Coffee Porter - Meantime Brewing Company Limited

tittymcj

Connecticut

3.09/5  rDev -18.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.75

A: Beautiful black poor. Very dark and thick looking. No light, no haze. Good, lasting head that sticks around for a bit but is gone after 5-10 minutes.

S: Smells like it should. Lots of coffee and dark malt. Chocolate, some hazelnut maybe? Very deep and thick smelling.

T: A bit of a letdown here. The coffee and chocolate comes through, but not as strongly or smoothly as one might expect or enjoy.

M: The real letdown is here. What appeared to be a thick, hearty drink throughout turns out very thin and watery. A bit like the homebrews I've made myself. This may be personal preference, but I like my porters thick.

Serving type: bottle

05-16-2013 23:59:21 | More by tittymcj

FLima

Brazil

3.94/5  rDev +4%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Dark brown color with a thin off-white head with low retention.
Nice aroma of roasted coffee, and some chocolate notes.
Predominant taste of light coffee (not espresso, but felt as true coffee), dark chocolate, roasted malts and herbal hops. I felt a bit acidity which was actually welcome.
Dry and mildly bitter aftertaste with a residual coffee note.
Medium body with a very low carbonation.
Coffee porter was a perfect name, I felt like drinking an iced coffee which I really like. This can be drink even at the morning, not such as a full English breakfast like a Beer Geek breakfast would be, but as a hit and run one. They achieved a perfect marriage between beer and coffee.

Serving type: bottle

05-13-2013 00:14:48 | More by FLima

Brenden

Ohio

3.81/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

This coffee porter is a dark brown, pretty much identical in look to the original London porter with slightly more darkness against the light. It grows a brown head to half a finger tall, both tightly and sparsely bubbly, so that it falls off a bit more quickly than the original but not too quickly. A moderate amount of lacing is left in patches.
The roasted coffee is there in the nose without overpowering this porter. There's a touch of cocoa, a bit of toast, and a mildly herbal quality (hops, I would think). Roasty malt still underlies this beer.
The taste is essentially the same, but the coffee backs off ever so slightly and needs to come forward. There's also a ghost of astringency as if from a slightly acidic edge to the coffee.
There's a nice creaminess to the medium body, though it goes a bit too foamy (as with the original). It does have a good smoothness to it.
Overall, I think it loses just a little something, or maybe that it gains just that very slight acidity to it, but it's a good beer.

Serving type: bottle

05-06-2013 19:53:37 | More by Brenden

Flounder57

Massachusetts

3.96/5  rDev +4.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

11.2 oz bottle was poured into a pint glass.

Appearance: This beer poured a one finger mocha head that reduced to a thin layer. It is a pitch black/brown color with a little clarity and bubbles can be seen coming up the glass. Nice lacing on the glass as the beer was drank.

Smell: Roasted coffee, smoke, and mocha.

Taste: Roasted espresso, chocolate, sweet malts, and some smokiness.

Mouthfeel: Smooth, full bodied, mild bitterness, and low to medium carbonation.

Overall: A nice coffee porter here folks. Can't wait to try their other beers out.

Serving type: bottle

05-04-2013 01:21:40 | More by Flounder57

bluejacket74

Ohio

3.99/5  rDev +5.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

11.2 ounce bottle. Served in a pint glass, the beer pours a dark copper/brown color with about a half inch light tan head that went away quickly. However, there's a good amount of lacing. Aroma is nice, the brew smells mostly like coffee, along with some roasted malt and bittersweet chocolate. I think the taste is pretty much like the aroma, but there's also some grainy malt and some nutty flavor, too. Mouthfeel/body is medium, it's a bit slick and goes down easy. It's good and worth a try, but pricey at $4.99 a bottle.

Serving type: bottle

04-19-2013 23:53:08 | More by bluejacket74

bmwats

Louisiana

3.85/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Poured from a 300 ml bottle into a footed tulip.

