Mokah - Southern Tier Brewing Company

MDDMD

Pennsylvania

4.26/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

A-dark brown to black color with a smallish tan head and some lacing

S-coffee, dark roasted malt, caramel, chocolate

T-dark malts with some char, coffee, chocolate, hints of brown sugar and earthiness, touch of vanilla

F-medium to full body with light carbonation, smooth and creamy, palate coating

O-a nice sipping beer with a good blend of both chocolate and coffee flavors

Serving type: on-tap

05-14-2013 01:43:51 | More by MDDMD

etop8222

Pennsylvania

4.55/5  rDev +8.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Great experience for the first time. Like my first girl, something I will remember. When I ordered this, it came to me in a goblet style glass. I could tell before I tasted it that it would be everything I expected. I could smell the rich coffee chocolate aroma.

Serving type: on-tap

12-01-2012 02:26:09 | More by etop8222

corby112

Pennsylvania

4.33/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Draft at The Pour House in Westmont, NJ.

Pours pitch black and completely opaque with a one finger beige head that quickly settles into a lasting ring. Sporadic spots of lacing left behind.

Ridiculous nose on this beer.  The 2x milk stout was a let down but they nailed the aroma on this one.  Lots of sweet chocolate with subtle lactic cream and a decent amount of robust roast.  Smells like a tootsie roll dipped in a latte.  I wonder what the blend is because it sells more like choklat than mokah.  Either way it's very impressive with a nice gourmet roasted coffee presence countering the sweet and dark chocolate notes.

Medium bodied with a very nice balance of sweet chocolate and robust roasted coffee.  All dark and milk chocolate sweetness up front with a touch of the tootsie roll from the nose.  This is countered by roasted coffee bitterness that lingers into a dry finish where somehow the sweet chocolate flavors reappear.  The abv is invisible making it dangerously drinkable.  Great balance of sweetness and roasted bitterness with the dark chocolate notes complimenting the coffee flavor.  Similarly to the aroma, the chocolate is most prominent.  It doesn't taste like a mocha but has lots of chocolate and coffee flavor.

Serving type: on-tap

08-05-2012 06:58:36 | More by corby112

MaximalC

Illinois

4.45/5  rDev +6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours deep, dark brown with a modest mocha head. Smells of chocolate and coffee with a strong alcohol component. This beer is big on flavor, with rich dark chocolate and gourmet coffee. The body is smooth and substantive, an excellent complement to the rich taste. The high ABV is respectably mellowed while the beer is still at its coldest (though still hardly invisible). As it warms, the alcohol becomes more strident--the only real flaw I can point out. Normally, I tend to enjoy dark beers more as they warm, but that's not the case here, as the alcohol becomes something of a distraction. The luxurious flavor profile, along with an eagerness to "beat the heat", make this imperial stout way too easy to imbibe without conscience. Another winning stout from Southern Tier.

Serving type: on-tap

07-27-2012 01:19:09 | More by MaximalC

ThickNStout

Georgia

4.7/5  rDev +11.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

On tap at the brewery. Served in a goblet. 

Pours jet black with half finger of light tan head that laces nicely on the way down. 

Nice nose of rich chocolate, roast coffee, burnt sugars & caramel. Very nice. 

Wow! Even the outstanding smell didn't prepare me for this superb blend. The coffee comes through fresh from the tap in a way it never has in bottles for me. It's followed by that rich chocolate flavor that Southern Tier does better than anyone else. Aside from that there is molasses, subtle fig/date, vanilla and a hint if bitter hopping. So many outstanding layers that almost completely mask the 10+% abv. 

Creamy smooth medium thick feel with appropriately subtle carbonation. 

Outstanding! Mokah rivals Creme Brulee as my favorite of the Blackwater series. Fresh on tap I can really catch the near perfect mixture of Jahva and Choklat. Delicious and worth a try. It also ages well so don't shy away from any old bottles you may run across. 

Serving type: on-tap

06-09-2012 23:57:53 | More by ThickNStout

thecheapies

Pennsylvania

4.33/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Dark as black but just the darkest of browns. Modest head forms a ring in no time. Looks thick like chocolate milk.

