Java Sutra Coffee Porter - Three Heads Brewing

AleWatcher

Illinois

2.43/5  rDev -35.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 1 | overall: 2

Bomber arrived in the Disc Golf BIF #2.
Served in my Founders snifter.

This is a bit overcarbonated... The body feels thin as a result. The 3 finger head is foamy and built of microbubbles. Decent retention and nice chunks of lacing.

Smells of caramel and roasty malts with a little milk chocolate and just a hint of coffee.
The flavor adds a really dry finish, slightly acrid, like scalded coffee, and a little something that reminds me vaguely of chocolate-covered coffee beans. The coffee/espresso is weak-- this is a great example where "more would be more," if you know what I mean.

Overall-- meh. As far as porters go, this is about average. As far as coffee porters go, this is well below mediocre. Way to thin, too dry, and too little coffee flavor-- I feel like this label should be disallowed due to false advertising.

Serving type: bottle

05-06-2012 03:28:55 | More by AleWatcher

ryan1788a5

Massachusetts

3.69/5  rDev -2.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

22oz bottle poured into a pint glass. No freshness date indicated.

A: Pours a deep ruby/brown color. Good clarity. Thick, creamy tan head is very persistent. Thick globs of lacing stick to the glass in a loose ring.

S: Nice freshly roasted coffee aroma. Lots of caramel, toasted grain, toffee, and some milk chocolate. Floral and lightly citric hop scent, Grape skin/raspberry esters.

T: Freshly roasted coffee is all over the palate in a good way. This intermingles beautifully with notes of caramel, toast, roast, and milk chocolate. Oily, citrusy, and bitter hops do more than just make their presence known. Fairly acidic. Doubly bitter finish as oily hops, coffee, and heavily roasted malts all do a number on the palate.

M: Medium bodied. Full and creamy. Little in the way of carbonation. A bit more astringent than I'd like. Smooth.

O: The bottle warns to "Position yourself for the taste explosion." A taste explosion is exactly what you'll get. This beer is more about brute force and extreme taste, and it doesn't let up in the spots where a more subtle hand might be better appreciated. A bit more polish might suit it, but something tells me this isn't the direction the brewers want to go with their beers.

Serving type: bottle

05-25-2013 17:17:32 | More by ryan1788a5

Ego

New Jersey

3.23/5  rDev -14.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

eyes...
dark brown with ruby edges, a decent finger of head, moderate amount of bubbles in very organized columns seemingly anchored to various points on the bottom of the glass, lacing is pretty good, all around pretty good in all major departments

nose...
slightly metallic and weak dry cocoa, dry and unground coffee beans (where as many coffee ports have a more "brewed" aroma like sniffing an actual cup of coffee), powdered coffee creamer and a bit of dark caramel, not bad but nothing to make this coffee lover drool like a fool

mouth etc...
medium body with a nice amount of heft, the carbonation floats this boat nicely in the mouth with some prickle-ation which lasts into the after glow, like chewing on some bitter chocolate, there is a strange dryness/yeast-ish tone before it fades into the bitters and milder chocolate tones, after a good 10 seconds you get a slightly burnt coffee taste... but again, it tastes more like burnt beans than burnt coffee ala starbucks as some people say.

verdict?
ok enough, something about the taste does not thrill me. if you put java in the name... slay me with the coffee, just my opinion...

Serving type: bottle

05-18-2013 03:24:46 | More by Ego

Gww1864

New Jersey

3.75/5  rDev -0.5%

05-13-2013 16:19:48 | More by Gww1864

MDDMD

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev -0.5%

05-13-2013 10:55:26 | More by MDDMD

rolltide8425

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +6.1%

05-13-2013 00:26:36 | More by rolltide8425

Knapp85

Pennsylvania

3.64/5  rDev -3.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5

This poured out as a dark brown color with a tan head on top that fades quickly. The retention just leaves a ring around the glass. And there is a very light lacing. The smell of the beer is big with coffee and hops. The taste is roasted, with a big bitter finish. There is a bit of chocolate in there also. The mouthfeel is kind of watery and dry. Overall it's a decent beer but it doesn't really doesn't set the bar too high.

