Jahva (Imperial Coffee Stout) - Southern Tier Brewing Company

Dope

Massachusetts

3.94/5  rDev -3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Unsure of bottling date, assuming around 2 years old.

A: Pours a very dark brown, not quite black. Mid-sized but dense and frothy light brown head. Head fades fast with nary a trace of lacing. Decent retention at least.

S: Mild coffee, quite earthy and roasty in general (char, primarily) . Fairly mild aroma.

T: There's the coffee. Not very strong or bitter but it's there. Quite sweet (like all blackwater beers). Sweet chocolate mixes in. Finishes more with a chocolate and char and then a mild coffee flavor. Very sweet from start to finish, never get that bitter, acrid roasted coffee flavor. It's more like coffee syrup added to a big sweet stout.

M: Heavy, thick, viscous and smooth. Nice.

O: Definitely the sweetest coffee beer I've ever had. I don't know if the coffee is normally this subdued or if it's the age on the bottle but the coffee is very mild regardless. Honestly it melds quite nicely instead of standing out like 90% of the coffee stouts out there. Your (dis)like of coffee will probably determine whether you like this beer or not. If you're looking for a coffee bomb you've found the wrong beer. It's still good, just not what you'd expect a beer named "jahva" to taste like. Having said that, it's a nice big sweet stout and the coffee does add a nice layer of complexity.

Serving type: bottle

03-10-2013 02:36:59 | More by Dope

KazzakusPrime

3.91/5  rDev -3.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 4

Snagged a last bottle from Beer Junction in West Seattle. Heard rumors that this and Mokah are going to be gone for good and wanted a taste before they've vanished completely.

A: Pours black as night, with a finger's worth of creamy espresso-colored head. Dissipates after half a minute, leaving behind thin, spotty lacing.

S: Dark, roasted notes of ground coffee and barley. Something about it almost smells burnt, but not unpleasantly so.

T: Follows the nose, accompanied by an unexpected sweetness that balances nicely with the bitter black coffee and roasted barley notes. Finishes nice and toasty with that sweetness following through. Dark chocolate notes appear as it warms - and I definitely suggest you give it the chance to warm.

M: On the full side of medium. Carbonation carries it through but I could have done with a little more.

O: This beer was going to be a win for me no matter what, as a lover of coffee and imperial stouts. Jahva presented with a complexity and sweetness that was a pleasant surprise and definitely distinguished itself from other coffee stouts I have sampled previously. If you love coffee and Southern Tier's Creme Brulee, this stout's for you.

Serving type: bottle

02-19-2013 03:21:10 | More by KazzakusPrime

divineaudio

Michigan

3.98/5  rDev -2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

bomber into a snifter. from notes.

a - pours black with a pinky or so of creamy, tan head. foam calms to a film pretty quickly. no lacing.

s - espresso, chocolate, faint cola.

t - massive dark chocolate flavor with espresso notes. faint dark fruits, faint cola. finishes bittersweet.

m - full bodied, adequate carbonation, finer co2 profile, faint alcohol warming.

o -solid beer and enjoyable, but if you're already familiar with coffee stouts, this likely won't be anything amazing. good enough to buy a bottle or two on a regular basis though.

Serving type: bottle

01-01-2013 00:54:48 | More by divineaudio

ThisWangsChung

Maryland

3.2/5  rDev -21.2%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

22 oz bottle poured into a Duvel tulip.

A: Pours a very dark brown color. The head is unimpressive, it's a one finger light khaki color with poor texturing and retention. However, there is a bit of lacing left on the glass.

S: The coffee seems to have faded a bit, but there's a nice amount of licorice, roasted barley, and roasted nuttiness left in general. It's not quite FBS, but it works damn well.

T: I notice a lot of initial sweetness - then again, what else would I expect from a Southern Tier stout? Licorice fades out to light coffee, before being supplanted by a roasted (but not charred) barley finish. There's also a light hint of booze on the aftertaste. Generally, it's very sweet, and it can't quite get away with it the way Choklat did.

M: This beer is a weird mix of clean and slick. It tries to come across as dry on the finish, but there's a bit too much lingering sweetness for that to happen. This comes off as hard work at times, due to the strong booziness.

O: I don't know how old this bottle was, but it just wasn't nearly as enjoyable as Choklat to me. Still an okay brew, but far too hard to drink. I've said it before today, but I need a fresh bottle, stat!

Serving type: bottle

11-12-2012 23:27:29 | More by ThisWangsChung

SGDJosh

2.25/5  rDev -44.6%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

From notes taken on 9/9 at home:

A – Pours super dark as expected, but not thick. No head, just a little lacing on top.