Smells like chocolate milk, too. Mocha powder, lactose, milk chocolate, light coffee, and mild roastiness.

Tastes like a hot cocoa/coffee mix with cream and two sugars. Mild bitterness amplifies in the finish and reminds you that it's beer. A lot of mid-palate coffee drowned in lactose and flavored with cocoa nibs. Some earthiness through hops and char-roast. Hints of licorice and blackberries. Exceptional.

Creamy and thick. Huge body with a medium carb at work. Very sticky and gluggy.

Unreal beer. Literally, hard to believe they nailed this down. Decadent and desserty. Loads of flavor. Nothing off about it. Ballsy and spot on. Among the killers of the Southern Tier lineup.

Serving type: on-tap

06-09-2012 04:02:47 | More by thecheapies

drpimento

Wisconsin

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

High speed, heavy weight train delivering mocha to my mouth. Served at a good temperature with a nice foamy, tan head that settled after a bit and lots of lace. Color is an opaque black brown. Aroma is cocoa foremost, then malt, roast, hint coffee. Flavor's the same but with sweetness playing heavy role along side the rich cocoa flavor and roasty, caramel, slight acid qualities. Body is good but with slight oddities. Finish is good for a solo serving; kind of rich for more than that.

Serving type: on-tap

04-24-2012 05:01:17 | More by drpimento

ThePorterSorter

New York

4.23/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

this beer pours a dark black with almost no head. Strong notes of chocolate and coffee in the nose. The taste follows with an additional astringency from the alcohol. There is a tasty chocolate aftertaste with a residual cocoa pebbles... It's a tasty beer that reminds me of chokolat, but is distinct at the same time. The price point and availability are excellent and it's definitely worth the money.

Serving type: on-tap

03-29-2012 20:56:12 | More by ThePorterSorter

Kelly88

Kentucky

4.75/5  rDev +13.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Had on Tap at mellow mushroom in wilder Kentucky. Served in the ever popular and Ever useful Kentucky bourbon barrel ale sniffer.

A- very dark brown on the top fading into a pitch black at te bottom of the glass. Starts out with a dense dark khaki head that slowly fades to tiny islands of dirty white islands with small amounts if lace in the side if the glass

S- wow! Rich dark chocolate hits you hard. Getting a faint rich chocolate coffee smell but mostly hard core chocolate. Tasty.

T- just about mirrors the nose and that is great. Lots if chocolate, very milky and rich. A pleasant faint hop bite rounds this beer off to keep it from being to overpoweringly sweet.

M- you think a beer if this style would be heavier especially the way it tastes but irbid only about medium bodied. I actually prefer this feel since it allows you to appreciate the flavors without being overwhelmed.

Overall one if the best stouts I have ever had. Really full flavors that jump and ask you to have another sip. For all of the big hyped one day Release stouts. This beer stands shoulder to shoulder with them.

Serving type: on-tap

02-27-2012 01:53:16 | More by Kelly88

QuantumPint

Florida

4.38/5  rDev +4.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Had this on tap at the local micro tonight (it's featured as one of the guest beers of the month).

A: Pitch black with a head smaller than one finger and poor retention. Still beautiful, though.

N: I read through some reviews before trying this, and noted the one about chocolate milk, and honestly thought it was a joke/exaggeration. Lo and behold, I take a whiff and it smells like: chocolate milk. I actually started laughing out loud in surprise. There's a little toasty malt, but mainly chocolate milk.

T: This one tastes more like a mudslide, especially when cold. Major chocolate up front with a more bitter taste with the alcohol burn on finish. A great sipping beer. Gets more of the biter/coffee notes as it warms.

M: It has a good deal of carbonation which, in my opinion, goes great with the sweet chocolate taste.

O: Drinking this puppy after dinner, and it's one hell of a dessert beer. I'm just starting to dive deeper into the stout scene, but this is already a favorite.

Serving type: on-tap

12-03-2011 01:32:09 | More by QuantumPint

Drewcifer

Pennsylvania

4.9/5  rDev +16.7%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Served in 10oz goblet.

Poured out black, slight tan head.

