Harpoon 100 Barrel Series #44 - El Triunfo Coffee Porter - Harpoon Brewery

bobhits

Kentucky

2.55/5  rDev -34.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 2

Pours a medium of the colored brown body. There's a nice tan capped head, some nice lacing and some nice density.

Coffee....really this is coffee. There's some nice caramel, vanilla, caramel light aromas here. Nothing is dark and over roasted, but that's what a porter gives you.

Caramel, vanilla, and just a long long lingering medium roast coffee flavor. This is a bit watery for so much coffee.

Maybe it is just me, but if you put a beer in a bomber and charge 4+ (I think this was 4.99 or 5.99) a single bottle, it is supposed to be BIG. This is the kind of beer you expect in a 10 dollar 6 pack based on this feel.

As I just said, over priced and under whelming. Still if you want something relatively light with a lot of coffee flavor this is a great option.

Serving type: bottle

02-28-2013 05:02:34 | More by bobhits

corby112

Pennsylvania

3/5  rDev -23.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Draft at The Pour House in Westmont, NJ.

Pours an opaque, dark chestnut brown color with a two finger beige head that has very good retention, only slowly settling into a lasting cap/ring.  Streaks of soapy lace left being.

Rich and robust malt aroma with a strong roasted coffee presence along with silky chocolate, caramel, toffee and hazelnut.  Also a bit nutty with a subtle lactic presence.  Smells like gourmet roasted coffee in beer form.

On the lighter end of medium body and  sligtly watered down with a deeply roasted malt and coffee presence that lingers throughout.  Slightly burnt and acrid with stale coffee/espresso bean, dark chocolate, oatmeal and burnt toast.  Not as complex as the nose suggests.  Creaminess, sweetness and nutty flavors found in the aroma are lacking.  Not terrible but one dimensional and too light for the style.

Serving type: on-tap

03-13-2013 01:21:15 | More by corby112

lordofthewiens

Maine

3.15/5  rDev -19.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

This beer was a dark brown color with some red highlights. There was a small tan head.

Aroma of roasted malt. Some chocolate and coffee.

Taste followed aroma. Sweet chocolate and coffee.

Nice enough beer, but kind of timid. I might have liked this one more, if only I hadn't had a BCCS just before.

Serving type: bottle

01-05-2013 21:06:51 | More by lordofthewiens

johnnnniee

New Hampshire

3.3/5  rDev -15.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a solid dark brown with faint garnet highlights when held to light and a huge fluffy tan head that persists forever. Wicked coffee aromas waft towards my nostrils the second I pop the cork off the bottle. Upon closer inspection I find traces of sweet sugar and chocolate in there, but this one is a coffee bomb. The flavor has a hint more malty sweetness than the aroma suggested, but not much more. Light chocolate, caramel and brown sugar malts come through in vain before my taste buds are smacked by Juan Valdez. Medium body with a moderate level of carbonation and a creamy oily mouthfeel. For me the coffee is over the top on this one, but then again I don't drink coffee. I'm amazed at how they got such a huge coffee presence and still retained a decent head and creamy mouthfeel without a bitter or acrid coffee bite. Well made beer, just not my cup of coffee.

Serving type: bottle

12-01-2012 06:03:47 | More by johnnnniee

PorterLambic

Florida

3.39/5  rDev -13.3%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Pours a dark chestnut brown, clear, with hints of orange. Light penetrates the edges. Small tan head has very little retention.
Smell is heavily roasted malt, coffee and a whiff of caramel.
Taste is toasty malt, robust coffee, some caramel and toffee. Some chocolate shows in the aftertaste but none of the floral notes the label promises.
The medium plus body is a bit watery during the swallow. Effervescence is light and a bit tingly. Warming with a hint of dryness. Overall, a good brew but since the label says its a robust porter I would like a bit more body.

Serving type: bottle

01-24-2013 18:15:42 | More by PorterLambic

BeerNinja007

New Hampshire

3.5/5  rDev -10.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5

22oz bomber purchased for $5.49 at Dover Discount Beverage in Dover NH. Enjoy by 03/15/13, code 313 1058. Served cold in a standard pint glass. In small print on the edge of the label it says "Porter with natural flavor added". I wonder if they have to say this because it has coffee in it, or does that mean some flavoring, in addition to coffee, has been added? Hmm.