A: Dark brown. Pours a half finger, bubbly, brown-white head. Disintegrates quickly leaving only a ring of bubbles around the rim, and some visible effervescence clinging to the sides of the glass. Some slight beer ring lacing, mostly retreats back into the body of the brew.

S: Roasted espresso, a little sweet dark chocolate, a little almond, and a hint of tea leaf.

T: Hearty malt, roasted coffee, and bittersweet dark chocolate.

M: Full body, thick and earthy.

D: Sip and enjoy.

Atmosphere is pretty nice. Dark hue, not much of a head, and slight lacing. Nose is full-on roasted espresso and dark chocolate with some nutty characteristics. Tastes like it smells. Roasted coffee is prominent with a little unsweetened dark chocolate. Overall, this is a good quaff.

Serving type: bottle

04-13-2013 02:31:37 | More by bmwats

jucifer1818

Florida

4.55/5  rDev +20.1%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

on tap, served in a 1/2 pint tulip glass, at Fermentation lounge, Tallahassee

a: Rich dark amber/brown, coming just shy of dark in appearance, with a heavy head (about 2 fingers worth)
4/5

s: Fresh coffee beans, coco pods, and chocolate malt dominate this beer. It smells stronger than a dark cup of iced coffee
5/5

t: When tasting this one you find yourself sneaking as many sips as possible. Right, dark inky expresso dominates this brew, offset by a nice sweet character. It tastes like a glass of alcoholic, strong chilled coffee
4.5/5

m: Dark and grainy, with a excellent smooth and creamy finish
4.25/5

O: This is a very fine brew. It may not be the finest porter I've ever had, but by god, it comes close to being the finest coffee porter I've ever had, tieing with the Cask conditioned Thunderstruck porter. As close to coffee and beer fusion as you can possibly get, this brews creamyness, sweetness, bitterness, and coffee flavors mesh perfectly

I highly recommend it, well worth the price, and everything a coffee beer should be
4.5/5

Serving type: on-tap

02-20-2013 14:05:23 | More by jucifer1818

shand

Florida

4.26/5  rDev +12.4%
look: 3.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Meantime Coffee Porter pours brown with a small head. The aroma is a solid coffee porter aroma - about what you'd expect from the style. Coffee, chocolate, and roasted malts. The taste is outstanding, there's a really big, fresh brewed coffee note that dominates the whole show. When your coffee note is this good though, you can be one-note. The mouthfeel is on the light side, but that works with how actual coffee feels too. The drinkability is great. Overall, if you love coffee, this is your beer. It's got a huge black coffee taste, without very much else.

Serving type: bottle

02-16-2013 02:14:21 | More by shand

JK4Stout

Virginia

3.79/5  rDev 0%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

First, may be my favorite bottle of all time...I even have a few others this shape...it just is so neat and simplistic.

A: This is one rich looking, dark porter. I'm used to my porter being a bit lighter and thinner than this. (not as thin as Guinness though) Very pleased as I watched it pour.

S: Good heavy aroma with a bit of coffee mixed in. Reminds me a lot of GUiness Foriegn Extra with a little mocha mixed in. Beautiful.

T: Eh...not quite living up to the smell, but still a pretty dang good brew. A bit light on the malt flavor for my taste, but still a very quality beer.

M: Good carbonation...better than many British beer I run into. Medium to heavy feel.

O: I'd do it again, but really want to see if they can make anything just a tiny bit stronger in the flavor department.

Serving type: bottle

02-15-2013 23:19:33 | More by JK4Stout

BeerAdvocate

Massachusetts

3.86/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

From BeerAdvocate magazine Issue #61 (Feb 2012):

LOOK: Dark mahogany brown

SMELL: Cowboy coffee, charcoal, burnt currants, bready, earthy, yeast, tree bark, herbal

TASTE: Creamy, smooth, roasted grain, coffee, milky, warming alcohol, burnt toast, herbal, chicory, black tea; semisweet, roasty finish

Obviously brewed with coffee, Meantime states that one bottle is equal to one cup of coffee. They also add lactose, which drops in nice layer of depth; creamy and more inviting with each sip. Coffee flavor could be dialed up a smidgen more, but it works.