Big aroma of milk chocolate, with coffee backing and malts.

Great taste of milk chocolate with a little coffee, sweet caramels, malt, very sweet, hard to believe it's a beer.

Great mouthfeel, smooth, creamy, not too thick.

Overall, damn near perfect.

Serving type: on-tap

10-30-2011 00:25:05 | More by Drewcifer

gatornation

Minnesota

4.22/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

on tap in 10 oz glass

A-dark black pour with a 1 finger khaki head,nice lacing and a fresh collar

S- was sweet chocolate,coffee with cream and caramel

T- was a milk chocolate start with fresh coffee,roasted malts and sweet caramel .smooth sweet and creamy

M- was sweet and smooth,but was full of flavor

O- this imperial stout was delicious it was not as bitter as others much more smooth

Serving type: on-tap

10-23-2011 01:51:54 | More by gatornation

woemad

Washington

4.22/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Holy Crap! Dessert in a glass!

Had a schooner of this at Jones Radiator in Spokane. I ordered it in a schooner because I suspected this would be way too sweet in a pint glass. This was one of the better instinctive moves I've made during the course of my life.

Very dark brown, almost black, with a tan head that wasn't too terribly long-lived, not too surprising given the strength of this beer.

HUGE sweet scent, like a German sweet chocolate pie my Mom used to make many years ago before she became health conscious. Hops, malts, etc don't enter your mind when you smell this - instead, terms like pie, dessert, sweetness, and (not surprisingly) mocha are what you think of.

Big massive sweet dessert taste hits the tastebuds. It's big, rich and totally missing any sign of how much alcohol is in this beer. Drink this beer last - after anything else y9u wanted to drink, after your meal, after sex, whenever, but make sure nothing worthwhile comes after, as your body's ability to percieve it will be lessened!

Full-bodied, with a slick, slightly viscous mouthfeel.

This beer is not for the faint hearted. It's delicious, but it took me 40 minutes to drink a schooner. Not something to session or drink before or during a meal. But, oh, what a nightcap.

Serving type: on-tap

10-18-2011 03:44:22 | More by woemad

xnicknj

Pennsylvania

3.6/5  rDev -14.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

on tap at devils den

Pours an inky black color, very viscous. A crop of tanned head fades out, leaving very little retention or lacing.

Explosive nose filled with chocolate syrup and cocoa powder. This literally smells like hot chocolate. Some notes of nuttiness and coffee are underneath with a faint flair of booze.

Plenty of roasted malts wrapped in chocolate sweetness. Cocoa powder and milk chocolate dominate the profile. Some hints of coffee beans, mocha, and nuttiness are in there, but very understated. Similar to the nose, this is close to chilled hot cocoa. Finishes sweet and warm.

Full body, mild carbonation, soft and smooth on the tongue. Big time flavor here, although it tends to be a little one note. If you like hot chocolate, this is it.

Serving type: on-tap

10-18-2011 02:26:29 | More by xnicknj

monitorpop

Michigan

2.73/5  rDev -35%
look: 4 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

A: Solid black with a half finger creamy head

S: Sweet Hershey's syrup.

T: Sweet milk chocolate upfront, followed by faint mild coffee, finishes bitter. Flavor seems a bit artificial.

M: Silky smooth, low carbonation with a slight alcohol burn.

O: The chocolate seems a bit artificial and I'm not a big fan of the bitter finish.

Serving type: on-tap

10-15-2011 21:20:26 | More by monitorpop

kylehay2004

Florida

3.18/5  rDev -24.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

A: half finger head. Black. Not too much lace.

S: sweet mocha and cocoa.

T: very sweet. The taste is nearly identical to dymatap. Grape and mocha with a sharp sweet finish.

M: very thick. Moderate to high carbonation.

Overall: well, I love southern tier but this one is too sweet and medicinal for me.

Serving type: on-tap

09-06-2011 01:25:44 | More by kylehay2004

lurpy1

Minnesota

4.5/5  rDev +7.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Tried this as an after-dinner drink at Dusty's in Okemos. Pre-emptive note to self, when you've already had something to drink and have to drive home shortly, picking an 11% ABV is not a great choice. Anyhoo, I've had a summer full of stouts and porters that were underwhelming or at best, whelming, so hoping my luck changes with this one. I regard Southern Tier as primarily a purveyor of dessert brews.

