Pipeline Porter - Kona Brewing Co.

Darkmagus82

Montana

3.53/5  rDev -7.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Served on tap in a pint glass

Appearance – Served a deep brown colored brew with a nice two finger cream head. The head was creamy and light, with it fading relatively fast to leave a great level of lacing.

Smell – The aroma is heaviest of a roasted malt smell. Mixed with these smells are some light coffee as well as some light dark chocolate.

Taste – The taste begins of a nice smooth roasted malt flavor. There is not too much sweetness up front. As the taste moves on some light chocolate and coffee flavors accompanied by some caramel sweetness come to the tongue. More toward the end a light bitter flavor and more roast come to the tongue along with a toasted nut taste. In the end a rather dry roasted flavor are left to linger on the tongue.

Mouthfeel – The mouthfeel begins light but creamy only to become more biting at the end as the carbonation seems to come to fruition while in your mouth. Rather interesting and fairly nice for the flavor profile of the beer.

Overall – While not the most robust porter out there it was a decent more session like porter. A little more sweet flavor and body may have been better for the brew,

Serving type: on-tap

12-06-2012 23:28:27 | More by Darkmagus82

tjsdomer2

Illinois

3.83/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Appearance: Dark roast coffee. I give this some extra points for this, because that's what it touts itself as.

Smell: Wow! Coffee. Slightly sweeter coffee at at that.

Taste/Mouthfeel: Bitter coffee in the head and the finish. Even the mouthfeel has the slick coffee feel.

Overall Drinkability: Did I mention coffee?

Serving type: bottle

11-28-2012 05:17:13 | More by tjsdomer2

BeerBuckeye

Ohio

4.03/5  rDev +5.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A - Pours a rather dark brown with small one finger off-white head.

S- Full of Kona roasted coffee, like cocoa, very nice. Love the coffee taste.

T- Follows up with a full coffee taste, not roasted, more mocha-like. Malty, and full, very nice.

S- Smooth, a little high on carbpnation

Overall- Incredibly good porter, all there is to say

Serving type: bottle

11-24-2012 01:51:34 | More by BeerBuckeye

Johnnyjoe13

3.25/5  rDev -14.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

I was excited to try this beer, but it underwhelmed a bit. Sweet, a bit of wood taste. I liked it, but mouthfeel just felt... Off.

Compared to recent porters, this one isn't the top. I'm not picking up enough of the coffe notes and complexity. The taste was flatter than other porters. Still a good beer, but not upper echelon porter.

Serving type: bottle

11-21-2012 23:59:20 | More by Johnnyjoe13

ogasnor

Arizona

3.68/5  rDev -3.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a bottle into a pint glass.

A - Pours a dark red, with not quite a full finger of tan head, which stays decently, never fully disappearing, leaving a thin film.

S - Malty sweetness and coffee, followed by a hint of chocolate. Nothing strong to the nose, though the coffee comes on stronger as it warms.

T - Coffee up front, but not a punch in the mouth. Malty sweetness and chocolate after that, trailing off quickly to a more bitter cocoa taste. Nearly no aftertaste.

M - Thicker than some porters, but a decent amount of carbonation makes the finish dry, which contributes to the lack of aftertaste.

O - This is not a complex beer, nor does it stand out in its style. There are many other coffee porters and stouts out there that are better, but none of them I can pick up at my corner convenience store like I can a six-pack of Pipeline at QT.

Serving type: bottle

11-20-2012 03:07:41 | More by ogasnor

metter98

New York

3.85/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A: When held up to a bright light, this beer is very dark red in color (but black when viewed from afar). It has a light amount of visible carbonation and poured with a quarter finger high beige head that died down a bit but never completely faded away.
S: Light to moderate aromas of coffee beans are present in the nose; these become a bit stronger as the beer warms up.
T: The taste has flavors of coffee beans and notes of chocolate along with hints of roasted malts. No bitterness is detectable.
M: It feels light- to medium-bodied and a little smooth on the palate with a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: This is a very easy to drink and balanced porter that has some nice flavors of coffee and chocolate.

Serving type: bottle

11-17-2012 15:44:26 | More by metter98

Freshlikeugh

Hawaii

4.18/5  rDev +9.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured this beer into a Pilsner glass, just to get a better sense of the appearance. It pours a dark (nearly black) brown with a toasty brown head that retains itself throughout the drink. The smell is predominantly coffee but has some roasted malt too. The consistency is perfect, exactly what you would be looking for in a porter. You can certainly taste the coffee but its impressive how well it is balanced and not dominated by it.