A: A moderate pour gives about 2 fingers of dense creamy-looking taupe head. Brew is dark brown revealing a mahogany tint when held to a light. Little to no lace.

S: Smells of dark roasted coffee and milk chocolate. Also has a briny kind of note, somewhat reminiscent of the oyster stout from a few years ago (#30 in the series, Island Creek Oyster Stout). As it breathes the coffee really comes out stronger. A nice bright/ acidic edge develops as the chocolate notes dissipate.

T: Taste follows the smell exactly. At first I got a kind of muddy mix of coffee and milk chocolate. As it warms/ breathes, this shifts more toward the coffee side of things with some bitter chocolate stuff lingering around the edges. Not much complexity in this one, just a straight blend of coffee and a semi-sweet porter. Hops are completely hidden by the roasty and acidic stuff.

M: Maybe a little heavy for the style, but not overly so. It has a nice viscosity but isn't too filling. Nice balance. Carbonation is appropriate. *later* Weeeell, let me take that back a bit. Now that I'm almost done with the bottle I'm realizing it's a bit thicker/ heavier/ more filling than I originally gave it credit for. Too thick for a porter.

D: Decent. Not phenomenal, but not disappointing like many of the beers in this series have been either. I could take it or leave it. Probably won't get it again.

Toward the end of the bottle, the briny and acidic notes seem to be hitting my salivary glands in a weird way, making me salivate in an unpleasant manner. Eek.

I wonder how much caffeine is in here. Hopefully it won't keep me up all night.

Serving type: bottle

12-17-2012 03:49:49 | More by BeerNinja007

AndyAvalanche

Massachusetts

3.53/5  rDev -9.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

22 oz. bottle poured into a Sam Adams Perfect Pint Glass. Dark brown in color, slightly lighter highlights and what looks like decent clarity. Tan head, decent lacing.

Smell is good, but not much to it. Smell is pretty straight forward, smells like fresh black roasted coffee beans, no more, no less. I love coffee so I like it a lot, but there's really not much else to the aroma.

Taste picks up where the smell leaves off, you guessed it, more coffee. Not talking cheap diner coffee though. I take my coffee black and this is like a quality fresh coffee. Not really much else beyond this in the flavor department.

Mouthfeel is pretty good, it's much lighter than I expected. Certainly not bad, just thin, only slightly thicker than a brewed cup of coffee. No taste of the hops, but an added bitterness from them in addition to the coffee. Good carbonation level and a decent balance, certainly a little more bitter.

I like the beer, but not much too it, it just tastes like coffee. If you're a coffee fan seek this out, but if you don't get a chance, just brew yourself a quality cup. Otherwise, avoid it if you're not a fan. A good offering from Harpoon.

Serving type: bottle

12-11-2012 08:27:06 | More by AndyAvalanche

Rizalini

Nevada

3.54/5  rDev -9.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 3.5

Received this as an extra from jageraholic. Poured the bomber, dated Enjoy By 3/15/13, into my Deschutes tulip glass...

A - Pours a dark cola brown, with 2 fingers of off-white colored head. Falls rather quickly leaving no lacing behind.

S - Smells like a cup of coffee with notes of chocolate syrup.

T/M - The taste is of bitter coffee, with hints of chocolate. I'm also getting some burnt malts as well. The mouthfeelis light, with good carbonation.

O - It is a very coffee forward porter, but the mouthfeel is very light. Even for a porter. I wish I had more to say about this one, but it's kind of a one trick pony.

Serving type: bottle

04-17-2013 02:36:14 | More by Rizalini

Goblinmunkey7

Massachusetts

3.58/5  rDev -8.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Thanks to angrybabboon for sharing the bottle.

Appearance: Dark brown. Ruddy and muddy. Head is off-white Small cap is creamy and smooth. Poured a bit heavier than expected.

Smell: Fresh roasted coffee beans. Vaguely oily. Some minor roasted malts. Chocolatey. Cocoa dustings and some sweeter milk chocolate. Some older coffee in the back. Vaguely grassy in that porter way. Clean. Straight up iced coffee.

