Mill Street Coffee Porter - Mill Street Brew Pub

Luk13

Quebec (Canada)

3.88/5  rDev +4.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4.5

Bottle by TheJester (Thanks Andy!) Brown black small tan head. Aroma is coffee grinds, meat, grapes and cocoa powder. Flavor is much more sour than expected (grape's like) with coffee bitterness; delicious. Smooth and medium creamy palate. Quite refreshing for a porter. A pleasant surprise.

Serving type: bottle

01-17-2010 20:21:35 | More by Luk13

fartkowski

Ontario (Canada)

3.88/5  rDev +4.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Serving type: 341ml bottle bought at the LCBO

Poured a very dark brown, almost black color with about a 2" light brown foam head.
You can really taste the coffee, also you get hints of dark chocolate. It almost tasted like the alcohol filled chocolates you can buy.

I really enjoyed this beer,

Serving type: bottle

01-11-2010 11:52:09 | More by fartkowski

Mebuzzard

Colorado

3.58/5  rDev -3.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

this is a dark pour. hints of dark ruby keep it away from 'black'. Off tan head builds well to about 2 fingers, then settles to a more-white head. quick swirl can bring it about again.

Dark chocolate and coffee in the nose. Nothing deep or rich. Solid, but not overwhelming. Raisin and prune. Coffee in the end.

taste has a balance of bitter chocolate and lightly roasted coffee. A bit 'green' in the coffee. Young. Prune gives it a juiciness to it. Slightly chewy. Semi-dry in the end.

A good porter with just enough coffee influence to make this a 'coffee porter' but not too much to exclude the porter side of it.

Serving type: bottle

01-09-2010 01:35:27 | More by Mebuzzard

Long813

Nova Scotia (Canada)

3.33/5  rDev -10.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

G: Duvel Tulip

A: Opaque black body with two fingers of light mocha head. Moderate retention and decent lacing. Very basic porter/stout look.

S: Mild coffee and well that about it. Just a full aroma of mild coffee beans

T: Again just mild coffee. It's very pleasant choice of coffee beans, but I cannot pick out of any of the chocolate it says it has.

M: Medium-light body and medium carbonation. Has a nice creamy body and the carbonation gives it a little sparkle. Leaves a nice bitter coffee finish.

D: This is a nice beer, but it needs more flavours. I would love this to have some chocolate in here. Judging as a coffee beer, this is amazing. As a beer I'd buy more, well I don't think I would much.

Serving type: bottle

12-20-2009 22:44:35 | More by Long813

JohnnyBarman

Ontario (Canada)

4/5  rDev +7.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Another testimony to the merits of re-trying beers you didn't like the first time around.

Poured into a Mill St. ale glass. Very deep brown, light tan head, a bit of lacing. Typical for the style.

The smell is most certainly a pronounced ground coffee, which is one of my favourite scents so it's hard to mark low here. A bit of roasted maltiness in the back.

The taste is not nearly as 'coffee' as I remember, certainly not worth applying the moniker. A good plend of coffee, dark chocolate, malt and caramel. A solid porter all around.

Mouthfeel is about right for a porter: thick, creamy, and with a moderate carbonation.

Another winner from Mill St. Don't let the name fool you, as their Coffee Porter merits well enough as a standard porter. Great stuff.

Serving type: bottle

12-02-2009 00:16:21 | More by JohnnyBarman

Genuine

Connecticut

4/5  rDev +7.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a bottle into my Sam's perfect Pint glass. Nice, dark body that sat benieth an off white head that smelled absolutely wonderful.

S - this is probably one of the best smelling coffee porters i've come across. I absolutely loved the aroma of this one.

taste - definitely goes along with the smell. Very well, coffee is there in the right degree, couldn't be any more matched.

mouthfeel - a bit on the heavy side, but that's how porters are.

drinkability - I definitely would have a few of these without any problems.

Serving type: bottle

11-04-2009 05:30:54 | More by Genuine

WeedKing4

Ontario (Canada)

3.78/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a pure black colour. Light brown foam appearing during the pour. Decent amount of carbination. Its not a bad beer, but the taste is pretty boring compared to stouts. Very easy to drink though. But again, nothing blows me away with this. Would much rather drink a imperial stout. Pretty average.

Serving type: bottle

10-28-2009 23:34:06 | More by WeedKing4

cfrancis

Ontario (Canada)

2.55/5  rDev -31.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 1.5

This beer is lost on me. As I'm not a coffee drinker. But it was in the sampler pack and I hate seeing beer go to waste. Aroma is intense ground coffee. I do enjoy the smell of coffee and I just sat and enjoyed the aroma for a while. Taste is not as much coffee that I was expecting. It is somewhat subdued. There is more chocolate and malt which made drinking it palpable to me.