S – Really lacking on the coffee. All I really get is dark malt and alcohol. Lots of alcohol on the nose which is usually a bad thing for me.

T – Whoa at the alcohol! I was expecting it after the nose but jeez. Coffee is very faint, maybe some chocolate notes but they are wiped clean off of the palate by the alcohol.

M – Body is way too light. Carbonation is crisp but the whole mouthfeel is a burning alcohol sensation.

O – Not impressed. As of lover of big & dark beers I was very disappointed. The coffee influence just wasn’t there for me. I’m hoping that I just happened to get a young bottle. I am going to buy another to cellar up for a while and revisit this review. After having the Crème Brulee Stout from the same series I was really looking forward to this one. Way too boozy for my likes!

Serving type: bottle

09-14-2012 13:36:29 | More by SGDJosh

Danny1217

Florida

4.13/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Pours pitch black with a very small brown head that dissipates quickly. No much lacing to speak of. Just a thin rim around the top of the beer. Looks like oil.
Nice coffee smell (didn't expect that, did you?) a bit of rich cocoa as well. Tastes a bit like alcoholic black coffee. Coffee is definitely at the forefront. A bit of chocolate too, roasted malts, etc. Fairly sweet, but bitter as well. Good balance there. Thick body, low carbonation, and a bit of an alcohol presence.

A really good coffee stout, that could maybe use some more carbonation and mask the alcohol better. Maybe a tad less sweetness as well? Not every beer can be perfect though, and this one is certainly not bad. Actually, it's great. Another good one from ST's blackwater series.

Serving type: bottle

09-11-2012 01:17:47 | More by Danny1217

AlCaponeJunior

Texas

4.18/5  rDev +3%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Black with a 1/4" brown head that didn't last long and didn't really leave a lot of lacing.

Smells quite good, lots of roasted malt, tons of chocolate malt, plenty of coffee, a tinge of booziness.

Taste is almost a malt bomb of a coffee stout. You can taste the chocolate and roasted malts almost like you were brewing them up right now. Plenty of coffee comes through. A little bit of fruit and some vanilla too. A touch of astringency and some tobacco.

Body is quite typical of Southern Tier's imperial beers, slick, sweet, full bodied, alcoholic, lingering aftertaste that matches the flavor.

It's another very enjoyable beer, albeit primarily a dessert type beer, slow sipper. I really love this brewery. I have two other new bombers from ST to try and I'm excited already!

Serving type: bottle

08-29-2012 23:47:49 | More by AlCaponeJunior

ngeunit1

California

4.43/5  rDev +9.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A - Pours a dark black-brown color with a finger of frothy khaki-chocolate colored head. The head fades down at a normal pace leaving behind some lacing.

S - Aroma is a mix of roasted dark chocolate malts and coffee, with some dark fruits, anise, vanilla, and some booze.

T - Starts off with some roasted chocolate malts and roasted coffee with some light black licorice. Through the middle, the coffee flavor gets stronger with some dark fruits and light vanilla coming through. The finish is a mix of roasted cocoa and lightly bitter coffee beans with some dark fruit, molasses, and some booze.

M - Medium-full bodied with moderate carbonation. Feels smooth with a sweet, roasted, and warming finish.

D - Very drinkable. Nice big coffee stout. Really nice balance of coffee and chocolate flavors.

Serving type: bottle

08-01-2012 04:59:47 | More by ngeunit1

kemoarps

Washington

4.23/5  rDev +4.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I'd been quite excited for this one, and had been saving it. Finally deciding it would be a good way to wake up on my last day in the city (what with the coffee and all).

I poured it into a port glass (the closest I had to the suggested snifter). Pours a deep espresso brown bordering on black. the edges as I tilt the glass this way and that taper back across a gradient. No head to speak of, but still minimal lacing as I drink (?).

Sticking my nose deep into this makeshift beer I get primarily an espresso bitterness, with hints of bakers chocolate.

As I sip, the taste stays true to the promises made to my olfactory bulb. Dark espresso and chocolate. Many strong espresso beers opt for the alcoholic coffee route, but this one is balanced well, nuanced and pleasing all around. The taste is sweeter than the smell suggested, as the chocolate tends closer to chocolate syrup than it does the bittersweet chocolate my nose caught.

Very smoothe. Imminently drinkable. The 10% is masked quite well. This is an excellent example of a coffee stout done well. I mentioned in my preamble being quite excited to drink this one. Unlike certain other brews I've finally cracked recently, this one delivers and satisfies that anticipation. If you have even a passing interest in the style, definitely check it out. I am curious, however, now about their Mokah, as I felt that this one had a strong coffee chocolate to it, so I'm not sure what an even more chocolate-centric brew might present. A, but that's a (t)ale for another day...