Serving type: bottle

05-12-2013 05:36:51 | More by Knapp85

2dogbrew

Virginia

3/5  rDev -20.4%

05-10-2013 21:27:06 | More by 2dogbrew

jd18

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +6.1%

04-30-2013 03:04:25 | More by jd18

tdm168

North Carolina

3.98/5  rDev +5.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

A - dark brown with reddish edges; big, soft brownish head that has good retention

S - big coffee, sweet bittersweet chocolate

T - coffee, chocolate, roasted malts, mild bitter finish

M - medium bodied but thin at times, well carbonated

This is a nice beer but its rather simple. The flavor is dominated by coffee with hints of chocolate and roasted malts. The coffee that was used is a bit more sweet than it is bitter which in my opinion subdues its flavor a bit. Overall, this is a good (if one dimensional) beer that has good drinkability and enjoyable. It's worth a try.

Serving type: bottle

04-02-2013 11:06:56 | More by tdm168

Dburke

Massachusetts

4/5  rDev +6.1%

03-29-2013 02:42:36 | More by Dburke

nickfran

New Jersey

4/5  rDev +6.1%

03-19-2013 20:11:35 | More by nickfran

GreesyFizeek

New York

3.75/5  rDev -0.5%

03-06-2013 00:29:53 | More by GreesyFizeek

Beejay

Virginia

3.93/5  rDev +4.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Thanks DmanGTR for this brew!

A: Dark black in body, with a nice full tan head. The head is rich and thick, and starts collapsing into fish eyes as it goes.

S: Chocolate and coffee come together with some slight molasses smells. Slight dark fruit, but cocoa and java dominate.

T: Rich coffee, and cocoa nibs come out with maybe a touch of woodiness. The finish has a touch of earthy bitterness, a touch of licorice, and a nice creamy dark grain and chocolate finish. Very nice.

M: Medium in body, there is a nice creaminess to the feel. Carbonation is on the lighter side, but works with the beer.

O: Overall I really dig this beer. A nice blend of dark grains and coffee.. Just enough coffee to enhance the brew, but it doesn't distract from it.

Serving type: bottle

02-24-2013 01:48:28 | More by Beejay

Brad007

Vermont

3.5/5  rDev -7.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.75

Pours a dark brown with a one-finger head into my glass. Very nice colors for the style. You cant really tell that much.

A mild touch of roasted coffee greets the nose. There's a touch of cocoa and cream but otherwise, it comes off as a mild coffee porter.

Lightly roasted coffee dominates as expected with a very nice touch of cream and roastiness at the back. It really compliments the front end flavor.

Coffee, cocoa and cream are all I have to say regarding the mouthfeel. Very well balanced. Enjoyable.

I like this coffee porter. It gets the job done in an exceptional manner.

Serving type: bottle

02-14-2013 10:36:09 | More by Brad007

Sludgeman

District of Columbia

3.45/5  rDev -8.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 3.5

Poured into a pint glass from a 22oz bomber. Purchased January 2013.

A - Black liquid, not viscous, healthy pour resulted in about two fingers of head, quickly disapated.

S - Coffee and tobacco

T - Coffee, roasted (but not burnt) malt, hint of raisins, some hoppy bitterness at the end, a balanced brew

MF - Thin, a little sharp, slightly fizzy

O - A fine beer but not at the top of my list, almost a session beer if not for the 6.5% ABV

Serving type: bottle

02-08-2013 03:10:10 | More by Sludgeman

DmanGTR

New York

4.25/5  rDev +12.7%

01-31-2013 21:47:42 | More by DmanGTR

thecheapies

Pennsylvania

3.65/5  rDev -3.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Three Heads Java Sutra Coffee Porter in a trusty ol' pint glass.

Pours as close to black as possible, but with some dark brown tones. Nice girthy, beige head eventually fell, and laced while doing so. Looks decent.

Vanilla and dark roast coffee, but without much intensity. Still shows restraint with the added ingredient of coffee and conveys a lot of your basic and expected roasty porter aromas of dark chocolate and kilned grain. Not as bitter in the nose as I would have hoped (rather sweet), but I still like it.

Yep, she's a coffee porter (I read some reviews that claim the coffee was near-absent; not the case). The coffee is quality, and it's not over-the-top (maybe that's what one might expect as a lot of coffee porters and coffee stouts are super-saturated with the coffee element). I'm questioning the quality and effectiveness of the rest of the beer in the taste portion of this review. Nice malty flavors of bitter cocoa and char, but there's some light sulfur in the backdrop that throws me. Nuances of spices that I don't think they used in the brewing process are interpreted as cinnamon. This appartion of flavor is probably aided by a hop spiciness that has earthy tones. I like the nature of the coffee, like a Mexican Custapec, only seemingly darker roasted as nudged bold by the malts. The finish on this beer has a great burnt quality that lingers, and as you can read between the lines, I have no problem with it.