Pours dark, dark, dark. On top of that, it's dark. Good thick scummy looking head as well.

I'm expecting a bushel full of coffee and cocoa. The smell does not disappoint. It's more coffee than cocoa, but very appealing. Not a phony or burnt smell that comes in coffee stouts done wrong.

OK...taste. Yeah, there's chocolate in there. Holy cow. Waves and waves of bittersweet chocolate. From time to time it becomes overwhelming, as if Hershey's syrup was poured straight in. But at the end of the day it hold together. Sublime combination of coffee, chocolate, and malt. A bit boozy too but that's expected at 11%

Mouthfeel, again, perhaps owing to the Hershey's syrup sensation, is smooth, and viscous, and eminently drinkable.

Overall, an outstanding brew. Southern Tier hits you over the head with the mocha tones, which can be viewed as a strength or a weaknes. Definitely recommended, especially if somebody else is driving.

Serving type: on-tap

08-23-2011 16:45:12 | More by lurpy1

mynie

Indiana

4.3/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Served in a pint glass(!) at Three Cellars in Milwaukee.

Pours super black and smells like MILK Chocolate syrup. Coffee nodes (the "mocha," right?) are minimal, as the Choklat really overwhelms the Javah.

Tastes a bit more balanced. A big, very sweet, very milky chocolate beginning, moving into a a darker chocolate middle that's somewhat more bitter and a finish that's like the foam on top of a mocha cappuccino.

What gets me is the beer's relative thinness. It's about as thick and creamy as a regular dry stout. This makes it dangerously easy to drink (my pint was consumed at about normal speed), and also causes it to the lack the sumptuousness you'd want out of a giant dessert beer. It's still really nicely done, only I don't think it's *quite* what they were going for.

Serving type: on-tap

07-29-2011 16:20:45 | More by mynie

TheBeerAlmanac

Kentucky

4.47/5  rDev +6.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Draft poured into a snifter

A: Pours a very dark brown, borderline black color with a thin, almost nonexistent eggshell hued head.

S: Aroma is very chocolaty along with some vanilla and caramel notes and a sweet nuttiness, also.

T/M: Flavor is just as sweet with chocolate. It rivals most of the double chocolate stouts for sweetness. It has a medium amount of carbonation and is really reminiscent of cocoa powder or even chocolate cake icing. Unfortunately, I don’t get much of the coffee, but it’s still incredible. The texture weighs heavily on the palette but it really isn’t all that thick.

This is a dessert in a bottle, if ever there was one. If that’s what you’re in the mood for, this might be your best option. I bet it has a bajillion calories.

Serving type: on-tap

07-23-2011 22:42:59 | More by TheBeerAlmanac

Chriscrundwell12

Minnesota

4.33/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured on tap into a snifter.

A- Really dark brown, on first glance basically black looking, beige ring around the glass, slight carbonation, nice lacing and retention.
S- Wow the aromas are pure chocolate and cocoa, slight coffee aromas as well, this is one delicious smelling beer, I feel like I just took a big whiff of fresh chocolate brownies straight from the oven, cannot wait to try this.
T- The taste did not let me down, this is a pure dessert beer, perfect for a cold winter day, I have to buy some of these bottles and save them for Christmas, big chocolate and malt flavors, cocoa, coffee, slight roastiness, sweet and some bitterness to balance it out, alcohol is present but just adds to the experience in a positive way, really impressed.
M- Medium to big mouthfeel, thick and smooth at the same time, coats the palate, well carbonated.
O- I was not sure what to expect when I first ordered this, I was expecting something more coffee like, this one blew me away, just a pure dessert beer, I could of ordered 2-3 more pours, but luckily I had the wife present to stop me haha, love the chocolate flavors, really impressed with this offering.

Serving type: on-tap

07-13-2011 06:07:28 | More by Chriscrundwell12

KAP1356

Pennsylvania

4.28/5  rDev +1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

On tap last night at Capone's. Served in a snifter...