Serving type: bottle

10-23-2009 15:45:17 | More by cfrancis

NightINgale

Quebec (Canada)

3.8/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A- Very dark, opaque brown body, with a rich frothy brown head. Head retention is okay. Some small bubbles are visible at first.

S- A very pronounced roasted coffee bean aroma, with some chocolate notes. Very pleasant, but not too intense.

T- The malts cooperate well with the added coffee. From the first sip you get "attacked" with that strong roasted flavour, as well as bitter chocolate notes. The sweetness is rather mild at first. The beer opens up with temperature, bringing some dark fruit notes and more sweetness. The finish is lingering and bitter, with a tobacco-like feeling.

M- Medium bodied or a bit lighter. Quite creamy and smooth

D- Good, but this is not quite a session beer, so enjoy in moderation!

Serving type: bottle

09-04-2009 19:08:18 | More by NightINgale

ZorPrime

Quebec (Canada)

4.35/5  rDev +16.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Thanks for Bobsy for this beer. Tasted on August 26, 2009.

A: Dark black with a brown head. The head has a creamy texture. Sticks well to the glass. Awesome.
S: Coffee and malts... roasted malts.
T: On the taste, it is coffee with some bits of dark chocolate. Still taste the roasted malts too. Probably the roasted malts provide all these tasting... however the coffee is stronger which suggest coffee was added to the brewing process. A very good taste.
M: Medium body and the taste stays longs in the mouth with is very good... feels good too!
D: Easy to drink...

Serving type: bottle

09-02-2009 11:33:37 | More by ZorPrime

biegaman

Ontario (Canada)

3.98/5  rDev +7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Mill Street's Coffee Porter certainly looks the part - it is black, it is opaque and it has a most oily complexion (isn't it convenient that coffee and porter should share those same characteristics?). I can't help but feel, however, that its grayish tinted head would be considerably more attractive if it had a more rusty coloring to it. Lacing would be good too.

In the nose, Coffee Porter is mostly porter. Sure, there is a generous dosage of coffee but that isn't unusual for a porter, even one brewed without it. Swirling will invoke more of the smokey, roasty character of the beans but sitting flat the smell just resembles cold, black coffee. Most of its allure comes from the malts and their aura of cocoa and fudge.

In the taste, Coffee Porter is mostly coffee. There is some malty sweetness, a faint impression of toffee, brown sugar or caramel, but it can scarcely survive the heavy-handed roast and bitter astringent of the coffee beans. Although I find the coffee to be a tad too prominent, I absolutely love this combination of flavours; it tastes like a delicious tiramisu.

The finish is rather abrupt with the sensation of bitterness coming not from hops, but just from astringently roasted coffee beans. Their drying smokiness is most palatable but I still would have liked more texture and flavour to come from the malts. Ample carbonation helps lighten the full-bodied texture of this considerably rich and robust concoction.

Honestly, this is one taste I don't mind lingering in my mouth all day long. Mmm, do I now taste hazelnut? Could anything be more obvious than saying that if you like dark beer and you like coffee you will likely enjoy Coffee Porter? Probably not, eh? Putting two and two together is not hard. Mill Street did it: good beer + good coffee = one damn good drink.

Serving type: bottle

08-28-2009 22:22:30 | More by biegaman

ecoastman

Ontario (Canada)

3.73/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Drinkability - Quite drinkable for a heavy coffee/cocoa flavoured beer but I probably wouldn't go past a second. A decent brew.

Appearance - Dark opague black with a good head to start but is not retained long. Only a little lacing.

Smell - nice clean coffee and cocoa aromas.

Taste - just like it smells. I think I'd give this a higher score if the mouthfeel was better. The coffee and cocoa flavours are quite good and well balanced but the thin watery texture just doesn't bring it out the way that it could. The bitterness is also well balanced in the dry finish.

Mouthfeel - not bad but a bit too thin and watery as it needs a little more creaminess to it. There's a slight soda-like carbonation that needs to be smoothed out.

Serving type: bottle

08-26-2009 00:05:24 | More by ecoastman

ritzkiss

Ontario (Canada)

3.68/5  rDev -1.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12oz pours not completely black, glints of ruby around the edges. Active carbonation leaves a finger plus of chocolatey head. Pours light and active.

Nose is brewed coffee, hints of chocolate and roasting malts. Not overly bold.

Coffee dominates the body but is met by a milky sweetness, roasting malts, dash of smokiness, faint hop bite in the finish along with some nice coffee bitterness. Light chocolate notes, dash of caramel. Lightish body but a decent finish. Perhaps a touch over carbonated for style.

Nice drinkability, enjoy the bitterness in the finish. Nothing over the top or overly complex here. Coffee notes are a bit of a let down - there but not as rich or luxurious as I'd expect from a quality roast. A good local option worth trying but not really one to seek out.