Overall, I think its a great example of an American Porter. Its well balanced and represents that smooth island feel. It doesn't have much of a bite or anything unique that makes it spectacular, but when it comes to a few Porters on the beach, these go down easy.

Serving type: bottle

11-16-2012 05:48:22 | More by Freshlikeugh

JesseBlanco

4.78/5  rDev +25.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Whenever I travel to Hawaii, I usually have one of these with breakfast instead of coffee. The caffeine level in it is enough to give you a nice boost and still have a cool drink. Lately, in Los Angeles; you can buy 6 packs at a cheaper price than you can get it for in Hawaii.

Serving type: bottle

11-08-2012 05:37:11 | More by JesseBlanco

AgentMunky

Alabama

4.18/5  rDev +9.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a 12 ounce bottle into a brandy snifter. Bottled 10 September 2012.

A: Half-finger of creamy off-white head. Black-brown, dark and opaque.

S: Rich, sweet, creamy, and chocolatey. Strong and excellent. Touch of coffee.

T/M: Very nice porter. Not thin at all. Substantial, creamy, and rich, with a hint of roasted malt. Almost like a milkshake. Flavors are a bit light and it's more milky sweet than bitter, but all and all an exceptional effort. I'd have liked a bit more of the Kona coffee, but it is noticeable, especially right at the beginning.

O: On of the best porters I've encountered. Drinkable, thick, tasty, and flavorful. Recommended. A touch too sweet for me, but I would have again.

Serving type: bottle

11-03-2012 23:34:33 | More by AgentMunky

inlimbo77

Delaware

3.95/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

12oz, 10/06/12
Central Waters tulip

A: Looks pretty pitch black in glass, but poured more deep dark brown with reddish hues. Initially finger and a half of light tan head. Tight bubbles. Some alcohol feet. Lacing.

S: Nose is of fresh coffee grounds. Really appeasing coffee hints. Beneath it some chocolate and roast.

T: Tip of the tongue is a tingle of dark roast coffee. Very nice. Then the roast malt and chocolate come into play. It's fairly smooth and easy drinking. I like it.

M: Big medium to full due to body.

Serving type: bottle

10-30-2012 17:55:25 | More by inlimbo77

arfenhouse

California

3.13/5  rDev -18.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 2 | overall: 3

A: Pours into a glass with a one finger off-white head. Dark amber brown with little light passing through edges. Lace throughout entire drink, little of it sticking to the glass.

S: Malt, coffee, and chocolate smell.

T: Although the coffee flavor tasted similar to old coffee it seems to lead well into the hop bitterness. Malt profile is lacking.

M: Thin and lacking carbonation. Has a slight astringent aspect.

O: Decent porter, don't think i'll be buying this one again anytime soon.

Serving type: bottle

10-30-2012 09:32:33 | More by arfenhouse

ThisWangsChung

Maryland

3.68/5  rDev -3.7%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

12 oz. bottle poured into a pint glass.

A: Pours a dark brown color that allows a little light to pass through the edges of the body, if only barely. The head is a two finger mocha color with a thinner texture. After a short time, it turns into a thin film.

S: Unsurprisingly, it's full of coffee - it isn't LOADED with coffee per se, but it's not a weak aroma by any stretch. The aforementioned coffee has a nice hazelnut quality to it, and it's also slightly chocolaty.

T: The coffee profile comes on slightly strong here, but gets a little green and vegetal tasting near the finish. It doesn't offer much depth beyond coffee and a little hazelnut, but what's here is pulled off with aplomb.

M: It's lightweight yet rather coarse in texture. The bone dry finish and moderately high carbonation makes this very easy to drink, but it means that there isn't much of a lingering aftertaste.

O: This one is more of an everyday drinker than a beer to be analyzed carefully, and it's all the better for it. C'mon Kona, make this one year round already!

Serving type: bottle

10-21-2012 18:41:32 | More by ThisWangsChung

ahorton8

3.38/5  rDev -11.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

bought in a 6pack locally. (DC area)

Poured into a snifter...its what i had nearby.

Color is great for the style. Midnight. None of that semi-translucent porter garbage!! good start. Head was thin as one would expect.

Smell is straight coffee. Walking into Starbucks level. Dash of malts

Taste is coffee, malts and powdered cocoa like for cooking.

Mouthfeel was disappointing. thin. I think this could be on purpose but its not my favorite aspect in a porter.