Serving type: bottle

01-09-2013 17:38:24 | More by BeerAdvocate

Greywulfken

New York

3.8/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured into the center of a stocky flute glass...

A: translucent brown pour resulted in a black-bodied beer with an off-white head about a finger-thick

S: faint espresso and dark malts

T: dominant black cold espresso flavors, but light, and melded into the softer dark malt background

M: thin, drying bitterness, crisp; lively bitter notes

O: a good coffee porter, I'd say - it has very traditional porter qualities and an assertive coffee character, a good exemplar of the style, but it lacked anything special that would draw me back to it

Serving type: bottle

12-29-2012 00:52:06 | More by Greywulfken

DrDemento456

Pennsylvania

4.1/5  rDev +8.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This beer was kind of hard to obtain but I was able to snag one for $5.50 from Halftime beverage.

A - A very nice 1/4 inch of opaque colored head atop of a very dark ruby brown ale. Nice sticky lacing this one looks pretty.

S - Dominated by smooth roasted coffee, bakers chocolate, and a dash of molasses.

T - A nice subtle twang of dark roast that pulls bitterness on your tongue in reminiscent of dank hops sticking to the palate. After which I can taste some sweet dark chocolate rounding to some other sweet malts/vanilla into a coffee induced finish. So worth it.

M - Medium bodied, slightly chewy, a sure fire sipper.

Overall I have been after this one for a while since it was noted for it's strong black coffee taste yet smooth balanced body. I was impressed!

Serving type: bottle

12-24-2012 00:51:42 | More by DrDemento456

KickbacksSteve

Florida

3.95/5  rDev +4.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

On tap at Kickbacks in Jax. Poured into a small snifter. Almost white head, moderate retention on a dark, dark mahogany body, almost black. Sticky lacing with small bubbles. Aroma is very much dominated by coffee and also includes slight chocolate and roasted malts. High carbonation on tasting, taste obviously is dominated by coffee but there are some sweet malt notes in the back with the roasted notes on the front end. Very smooth and quite easy to drink.

Serving type: on-tap

11-14-2012 07:15:25 | More by KickbacksSteve

Keyportnick

Wisconsin

3.9/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

11.2oz bottle in a snifter

A- Nice slick looking beer as it pours rounding into a nice tan single finger head.

S- Nice notes of roasted malts followed by coffee and a touch of dark sweetness.

T- astringent roasted malts up front with the combination of cold coffee. Rounded out with what seams to be a lactose sweetness.

M- Low carbonation with a medium full body that carries all the way through. The body also make me feel that there is lactose sugar added.

Great well rounded porter with a bigger than usual body. Coffee stands out nice but isn't overtaking. Would be interested to try more from meantime brewing

Serving type: bottle

10-29-2012 00:09:42 | More by Keyportnick

popery

California

4.1/5  rDev +8.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a dark mahogany brown. Quite clear. Small tan head. Nice colors but the head dissipates fairly quickly. Coffee is very well integrated into the aroma. It's more complex and holds greater subtlety than most coffee porters. The coffee is fruity and fresh with very little roast. The malt flavors are rich and soft. Dough, toffee, caramel, molasses, walnut, chocolate. Lots of flavor in the taste as well. It's sweet without going overboard. Nice coffee twang and light mineral hops in the finish. Toasty malt sweetness throughout. Mouthfeel is creamy and full, though could probably be a bit more in that direction in a perfect world. All in all, this is a very good beer. I think Meantime is oddly underrated by beer geeks. They're still on the pricey side, though many brewers have caught up. Still, they make high quality British beers and actually translate them well to bottles that are pretty easy to find in the US. Coffee porters/stouts aren't really my favorite, but this is a winner and I'd definitely put it in the lineup for any tasting of the substyle.