Serving type: bottle

07-30-2012 18:42:26 | More by kemoarps

BlurryVisi0n

New York

4.25/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Served in snifter glass.

Appearance: Very dark brown, actually take that back it is black with a tan head that rises to maybe 2/3", even lacing throughout.

Smell: An espesso scent that is very satisfying, wish it was more potent but overall still good.

Taste: Coffee bean, that comes off a litle sweet with the feeling of a touch of brown sugar. The barley is evident and in reality you thirst for more.

Mouth: Sticky and smooth, medium carbonation that still tickles the tip of your tongue.

Overall: This is pretty damn good. It is a little bitter but yet sweet. This is not an acquired taste, you will like it not because I said so but because it on that level of greatness...Salud!

Serving type: bottle

07-25-2012 06:43:57 | More by BlurryVisi0n

matttttYCE

Arizona

3.98/5  rDev -2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

The pour results in a decent dark tan/cream colored head about a finger high. Recedes quickly and leaves some lacing, but not much. The beer itself is straight up murky black.

Lots of molasses, chocolate, deep roasted malts, and sweetness in the aroma, then comes the wonderful coffee and cappuccino notes, followed by some licorice, caramel, and hints of vanilla and cream. Though there's plenty of sweetness it doesn't smell any where near as sweet as the other ST imperial stout offerings.

The taste is nice, follows along nicely with the aroma. Molasses and chocolate, bittersweet coffee almost like a really good cup served black but not as strong, roasted malts in abundance, hinting at licorice, caramel, vanilla, and cream in the background. For this being an imperial coffee stout, it could have had more coffee flavor, but I thought the taste was still quite good.

The mouthfeel is straight up sticky, in one word. The carbonation is round, but smooth. The consistency is viscous, sticky, and a bit thick but in the way you'd expect an imperial stout to be. The body is medium-full, it's got some heft. And the finish is pleasant, but not too long.

Overall this is a pretty good beer. I feel that this is the least sweet of the ST imperial stout offerings and that's a good thing. However, I think this comes in 2nd to Mokah in the rankings of their big stouts. Still a good hefty stout worth trying if that's what you're looking for.

Serving type: bottle

07-21-2012 00:22:32 | More by matttttYCE

johnnnniee

New Hampshire

4/5  rDev -1.5%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Older Vintage with a painted label, I believe the bottle is from 2007. 12% abv Pours a solid black with a huge tan head that has great retention and lots of foamy lace. Smells of caramel and chocolate with hints of dark dried fruits a little bit of licorice and a slightly earthy edge in there as well. If there's coffee in there its faded into the background enough that it just seems like roasted grains now. The taste is like a big thick imperial stout. Lots of roasted grains and caramel and chocolate along with a fair amount of raisins and cherries. There's a nice warming alcohol as well as a bit of ash and a hint of bitter coffee bean flavor. Medium to thick body with a moderate level of carbonation and a thick sweet creamy grainy mouthfeel. Nice brew, but the aging probably didn't help it much. The coffee aroma and flavor is all but gone but I think the body thinning effect of using coffee beans is still there. I've had this several times and I think this one is a bit past its prime, but I'm curious now to sit down and do a proper review on a fresher bottle.

Serving type: bottle

07-20-2012 00:14:57 | More by johnnnniee

martyl1000

Wisconsin

4.8/5  rDev +18.2%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Other than the forgettable aroma, this brew is just to my liking. Which is to say sweet x 2 that tames the coffee bitterness to a round creaminess.

I've heard it is hopped to 125 IBUs, but you'd never know it. In a tulip glass the brown head lasts and lasts while the beer is cold. Which, btw, you'd think you would want to serve this beer at cellar temp, but that's a mistake, as the flavor fades the warmer it gets.

I don't get the hop bitterness that everyone else does. In fact, I'd be somewhat ashamed to let on how much I like this sweetness in front of my more hop-militant Wisconsin friends.

I don't know which of them I like better, this or MOcha, which I've had on tap during Mad Craft Beer Week (along w/ Creme Brulee Stout, which is more dessert than beer).

Serving type: bottle

06-27-2012 05:31:24 | More by martyl1000

Morey

Pennsylvania

3.5/5  rDev -13.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

APPEARANCE: Pours black in color with a mocha-brown head that initially stood 2 fingers tall, but settled extremely fast. When I held it up to the light, I could see plenty of brown around the edges of glass as well as near the top of the beer. Minimal lacing and retention on the glass.