Overall its pretty solid. drinkable and enjoyable. If you have a friend who your trying ease them into the world of dark beers this has a home. Easy for a porter.

Serving type: bottle

10-20-2012 04:24:37 | More by ahorton8

dogma46an2

Alabama

3.5/5  rDev -8.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

clearly a very average porter, pretty good but you can see from the scores that it was unremarkable. the color was actually true to style, the aroma was less than expected, the smell was not that bad with roasty notes, the taste was unfortunately thin and unlasting. mouthfeel was not much better.

Serving type: bottle

10-20-2012 02:53:36 | More by dogma46an2

IsaacmanTX

2.43/5  rDev -36.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Meh, Meh, Meh... unfortunately the deep brown body and light milky head are as far as I go in appreciating this beer. The smell leaves me searching, and trying again. Cola, possibly roasted malts and maybe some chocolate summarize my view of the main body of taste of this beer. I am NOT a fan, and found it dificult to finish my 4oz taster... in fact I think I didn't.

Serving type: bottle

10-20-2012 02:13:24 | More by IsaacmanTX

BhamBeerLover

3.1/5  rDev -18.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Medium coffee and hop notes. Poor mouthfeel. Thin and uninteresting as far as coffee porter goes but would drink over bud light etc. In all honesty and in my opinion, probably not worth all the money it took to ship this all the way from Hawaii. Sorry guys at Kona. :(

Serving type: bottle

10-20-2012 01:48:54 | More by BhamBeerLover

gcamparone

Rhode Island

3.53/5  rDev -7.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 12 ounce bottle into a Samuel Adams pint glass. Purchased at Wakefield Liquors in Wakefield, RI

A - pours a dark brown, nearly black body with a cream-colored milky head. Medium-high retention, reduces fairly quickly

S- Slight toffee and coffee notes, could be a little more aromatic

T- Follows the nose. Lightly roasted coffee, slight chocolate flavor. Leaves a light roasted malt flavor on the tongue.

M- Very little carbonation, medium body

Overall, a run-of-the-mill porter. Nothing great but nothing bad. I expected more coffee and taste.

Serving type: bottle

10-16-2012 20:20:16 | More by gcamparone

wac9

Pennsylvania

1.78/5  rDev -53.4%
look: 1 | smell: 1 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 1

ovrall nothing to write home about i was told it went down smoothed but i dont think it , it has coffee in it could of fooled me this beers offers nothing to me this beers lacks everything no taste no moment of oh yes i must drink it all night or again but no skip it enjoy thier vannilla one this brings nothing to the table leave it in the car

Serving type: bottle

10-14-2012 02:07:15 | More by wac9

Dave1999

Virginia

3.95/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours a rich dark brown With a decent sized tan colour head.

The smell is roasted malts and coffee.

The taste Is dark coffee and roasted malts.

The mouthfeel was a little on the thin side with medium carbonation.

Overall not perfect but a good coffee porter that I really enjoyed.

Serving type: on-tap

09-26-2012 23:20:52 | More by Dave1999

ryan1788a5

Massachusetts

3.68/5  rDev -3.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Reviewed from notes:

12oz bottle poured into a pint glass.

A: Deep opaque brown. The head is tan in color and very creamy looking. Though it settles a bit, a nice quarter inch crown always remains.

S: Roasted grain, cola, hints of cocoa nibs. Acidic coffee. Very subdued on the nose.

T: Cola, brown sugar, and roasted malts open. Cocoa nibs and milk chocolate. Black, acidic coffee comes mid palate. Some woody and smokey flavors toward the end. Finishes with powdery chocolate and a touch of smoke.

M: On the lighter side of medium bodied. Very full, creamy, and silky in the mouth. Low carbonation, but what's there leaves a lightly scrubbing, tingling sensation on the tongue. The mouthfeel is very well done.

O: Very easy to drink, but otherwise it's a bit bland. I certainly wouldn't mind drinking it again, but with so many beers competing for a piece of my wallet during the winter season, it's unlikely that I'd buy it again.

Serving type: bottle

08-28-2012 03:03:16 | More by ryan1788a5

jmbranum

Oklahoma

4.35/5  rDev +13.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

This review is of a 12 oz bottle that was aged for 3.5 years (at least based on the date of the bottle - Jan 2009). I normally would not have review a beer left to age this long (given its relatively low ABV), but after tasting this unintentionally aged beer I think I'll have to write about it.