Serving type: bottle

09-25-2012 06:10:05 | More by popery

NEhophead

Massachusetts

3.65/5  rDev -3.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

11.2 fl oz brown bottle served in a tumbler.

Thin maple with shades of light oak. Foamy, lightly tan head that sits up about an inch before fades to an intact, creamy sheet after a few moments.

Sweet, rich aromas: dulce de leche and toffee. The sweetness is well balanced with dry hazelnut and spicy espresso, although the espresso does give off a bit of astringency.

Mildly sweet chocolate, caramel, and dulce de leche flavors up front that are surprisingly watery, yet clean on the palate. The bold, yet bland, espresso erases the sweetness almost as soon as it is introduced. The finish is a touch spicy yet mellow with a balanced sweet and spicy aftertaste.

A full, medium in body. Remarkably smooth and mellow on the palate with the carbonation really kept at bay.

Some flavorful aspects to this Porter with a few flaws in balance, but all in all a pretty unique offering. The highlight has to be the velvety smooth texture on the palate.

Serving type: bottle

08-31-2012 00:34:50 | More by NEhophead

eduardolinhalis

Switzerland

3.78/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

330ml bottle served in a pint glass.

A: Dark brown to black color. A clear beer. Forms a huge beige bubbled head. Small retention and few lacings left

S: Roasted malts, brown sugar, dark chocolate and coffee. A moka bomb. Lots of coffee

T: As the nose. Roasted malts, dark chocolate and coffee. Nice and intense bitterness

M: Medium body. Medium carbonation. Good roasted bitter aftertaste

O: Good drinkability. Nice beer

Serving type: bottle

04-06-2012 16:02:02 | More by eduardolinhalis

SHODriver

California

3.93/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A: pours a deep brown with ruby around the edges of the glass. nearly black but not quite there and lets just the tiniest amount of light through. Small off white had with little retention
S: smells like a mocha with plenty of chocolate and coffee aromas. a little bit of roasted malt as well
T: roasty toasty malt with coffee and hints of bittersweet chocolate. aftertaste is very porterish with notes of more roast malt and lingering coffee
M: medium to light so it drinks easy like a porter should with plenty of carbonation that is a bit prickly at times
O: Not a bad beer at all and much different than american offerings. nice flavors and pretty enjoyable.

Serving type: bottle

04-06-2012 05:11:39 | More by SHODriver

spinrsx

Ontario (Canada)

3.83/5  rDev +1.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Bottle from the LCBO for around 4$

Appearance - Dark brown colour with a large size fizzy beige head. There is a low amount of carbonation showing and there is some fairly good lacing. The head lasted for only a few minutes.

Smell - Malts, chocolate, coffee

Taste & Mouth - There is a high amount of carbonation and I can taste malts, chocolate, and of course - lots of coffee. At times the flavour actually reminded me a bit of a cola or even a vanilla cola. It ends with a chocolatey coffee aftertaste.

Overall - The beer has a nice taste and it is very well balanced. I could drink a few of these in one sitting with no issues. I won't actively search out more, but I'd drink it again anytime.

Serving type: bottle

03-22-2012 17:46:16 | More by spinrsx

Blargimus

Colorado

3.23/5  rDev -14.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

12 oz bottle poured into snifter.

Pours much lighter than I expected. A deep amber color, with a little bit of head. Head fades quickly to a very nice lacing.

Smell is a very sweet roasted coffee. Lots of molasses. A small amount of bitterness, but no hops.

Taste follows the smell. Quite a bit of coffee flavor, enough so that it almost tastes like a sweetened, carbonated coffee drink. There's a roasted character that could be from some roasted malts, but it could just as easily be from the coffee. No detectable alcohol.

Mouthfeel is very thin, almost watery. Light-moderate carbonation. Finishes dry. No heft.

