, but are quickly joined by burnt toffee, aggressive roast and sharp, noxious alcohol and other various unwanted esters. Bitter cacao, sharp vanilla and very slight balancing components all serve to further exacerbate the very young, "hot" nature of the beer. Which is a shame, because the banana and burnt/creme brulee characters here are very promising.
In the mouth, it suffers from a rather thin body. Not that there's no malt, but the bitter, dark cacao notes, sharp vanilla and penetrating alcohols easily subdue and dash the body, leaving the end sharp and messy. Carbonation is a bit on the low/loose side, as well, which doesn't help at all. That being said, I do love the banana flavors here; you can absolutely tell the difference made by not using banana extract. The roast, dark chocolate and burnt/creme brulee notes all work wonderfully with it, but it's just way too sharp and alcoholic still. Hopefully it mellows out nicely, though the slightly thin body and loose carbonation do worry me.
Tried
from Bottle
on 29 Mar 2018
at 15:11
6.5/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 6
Texture 8
Overall 6
Pours murky ice coffee brown into a tulip. Tan head with medium retention recedes to mottle surface. Fig, spice and banana aromas. Soft with sweet bananas flambé, chocolate mousse and meringue upfront turning sour, charred plantain peel finish.
Tried
on 05 Feb 2018
at 02:24
6.6/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 6.5
Bottle - pours dirty brown - nose and taste of banana, chocolate, caramelized sugar, molasses and lightly smoked banana peel - medium body
Tried
from Bottle
on 12 Dec 2017
at 00:29