Taste: Lightly roasted iced coffee. Grassy chocolate. Mild roasted malt character. Some chocolate and chocolate malts. Freshly roasted coffee beans. Some cool coffee. Some herbal notes. Sweet building maltiness. Light toasted. Cocoa dusted.

Mouthfeel: Light to medium body with some minor carbonation. Clean.

Overall: A standup performance from Harpoon.

Mellow iced coffee. The end.

Serving type: bottle

02-10-2013 01:57:45 | More by Goblinmunkey7

Etan

Illinois

3.6/5  rDev -7.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

22oz bottle.

A: Pours a black with some mahogany hues, nice cap of very light tan head on top.

S: Earthy coffee in the nose - not much else.

T: Big coffee roast, dry and slightly bitter roasted malt, a bit of caramel sweetness.

M: Between thin and medium-bodied with light carbonation.

O: This is pretty good, but I would have liked to see a little more malt character to balance the coffee.

Serving type: bottle

01-03-2013 23:24:04 | More by Etan

bum732

Maryland

3.6/5  rDev -7.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

S: Strong coffee bean, some floral notes, daisies, some roastiness, some earthiness. Some rich chocolate as it warms.

L: Dark black, some ruby highlights. Light tan head that dissipates.

T: Coffee flavored, medium light malt with some light roasty flavor. Medium low bitterness, light floral hop character. Some latte like sweetness following towards a semi-sweet, slightly coffee roasty finish.

M: Medium light bodied, medium carbonation.

A light, coffee porter. I really enjoyed the coffee, brought a lot more to the table than other coffees used in beers. Unfortunately, the malt bill I found lacing.

Serving type: bottle

01-07-2013 04:41:16 | More by bum732

Gmann

New York

3.71/5  rDev -5.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

Pours a deep chocolate brown color with a tight cream colored head that settles into a light ring. Some amber highlights peek through.

The aroma is of a light freshly ground coffee. Perhaps some woody notes and light caramel but the coffee is forefront. Wish it was a bit stronger.

The taste is of a mild roast base, caramel and some tea and lemon notes; traditional english porter base. The coffee flavor is nice; freshly ground coffee flavor. The coffee really stands out. It could use a touch more sweetness as it dry and a touch bitter from the coffee.

The feel is light to moderate with fizzy carbonation. Quite a dry feel, almost powdery. Bitter in the finish from the coffee. Solid porter body.

I really like the coffee flavor in this porter. However, the beer is screaming for some sweetness, perhaps some oatmeal or lactose.

Serving type: bottle

02-10-2013 17:22:43 | More by Gmann

CAUK

3.73/5  rDev -4.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A very smooth and balanced coffee-ale, with a fine head and a palpable body. For the price and pretension of a limited run small batch, I would have liked to see more texture in the head and more body in the beer. I might regret rating the beer less than 4.5 in taste, but I expected more complexity. That being said, coffee porters are notoriously unbalanced, in my experience, and this one had a near perfect coffee-to-malt profile, with subtle hoppiness.

This has replaced Surly Coffee Bender as my new reference standard for my own coffee-porter homebrew.

Serving type: bottle

12-30-2012 15:33:39 | More by CAUK

Kendo

New York

3.74/5  rDev -4.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

A: Poured from the bottle into a pint glass. Body is dark brown with mahogany edges when backlit. Small tan head settles on top. Some lace.

S: Cold, all I'm getting is coffee. Not in an overpowering way, however, which is good by me. As it warms I get some sugary sweetness - brown sugar and maybe molasses. But coffee is there throughout, becomes stronger, actually, as it warms - and not in a good way (it starts to remind me of old coffee).

T: Coffee, roasted barley malt and some lactic, milk-stout-like flavors. Finishes slightly minerally, with more bitterness than expected from a porter. As it warms there's some chocolatey flavors there too.

M: Weight is about medium; it drinks lighter though. Decent creamy feel to it.

O: OK. Not overly impressed, but it's not bad.

Serving type: bottle

01-19-2013 00:33:41 | More by Kendo

elgiacomo

Georgia

3.74/5  rDev -4.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

22oz bottle, recent release. Served at around 55F.

Pours dark brown with red highlights and a two finger tan head that holds a small, but good cap and leaves nice sheets of lacing behind.