A - Completely opaque black with a nice espresso color collar. Nice lacing as well.

S - Milk chocolate, roasted coffee/espresso, vanilla, toffee, slight molasses - all mixed together and mixing extremely well.

T - This is by far my favorite offering of the Southern Tier stouts. The mix of chocolate and coffee is done quite well. There does seem to be a TON of dark fruit flavors coming from this one which adds nicely to the overall profile.

M - Full bodied with slight carbonation. Very silky and smooth on the tongue.

O - My favorite of the series. Nice combination of coffee and chocolate and a perfect dessert beer for any chocolate lover.

Serving type: on-tap

07-08-2011 18:01:52 | More by KAP1356

GreenJetta912

Pennsylvania

4.85/5  rDev +15.5%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

The Headkeeper Inn and Tapas bar in Greensburg,PA had this on tap so I had to try it while I was in there.

Poured into a snifter almost pitch black but still dark brown. thin layer of beige head leaves excellent lacing.

The smell is like chocolate milk. It's definitely bigger on the chocolate flavors than the coffee.

Everyone would like this beer. It's a taste reminisent of Hershey's chocolate syrup. The most milk chocolately beer I've ever had (most have more dark chocolate or coffee flavors). Milky, moreso than most. Surprisingly drinkable for the high abv.

Finishes off milky and a tad dry but so excellent and chocolately. Not a lot of coffee but its there.

This is the best stout I've ever had to date. I like my stouts heavier on chocolate than coffee and it reflects my rating. I honestly don't think they could improve this in any way.

Serving type: on-tap

07-01-2011 22:54:57 | More by GreenJetta912

russwbeck

Virginia

3.5/5  rDev -16.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 2

A: Pitch black pour with a nicely sized light brown head. Retention and lacing are both pretty good.

S: It blows my mind how much chocolate is in the smell. It's almost too much. Very sweet, not a lot of coffee.

T: I was expecting more balance here. But the thick, creamy, rich chocolate really over powers anything elthat tries to rear its
head.

MF: Very thick. Carbonation is low. No hint of alcohol.

O: Sort of a disappointment honestly. Wanted a bigger more balanced flavor. Probably wouldn't get it again.

Serving type: on-tap

06-28-2011 21:49:27 | More by russwbeck

mjw06

Pennsylvania

4.7/5  rDev +11.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Served room temperature. Had the color of a dark chocolate bar and moved around in my glass with the fluidity of a chocolate liqueur. Little to no head when it was brought to my table, which was disappointing, but seemed to go along with the body.

Smell was amazing, mocha of course (or mokah). The mokah-ness wasn't overpowering however, as I can still get whiffs of roasted barley on its canvas. The sweetness was distinctly beer sweetness, not just the product of a bunch of sugar being added to sweeten it up. This same sweetness would translate into the taste. Amazing mouthfeel in the body, however I took into consideration the lack of head and how that effected the feel.

This is a great beer. A lot of chocolate imperial stouts tend to overdue it with the chocolate or the sweetness, or just the alcohol in general. Mokah, however, is an organic balance of all three, and much more.

Serving type: on-tap

06-13-2011 12:42:03 | More by mjw06

Lerxst

Florida

4.47/5  rDev +6.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

On tap at Kickbacks

A-Pours black as night. This is served as a 5.5 ounce pour in a small snifter with just a thin layer of head. Looks menacing though.

S-Rich chocolate and coffee aromas abound along with some roasted malt. This is a very aromatic beer and its smells wonderful.

T-Rich and delicious with chocolate and coffee flavors bold and in your face-in a good way. Some roasted malt as well. Really mirrors the nose and thats not a bad thing. There is a nice juxtaposition of flavors with the sweetness of the chocolate and a slightly bitter bite of the coffee playing off one another to much success. This is a fantastic desert beer.

M-Thick, creamy, smooth, coating. On draft this is more full bodied than the bottle version.

O-My favorite of the Blackwater series. I love this beer and wish I had access to it year round. This is a fantastic dessert beer.

Serving type: on-tap

06-04-2011 00:27:07 | More by Lerxst