Serving type: bottle

08-17-2009 04:02:07 | More by ritzkiss

johnnnniee

New Hampshire

4/5  rDev +7.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a dark brown with ruby highlights when held to light and a creamy beige/tan head that leaves us way to soon. Smells roasty, chocolaty, caramel. Taste is roast and milk chocolate, some toffee and caramel. Sweet malty unassuming porter. Leaves a roasted grain/coffee in the finish. Body is medium to thin, mouthfeel is creamy, carbonation is medium to high. Great Porter.

Serving type: bottle

08-14-2009 00:22:29 | More by johnnnniee

wordemupg

Alberta (Canada)

3.3/5  rDev -11.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

341ml bottle poured into pint glass aug 12 2009

A black as night, half a glass of thick tan head, good retention, with nice lace with every sip. this is one good looking beer

S coffee, dark malts and some chocolate, not as strong as i expected

T as it smelled, chocolate is more noticeable then the coffee, once again not as strong as i thought it would be

M/D not as thick as the color would make you think, still not bad overall

not bad not great, looked better then it drank, but still a pretty good beer

Serving type: bottle

08-13-2009 05:32:12 | More by wordemupg

ClockworkOrange

Pennsylvania

3.85/5  rDev +3.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Out of a 341ml bottle and into my nonic Imperial pint glass. The porter appears a clear deep chestnut color with about two fingers of creamy ecru colored foam. The nose and taste consist of medium roasted grains, sweet caramelized malt, mild milk chocolates, roasted coffee beans, mocha, sweet, bitter and mildly roasty. Medium bodied with adequate carbonation. A tasty, well made porter.

Serving type: bottle

08-10-2009 22:02:57 | More by ClockworkOrange

mintjellie

Ontario (Canada)

3.85/5  rDev +3.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Deep black with thin ruby highlights around the edges when held to the light. 2-3 fingers of tan head. Leaves behind very little lace as it recedes.

Roasted malt aroma. Coffee and a little bit of chocolate.

Subtle coffee flavour, complemented by chocolate and a hint of dark fruit. Mild roasted bitterness.

Somewhat light in body with low carbonation. Very smooth, if a little thin. An easy drinking session porter.

Serving type: bottle

08-08-2009 21:04:26 | More by mintjellie

aewinte1

Arizona

3.95/5  rDev +6.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A- pitch black with 1 inch head that dissipates very quickly.
S- smells of chocolatey coffee, nothing very intense though. Coffee and chocolate definitely come through, with the emphasis on coffee, but the smell is not very intense.
T- Very mellow. Chocolate hints come through, but mostly tastes like creamy coffee. Almost tastes like a coffee cream stout (papago elsie cream stout). Alcohol is not even slightly detectable. Coffee adds the only bitterness to be found.
M- very very creamy. carbonation is very high for a dark beer.
D- could drink this until the end of time, would get a little plain after the first two though.
Overall, the beer is good, but not great. Very drinkable, but somewhat plain. everything is somewhat subtle, which makes for a good beer but nothing too memorable.

Serving type: bottle

07-21-2009 22:33:47 | More by aewinte1

MeisterBurger

Ontario (Canada)

4.18/5  rDev +12.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

This is the last of my seasonal mixed six pack from Mill Street, another good beer that I probably wouldn't have bought to review otherwise, but one I'm glad to try again after such a long absence.

Pours a deep dark black with a fantastically impressive, lumpy tan head that dies down to a nice film, with some spotty lace forming as time goes on.

Smells bright, with nice dry, black coffee grinds. Some subtle sweet smells in there, but mostly coffee and roasted malt.

Nice porter flavors with, I have to say, just about the perfect about of coffee. Good roasted malt, some juicy raisin sweetness with a soft touch of bitterness for balance.

The mouthfeel is a little thinner than I would prefer but yet it has a nice creaminess if you let it linger in your mouth.

This is a very satisfying porter that goes down easy. Ridiculously drinkable.

This beer is even further proof that Mill Street is a great brewery and Ontario is lucky to have them.

Serving type: bottle

07-17-2009 02:50:33 | More by MeisterBurger

SingleCell

Ontario (Canada)

3.95/5  rDev +6.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

Served in a mug.

A: Poured out black however copper-red accents can be seen at the edges of my mug. Two inch light tan head which quickly faded to just a wisp atop this beer.

S: Strong brewed coffee (of course), a hint of chocolate and very over ripe dark fruits. Also presence of dark roasted malts.

T: Dark caramel, chocolate and dark roasted coffee (almost like a chocolate covered coffee bean). Finish is strong bitter pure coffee and alcohol creeps its way in as the beer warms.

M: Fine peppery carbonation which gives the beer an initial creamy mouthfeel. But as the beer warmed and lost some of its carbonation it had a slightly more thin mouthfeel.

D: Just like coffee I prefer to only have one of these. But it is very drinkable for the duration of that single beer.