Aroma is coffee, caramel, toffee, hints of chocolate, roasted malts, nutty, touch of vanilla. The coffee is pretty nice, definitely the strong suit here. Good strength.

Flavor is coffee, chocolate, roasted malts, caramel, toffee, a bit astringent, mild sweetness, mild bitterness, mild alcohol. Good Porter, but not as robust as others on the market these days.

Mouthfeel is medium-plus bodied, creamy, soft carbonation.

Pretty good coffee Porter. I’m a little spoiled here lately with some of the bigger coffee Stouts such as WnB & FBS, but this one is nice for something a little lighter in body and lower in alcohol, but with a good coffee aroma and flavor.

Serving type: bottle

01-27-2013 23:03:35 | More by elgiacomo

Billolick

New York

3.74/5  rDev -4.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

Bomber bottle, w/o freshness information.

Pour dark dark brown, medium mocha head, fine and high quality in its look. Leaves a thin collar, fine film and decent fine fields of webbing and additional scattered lacing.

Just some faint dusty chocolate and stale coffee on the nose.

Flavorful porter, moderate dark chocolate shining through and less bright coffee notes. Dry in the finish. Chocolate and coffee linger in the finish.

Pretty typical 100 barrel series brew. Decent craft beer but nothing special. Good way to check out new styles in a user friendly manner.

Serving type: bottle

02-10-2013 17:17:06 | More by Billolick

Gosox8787

New Hampshire

3.75/5  rDev -4.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Presentation: 22 oz. bomber poured into my Dogfish Head snifter. Served chilled. Bottle listed with a "Enjoy By" date of 3/15/13.

Appearance: Dark brown to black in color. Pours a really nice, creamy, two finger brown head with really nice retention. Keeps a nice lacing throughout.

Aroma: Some roasted coffeee beans and light caramel notes. Definitely a nice coffee presence with some balanced malt notes to take away any acidity from the beans.

Taste: A light coffee presence with some balanced caramel and toasted malt. The coffee notes are definitely not overdone. More sweet than bitter, with some light smoke notes throughout.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied, but with a nice creaminess throughout.

Overall, a really nice coffee porter that is definitely more balanced than coffee forward. It is tasty, but at times the lack of coffee presence makes it slightly boring. Really nice drinkability, but nothing really stands out. Good, not great.

Serving type: bottle

12-02-2012 18:28:58 | More by Gosox8787

themind

New Jersey

3.8/5  rDev -2.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 4

Strong coffee taste and aroma this porter stands tall. To those of you who have acquired this brew my suggestion is not to drink it on an evening where you will have to get up the next morning. This brew has major coffee and kept me up all night lol! worth the time seeking out and worth drinking. Pours very dark with a small head.

Bottom Line: Good porter, you have been warned!

Serving type: bottle

01-29-2013 17:28:10 | More by themind

hreb

Washington

3.83/5  rDev -2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

22oz bottle from Harpoon's 100 Barrel Series, served in imperial pint glass. Beer pours dark brown to black with a thin, bubbly head. Aroma is surprisingly malty, as much brown ale as porter, and not at all the morning cup of coffee that coffee and espresso porters tend to be. Flavor features a solid porter body with coffee in equal balance flavoring and bittering vessel. The label reveals only 28 IBUs; the rest of the dryness must come from the coffee. Tertiary flavors of chocolate and toasted barley.

Interesting in that it's unique among the coffee beers I've tasted, if not as flavorful. Still, a great concept and execution, definitely worth trying while it's available.

Serving type: bottle

05-11-2013 21:06:32 | More by hreb

jondeelee

Massachusetts

3.9/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

El Triunfo opens to a rich, sugary, ashy nose that bears nice touches of coffee. The predominant aromas are thickly creamed coffee, milk chocolate, caramel, brown sugar, and vanilla, which rest atop a bed of ash, tobacco, and smoky wood fire. The coffee notes blend well into the porter, serving to amplify its already ashy, black flavors, rather than standing out by themselves as a showboat. Thick brown breads, toast crust, and even hints of marble rye bread add an earthy, bready layer. The overall effect is that of a very well-made porter, being heavy on ash and tobacco, but with good levels of sugars to support the blackness. The aromas are a touch light, and could use more sugar, caramel, and cream to support the ash, but are otherwise excellent.