The mouthfeel suffers from a thin body. Not saying it's thin, but relatively thin to what comes with the idea of a coffee porter. Carbonation is nice; very soft, so as not to accent the lack of viscosity and creaminess. Feels a little empty, but there's balance that saves it. We'll just call it average.

It was hard not to give the taste one more notch in rating, as I thought it was an overall delicious beer. It came together well, but it seemed attenuated. Didn't really jump off the table in flavor, in retrospect. Letting it warm up made it more drinkable and the quality of the ingredients used was a big plus. I'd recommended it and it makes me want to try more beers from this brewery.

Serving type: bottle

01-04-2013 04:24:03 | More by thecheapies

jsbrew

New York

3.75/5  rDev -0.5%

12-18-2012 03:30:05 | More by jsbrew

ppoitras

Massachusetts

2.83/5  rDev -24.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

22oz bottle purchased as a single from Savemore Discount Beverage, Clifton Park, NY.

Poured into am imperial pint, formed a 1/2" dark tan head over the clear dark brown brew. Head deflates slowly, with lasting coating lace. Aroma is a combination of coffee, root beer, and tartness.

Taste has underlying tartness from beginning to end, with root beer in the middle, and medium roast coffee through the close. Mouthfeel is rocky, with okay drinkability. Not something I'd look for again.

Serving type: bottle

12-11-2012 01:01:46 | More by ppoitras

beerismysavior

Virginia

3.83/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

I reviewed this beer while practicing for the BJCP Judging Exam. I likened/graded based on category 21A: Spice/Herb/Vegetable Beer with a consideration for base style(s) 12A & 12B: Brown Porter and Robust Porter, respectively.

Aroma: Rich chocolate profile up front, background character of sweet red fruit (i.e. cherry, berry, etc.) Mild coffee presence adds a layer of complexity upon the second smell. Coffee presence does not overpower classic signs of porter, sweet presence lasts throughout.

Appearance: Mostly opaque, clarity is indeterminate due to black/deep brown opaqueness, slight ruby tinge when held up to the light. Lightly colored tan head w/ medium retention.

Flavor: Slight cherry characteristic matches aromatics, background caramel presence throughout. Coffee is highly subdued and becomes nearly imperceptible among other malt and yeast derived characteristics i.e. chocolate, toffee, fruity esters, etc.

Mouthfeel: Medium carbonation w/ moderately low and light mouthfeel. Residual sweetness remains on the lips, presenting moderate viscosity. Highly restrained bitterness. Neither coffee nor hops provide enough bitterness to match building sweetness.

Overall: Labeling/initial perception of coffee leads me to believe this would resemble more of a hoppy "Americanized" robust porter than a classic "English" brown porter. Still well within the guidelines for the style, would have enjoyed a twinge more coffee presence and a handful bitterness on the backend. Overall, a mighty fine beer, just wish the labeling/marketing matched the flavor profile a little better.

Serving type: bottle

11-27-2012 06:55:10 | More by beerismysavior

JKIRBY

Wisconsin

3.5/5  rDev -7.2%

11-24-2012 17:20:13 | More by JKIRBY

TerrenceOBrien

New York

3.75/5  rDev -0.5%

11-15-2012 01:59:57 | More by TerrenceOBrien

steve8robin

Massachusetts

3/5  rDev -20.4%

11-10-2012 03:55:43 | More by steve8robin

brewcrew76

Wisconsin

3.73/5  rDev -1.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A - Deep brown, black with ruby highlights and a big tan foamy head.

S - Coffee, caramel, hazelnut, vanilla, baker's chocolate and light roasted malts.

T - Baker's chocolate, fresh coffee along with some coffee grinds, light roasted malts playing alongside some burnt notes with a strong herbal hoppy finish.

M - Light side of medium with decent carbonation. A little thin.

D - Fairly easy drinking. One of those beers where nothing really stands out but I would also easily have another one.

Serving type: bottle

10-20-2012 23:14:40 | More by brewcrew76