Mostly because it is better now than I remembered it being before. The main difference is that it is now softer with more wine-like notes.

The appearance -- pours a rich dark brown with a very large dark tan head.

The aroma - slight with some maple notes

Flavor - soft, slightly toasty, rich, very heavy on the chocolate. The coffee has faded some in the aging but it has kept a very nice smooth roasted quality (which reminds me a bit of 100% Kona coffee which is also very smooth). I definitely can pick up some red wine notes in the mix too.

Mouthfeel is medium. Slight lingering aftertaste, pleasant and rich. Sweet but not cloying.

Overall, I like this beer a lot, and like it even better with aging.

Serving type: bottle

07-13-2012 21:33:23 | More by jmbranum

biboergosum

Alberta (Canada)

3.75/5  rDev -1.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12oz glass at the Big Island brewpub.

This beer appears a murky dark cola colour, with one thin finger of loosely foamy beige head, which leaves a few spouts of seemingly airborne lace at points limited around the glass as things drop away.

It smells of semi-sweet coffee, nutty chocolate malt, and earthy, mildly leafy hops. The taste is moderately sweet nutty caramel malt, a much more subtle coffee grounds essence, a small meaty twinge, and nicely innocuous earthy, weedy hops.

The carbonation is a bit palate lifting, and nothing more, the body a bit airy and light for the style, but still holds it's own, and is agreeably smooth. It finishes nutty, malty, and a tad warming.

A decent porter, especially for time spents in these islands, as I'm getting a strong foreign stout vibe here. Tasty and dark, to distill it down to the vast majority of typical bar server knowledge. Not here, though, I am happy to report.

Serving type: on-tap

05-18-2012 04:08:24 | More by biboergosum

mattbk

New York

3.4/5  rDev -11%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Appearance- Deep, reddish ruby/black, just light getting in around the edges. Light head which dissipated quickly. Appeared slightly watery.
Smell- Not a ton of aroma, but what I do get is subtle chocolate, roasted coffee and vanilla undertones. Which it was stronger, but whats there is nice.
Taste- Very very coffee, strong roasted black coffee, a bit acidic. I don't get much else than coffee here. A bit of roast after a few sips, which puts it more in the range of porters. Maybe a slight vanilla finish. The coffee taste is nice, but definitely not very interesting. This grows on you a bit as you drink it.
Mouthfeel- Medium-light mouthfeel, medium carbonation. Dry, very fast finish, leaves the tongue feeling.. empty. Below average.
Overall- Fairly one dimensional, somewhat bland beer. Not very interesting. This might be a good beer to introduce to a new craft drinker who likes coffee.

Serving type: bottle

05-02-2012 00:58:09 | More by mattbk

seydou

South Africa

2.73/5  rDev -28.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Poured from a bottle into glass.

Surprisingly lighter color - at least in the pour - but for a a coffee porter, I was expecting something darker. In the glass, it looks much darker.

Tan foam, again more than I expected, though it dissipates quickly. Fizziness and sound almost like pouring a coke.

A bit too carbonated for me.

The taste definitely confers coffee, but more toward the end of the drink and aftertaste. The front end of the drink is not as good, but beyond bland, tastes a bit too beer-y for a porter (for me).

Overall, an extremely average porter for me, maybe even a little disappointing. I think what did me in, is I am hoping for a silky, thick, dark motor oil of a beer with a coffee porter, but this just didn't deliver.

Serving type: bottle

04-24-2012 00:00:41 | More by seydou

JohnnyBarman

Ontario (Canada)

3.45/5  rDev -9.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Single bottle from Knightly Spirits in Orlando. My first brew from Hawaii! Loving the bottle design here. I'm a sucker for Polynesian kitsch, and the label absolutely nails it.

Poured into a nonic glass. Dark chestnut brew, slightly tan round the edges when held to the light. About a half inch of off-white head, decent retention.

Nose is all coffee. My inlaws were recently in Hawaii and brought me back some Kona coffee, and that's what I detect. A bit of nuttiness and roasted malt.

Decent coffee brew, though the coffee flavor leans on the syrupy side. A touch of citrus hops to the finish. Tastes like a coffee porter.

Mouthfeel is lacking here - thin and without that nice silkyness the best of the genre possess. More body really would have helped this brew.

Coffee rules this brew, and as far as coffee porters go this one ain't bad.

Serving type: bottle

04-21-2012 21:50:25 | More by JohnnyBarman