On the tongue, the beer opens big and black, with a hit of ash and tobacco that is followed almost immediately by an espresso-grounds strong shot of straight black coffee grinds. Sugars slowly play in afterward, with caramel, brown sugar, cream, and vanilla entering the mix. The thick brown breads are still there as well, along with toast crust. But the predominant flavors are ash, tobacco, and coffee, blending together decently to form a nice black layer. The coffee may be a bit too much for the other flavors, however, especially late in the mouthful after the sugars have died off a bit, and the beer tastes more like alcoholic and extremely strong espresso. The aftertaste is more ash, tobacco, and espresso, with lingering sugars, and even a touch of grapefruit from the hops, and stays on the tongue for a decent while. Mouthfeel is a surprisingly watery medium-light, and carbonation is medium.

Overall, this is a good coffee porter, but the watery mouthfeel speaks to a dearth of sugars, and adding a few more handfuls of malt to the mix would have not only bettered the mouthfeel, but would have added some much-needed caramel and brown sugar notes to play off the coffee.

Serving type: bottle

12-02-2012 01:17:22 | More by jondeelee

BEERMILER12

Maine

3.91/5  rDev 0%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Enjoy By: 03/15/13

A: Pours a dark ruby/mahogany color with a fingers worth of head that disappears fairly quickly

S: Dominated by a strong black coffee aroma along with some very light chocolate and caramel notes

T: Starts off with the huge coffee presence and slowly moves onto a light dark chocolate and caramel. Finishes very lightly bitter with lingering coffee

M: Medium bodied with moderate carbonation. A little light for the style, but still smooth

O: A nice little coffee porter. Definitely dominated by coffee, so if you don't like coffee then don't try this beer. It won't be around for much longer, so get it while you can

Serving type: bottle

01-18-2013 03:57:44 | More by BEERMILER12

metter98

New York

3.93/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

A: The beer is nearly jet black in color—bits of reddish amber are visible near the bottom of the glass when it is held up to a bright light. It poured with a finger and a half high dense light tan head that has very good retention properties and consistently left a short head covering the surface.
S: There are aromas of coffee beans in the nose along with some faint hints of dark malts.
T: The taste is similar to the smell but isn't completely one dimensional with coffee flavors. It's rounded out with some hints of chocolate and roasted malts as well as a light amount of bitterness.
M: It feels medium-bodied and a little smooth (and slightly thin) on the palate with a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: If you really like coffee, this is a nice flavorful porter that is also very easy to drink. There's little in the way of roasted malt flavors but the coffee beans have a nice enough taste to make up for this.

Serving type: bottle

02-17-2013 15:56:13 | More by metter98

jdhilt

New Hampshire

3.95/5  rDev +1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours a five-finger khaki head that takes a while to fade leaving a good lace. Totally black color, no highlights. Medium carbonation and heavy bodied. Chocolate/coffee nose. Flavor is roasted coffee, some chocolate, dry finish. $7.20 for a 22oz bottle from Tully’s Beer & Wine Wells, ME.

Serving type: bottle

12-29-2012 23:19:21 | More by jdhilt

pdeepak

Pennsylvania

3.98/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

I have been drinking this on tap all week and I wholeheartedly endorse this to any coffee beer lovers out there.

Smell and taste is straight up like drinking a glass of black coffee on ice... Agreeable mouthfeel for the porter style, but for this particular beer I wish it was a little more chewy.

Dark ruby highlights at the bottom of the pint glass and deep brown everywhere else, very much a beer I would like to be available all year.

Serving type: on-tap

12-31-2012 04:43:48 | More by pdeepak

Bung

North Carolina

4/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

22oz. A pretty black pour, just some brown around the edges. Frothy cream head that retained pretty well.

Aroma, some roast malt and caramel, chocolate. Mostly fresh ground coffee though.

Taste, a real nice roast, some malt but mostly coffee again. Limited caramel, some more dark chocolate. Mocha, more coffee in the finish.

Mid body, mid carbonation, drinks very easy. Reminds me a bit of the Williamsburg or Central Waters coffee stouts. Pretty nice coffee "porter".

Serving type: bottle

12-22-2012 04:02:04 | More by Bung