AROMA: Unexpectedly mild aroma with suggestions of Molasses, Lactose, Toffee, Malt Extract, Coffee, and subtle Chocolate.

TASTE: There’s some bitterness up front from the coffee beans along with mild roasted flavors. I’m also getting that signature Southern Tier sweetness that I find in all of their Stouts. The coffee has a very soft presence in this beer. Thankfully, I started to get some hints of chocolate as the beer warmed up some. The sweetness comes back for more on the finish, but it’s not strong enough to be cloying at all.

MOUTHFEEL: Medium bodied and a bit thin for the style. Fairly light level of carbonation.

MOREY’S BOTTOM LINE: I was expecting more coffee, as well as a bigger feel and taste overall. I started to get a little more flavor as the beer warmed up, but just not enough to put this up their with best Coffee Stouts, Imperial Stouts, or Double Stouts. Not a bad beer by any means, but I can’t help but feel slightly let down here. Choklat gets my vote for the best of ST’s Blackwater Series. Cheers!

Serving type: bottle

06-07-2012 19:06:49 | More by Morey

bnes09

Illinois

3.58/5  rDev -11.8%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Ink black color. Descent head for the style but relatively poor retention. Also, no lacing on the glass.

Rich aroma of dark fruits, molasses, cooked corn and mild coffee.

Complex and interesting flavor. Starts and finishes with a malty sweetness suggestive of maple syrup. Subtle coffee notes creep in mid way along with some dark chocolate. Dark fruits, including prunes and black currants, attempt to balance the roasted malts and pine-like hop bitterness.

Thick, nearly syrupy body. Moderate carbonation. Sticky texture in the finish.

For an imperial stout its not bad. For a coffee stout, it is average at best. If it were not labeled a coffee stout, I would not have known the difference. They really didn't incorporate much coffee into this at all. Only other complaint is that the body is a bit too syrupy. Other than that, its descent.

Serving type: bottle

06-01-2012 23:17:03 | More by bnes09

irish174

Pennsylvania

4.6/5  rDev +13.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

ABV: 10.6%

FERMENTATION: Ale yeast, four varieties of malts, two varieties of hops, locally roasted coffee, roasted barley

EFFERVESCENCE: Lightly carbonated

NOSE: Sweetness is apparent, bittersweet coffee, rich, toasty malts

FLAVOR: Deep and robust, caramel, coffee, burnt toast, a bit sweet, espresso

BITTERNESS: Medium-high

BODY: Creamy, heavier bodied

GLASS: Tulip glass

Overall a delicious beer! Great on tap and from the bottle. ABV will sneak up on you. enjoy! I recommend all of the Blackwater series beers from Tier all solid beers.

Serving type: bottle

05-31-2012 18:41:02 | More by irish174

ThickNStout

Georgia

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

22oz bottle from Sherlock's (Marietta, GA). 8.99. No date on the bottle- I assume it's from spring 2011. Served in a Terrapin snifter. 

Pours black with 2 fingers capuccino head. Head recedes quickly but leaves small spots of lacing. 

Subtle nose. Sugar, cocoa, coffee. 

Nice coffee taste, like a sweet capuccino. Carmel, cherry and cocoa. Not near as sweet as those flavors might imply. The 10+% abv hides well in the mix. 

Medium bodied and creamy with faint carbonation.

Another fine offering from the Blackwater series. Not my favorite coffee stout or even my favorite from Southern Tier but a well done beer that ages great and I'll definately have several more times in the future.

Serving type: bottle

05-26-2012 03:18:18 | More by ThickNStout

MichPaul

Michigan

4/5  rDev -1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

My first Southern Tier I have ever tried. This is a top notch stout. Not one of my favorites really, but it is very flavorful.
It poured from the bottle to the glass with about a medium thickness as far as Stouts are concerned.
Black as black can be. Not a bit of light shines through this when held up to the window.
Not much of a head at all to speak of, and no lacing at all left in the glass while drinking.
There was a good amount of carbonation in this, and I enjoyed that. It goes down very smooth especially for being over 10% ABV!
Overall, I probably won't search this out again, and I would buy a few other stouts over this. If I was somewhere, and there wasn't much of a selection other than this, I would take it and also recommend it to others.