Another great beer from a great Ontario brewery. I'm very glad I picked up this six pack. Cheers!

Serving type: bottle

07-10-2009 05:33:58 | More by SingleCell

tpd975

Florida

3.63/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Thanks to grub for this one. Gonna take me awhile to wade through all the goodness he sent me!

A: Pours a nice dark brownish black hue with a small creamy mocha colored head. No real retention or lace noted.

S: Smells of nice roasted malt, caramel, toffee, and of course coffee.

T: Wonderful roast right from the start, hints of chocolate. The coffee is there, but it is more the natural effect that comes from the malt rather than coffee being added to the mash. Subtle, but nice.

M: On the thinner side of medium. Good carbonation.

D: Not a coffee bomb by any means. Just a solid porter with some light coffee notes.

Serving type: bottle

07-05-2009 14:31:05 | More by tpd975

TheHammer

Ontario (Canada)

4.05/5  rDev +8.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

This is the last bottle of my Mill St seasonal sampler. That was definitely a worthwhile buy.

Appearance: Poured with a large thumb and a half of moderately creamy head. The head itself laces masterfully and retains exceptionally as well. The beer itself is an unsurprising dark coffee brown, although there doesn't seem to be any signs of carbonation in the body.

Smell: Unsurprising dark roast, coffee smell with a backing of dark chocolate with a sweet malt and floral hop scent taking the back seat. Did not take much warming to come out and my only real qualm is that it could be a bit more diverse and the coffee needs to be reigned in a bit.

Taste: There can be no doubt that coffee has been added to this brew as it permeates the entire experience. The beer itself starts with a light, almost creamy taste which then turns to a nice hit of fresh coffee and sweet malt which takes some of the coffee edge off. The beer then ends with a competing coffee and hop bitterness that is not excessively strong. Good stuff, but I'd step a little bit back on the coffee, and use a more fruitier hop taste.

Mouthfeel: Nice creamy carbonation that isn't out of control, superb transitioning and a pleasant coffee aftertaste that while nice, is just slightly too bitter and lingers just a little bit too long. Still, thumbs up here as it is neither too dry or too watery and is quite smooth.

Drinkability: For a porter, this is fairly easy to get down. The bitterness stops this from being guzzled, which is good for a beer like this. It is moderately refreshing, but I wouldn't be looking for it on a hot day. Smooth going down though, and fairly light on the gut for a Porter. All in all good stuff.

Final Thoughts: An excellent way to end a package of excellent beers. Mill St continues to impress me and I think I may have a new favorite brand. This makes for an excellent desert beer, or lunch beer that is for sure. All in all, one of the better Porters I've had thus far.

Serving type: bottle

06-29-2009 16:23:00 | More by TheHammer

philipquarles

Louisiana

3.53/5  rDev -5.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

341ml bottle. Pours a completely opaque dark brown with a puffy, light beige head. Decent retention and mediocre lacing. Smells strongly of coffee with a few metallic notes. Very light cacao. Taste of light coffee and roasty malt, along with a hint of milk chocolate. Sweet finish. Nice medium-full body with lowish carbonation. Pleasantly surprising low ABV coffee beer. Good after-dinner drink.

Serving type: bottle

06-18-2009 20:55:14 | More by philipquarles

bobsy

Ontario (Canada)

4.13/5  rDev +11%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

I revisited this beer on Friday along with the Scotch Irish porter and the Great Lakes version. While its no Fitz, I do feel its slightly underrated.

Made with Balzac's coffee (also situated in the distillery district, and worth a visit if you're in the area). Very dark body with a muddied cream head, that exhibits great retention and lacing. Every bit the equal of the Edmund Fitzgerald that preceded it.
Huge freshly ground coffee aroma mixed in with roasted malts and nut.

As expected, it packs a strong coffee taste, moderated by a dash of cream and some milk chocolate. I really appreciate the restraint it exhibits though, as its a lot smoother and less harsh than some other coffee options out there. After a while the coffee fades revealing some bittersweet chocolate and roasty toasty malts underneath. Nice moderate bitterness to compliment a creamy body. Drinkability is pretty high, and I could happily have another few bottles.

Serving type: bottle

06-15-2009 13:55:03 | More by bobsy

seand

California

3.9/5  rDev +4.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into a pint glass.

A: Pours almost opaque, almost black, with hints of red highlights. A couple fingers of tan head dissipate quickly, leaving a very thin layer on the surface and around the edge of the glass. Not much lacing.

S: Coffee beans, with a background of malt.

T: Coffee and malt again, with a tiny bit of hops near the finish.

M: Pretty highly carbonated, fairly full bodied.

D: Drinks easy, though the coffee flavor can be a bit much.

This was a pretty good coffee porter, though I think it would have been better if the coffee aspect had been toned down just a bit.

Serving type: bottle

05-24-2009 21:44:41 | More by seand