Not as good as I remember, but a decent coffee-forward beer. I'd recommend Kona Pipeline Porter over this, especially at 3.50 a bottle for the Meantime.

Serving type: bottle

03-05-2012 03:22:23 | More by Blargimus

tasteegood

Illinois

3.7/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Had this beer once before, but decided to pick it up again as a refresher.

This bottle was purchased at my South Loop Binnys for around 5 bucks.

Poured into a pint glass. Smells of coffee, no sweetness detected. Very little lacing and head (half inch which rapidly decipates). Very drinkable, defnitely aimed for the coffee lover. I've definitely tastes bettwr porters in general, the coffee oevrtones don't knock me off my feet.

This is a good beer for individuals that are not looking for anything heavy or sweet. I may pick this up again, but probably not for me.

Serving type: bottle

02-18-2012 04:06:11 | More by tasteegood

TerryW

Ontario (Canada)

3.63/5  rDev -4.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours dark walnut under a good-sized head that settles to a heavy cap. Lots of spotty lace on drinking. Looks appetizing.

Smells of good coffee with a chalky character after initially coming across as a little syrupy. Thin-bodied, slightly metallic on drinking, with a slightly drying chalky finish. Simple coffee flavour, a little roastiness.

Enjoyable, easy drinking, a fairly straight forward coffee porter. One I'd do again.

Serving type: bottle

02-05-2012 00:18:37 | More by TerryW

Rizalini

Nevada

3.35/5  rDev -11.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 11.2 oz bottle into my Deschutes tulip glass...

A - Pours a very deep, mahogany color with an average 1 finger off-white head. As I sip, the lacing is gripping the sides of my glass.

S - Has a sort of funky nutty, burnt coffee aroma. Maybe burnt toffee and slightly grassy. Different.

T/M - Lighter in flavor than the smell is, but still has that nutty, burnt coffee flavor. At least the flavor profile matches the smell. Light/medium mouthfeel.

O - Not like any other coffee brews I've had before, in the sence that this one has an earthy quality that I have a hard time describing. It's not bad, but not great. Glad I tried it, but wont seek this one out again.

Serving type: bottle

01-20-2012 06:55:28 | More by Rizalini

kojevergas

California

3.5/5  rDev -7.7%
look: 2.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

11.2 fl oz brown glass bottle served into a Guinness goblet in low altitude Los Angeles, California. Reviewed live. Expectations are pretty high.

A: Pours a one finger head of lovely cream lacing, great foamy thickness, and good retention. Colour is a solid black. Quite appealing.

Sm: Heavy mocha and coffee. Among the best coffee scents I've ever experienced. Cream and chocolate are also abundant. An incredibly appealing aroma. Pretty strong as well.

T: The excellent mocha notes dominate, with a restrained coffee foundation with traces of roast. The cream and chocolate are in there primarily about the climax, suiting the already marvelous balance quiite well. Built very well for what it's after. A lovely coffee porter all around. Bravo.

Mf: Smooth and wet, with a bit of cream, suiting the flavour quite well. Not as tailored to it as it could be, but all around very complementary.

Dr: Extremely drinkable, though in the average ABV range. I'd definitely have it again and I'm sure it'd be marvelous on draught (or better yet nitro-draught). The price could be better, but it's tolerable for an import.

Serving type: bottle

12-02-2011 04:53:02 | More by kojevergas

BeefyMee

Connecticut

3.88/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 4

A: Dark brown, ruby transparency. Absolutely love the bottle.

S: Syrupy sweet coffee aroma. Burnt malt and vanilla.

T: Continues to be sticky sweet. Coffee is not as pronounced here as in the smell. Burnt aftertaste.

M: A little disappointing here. Just kind of thin and watery.

Pleased with this overall. Almost like a coffee milk stout. Would buy it more often if it was more affordable.

Serving type: bottle

11-24-2011 22:03:04 | More by BeefyMee