Serving type: bottle

05-17-2012 23:19:38 | More by MichPaul

BostonHops

Massachusetts

4.05/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

bomber served in an oversized wineglass.

pours a rich, dark brown/black with a tan head that dissipates quickly, leaving some lacing.

nose leads with roasted malt, coffee, and chocolate and is flanked by secondary notes of booze and caramel... tastes follows the aroma: all the above-mentioned, but i get more coffee and alcohol than was evident in the smell. the latter of which IMO is a shade too much - not as well-hidden as i would normally like. mouthfeel is decadent; rich, full-bodied, and creamy. overall it's flawed but still very nice. i would definitely have it again. would probably make a good dessert beer.

original review on: 08-01-2010 02:51:14

Serving type: bottle

05-09-2012 23:26:31 | More by BostonHops

vette2006c5r

Wisconsin

4.13/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Jahva pours a completly black color, with not very much head. The smell is very boozy, with hints of smoky malts. The taste is very complex, very creamy and has a nice sweetness to it, then a strong bitter coffee taste, and finishes dry, with hints of coffee. A nice strong complex flavor, the bite from the alchool prevents a higher score. Overall a very nice coffee beer, a bit different and very enjoyable.

Serving type: bottle

05-06-2012 02:47:51 | More by vette2006c5r

wvsabbath

West Virginia

4.1/5  rDev +1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Serving Type - 22oz bottle

Appearance - Dark black, hint of tan. 1/2 foamy creamy head with some lacing.

Smell - Strong coffee aroma, roased malts, vanilla, dark fruits, chocolate, some molasses and syrupy sugars. A little cocoa and caramel to round this out.

Taste - Big hit of coffee, malts and a little chocolate at first sip. Sweet Caramel and some cocoa mixed in with some dark fruits add some more flavors. Sugars and some alcohol come in at the finish.

Mouthfeel - Big beer, coats mouth with malts, coffee and alcohol. TOunge gets alot of malts, were palette gets more sugars and chocolate. Aftertaste is coffee with some chocolate

Overall - Pretty nice coffee stout. Lots of coffee, but not sickly bitter like alot of coffee stouts ive had. Nice sweetness but not too sweet or overpowering. Malts are nice also, this is relaly balanced and quite enjoyable. Alcohol does sneak in a little too much at the end by other then that, this is really good. Must try this.

Serving type: bottle

05-06-2012 00:58:00 | More by wvsabbath

Celtics76

Rhode Island

3.75/5  rDev -7.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured a sample into a 6oz. Red Hook glass.

Dark brown in color with basically no head. Taste is of black coffee with a hint of chocolate. I'm not sure what the other reviewers are talking about, I can clearly taste the 10.4% ABV here. Generally I don't mind this, but it is slightly overpowering.

This is a nice after dinner drink. Though given the price and high ABV clearly present in the taste, I prefer Berkshire Brewing's coffee porter over this one. Still recommended.

Serving type: bottle

04-30-2012 22:18:38 | More by Celtics76

crossovert

Wisconsin

3.23/5  rDev -20.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

650ml bottle.

It pours a deep blackish brown with a creamy mocha tan head.

It has some nice hoppy scents and a good imperial stout base. Thick rich black malts with some cocoa and caramel. The coffee lingers over with some bitter earthiness and some fruit.

The mouthfeel is thick but with prickling carbonation. This time coffee is more dominant. Lots of burnt flavors and some slightly tartish fruitiness.

It is decent but nothing mind blowing.

Serving type: bottle

04-29-2012 22:16:47 | More by crossovert

KingEdward

North Carolina

4.25/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Poured this beer aggressively from a bottle into a chimay glass and the result was a small head that was gone quickly. Very dark with a reddish brown almost black color when looking through with light. The smell is of coffee, malt, and dark chocolate. The Taste is almost the same with the hops giving it a dark chocolate bitterness. The mouth feel is silky and thick. I am drinking and typing and have noticed almost no lacing. I like this beer alot thought i feel the price should be a little lower than 8.50 but i bought it at a specialty store called bruisin ales which i feel can be a little pricy. Maybe a less expensive 4 pack is on the way.

Serving type: bottle

04-24-2012 22:08:16 | More by KingEdward

Greywulfken

New York

4.13/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: spot-on stout blackness; head thinned quickly and actually looked like a mily froth around the edges once it had settled (made me think of a milk stout)

S: fairly low-key: some coffee scents, some malts, and some cocoa, but nothing too impressive under the nose

T: nice roasted malts ans coffee, some cocoa; not decadent in the sweetness - a more balanced sweet-to-dry balance than I expected, and it worked well for the beer

M: rich, little sticky, teensy bit of alcohol astringency, hint of acidity

O: great stout - more subdued than the Bourbon County coffee stout, less classy than the Peche Mortel (my only other true coffee stouts), but in general, a really good stout

Serving type: bottle

04-21-2012 19:59:01 | More by Greywulfken