Pipeline Porter - Kona Brewing Co.

magine

Pennsylvania

3.7/5  rDev -3.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured into a pint glass.

Pours a dark brown color, lots of bubbles. Thin layer head. Minimal lace. Average looks.

Brew smells of light malts, nutty and coffee bean. A little roasted notes. Decent nose.

Brew is pretty balanced in the feel. Good carbonation, upfront than smooth middle. Leans towards more sharp and carbonated than a thicker smooth brew. Good roasted malts, cocoa and coffee is the primary flavors here. Pretty good mouthfeel, good flavors here. A good solid porter with a nice roasted coffee flavor.

A good solid porter; solid flavor and feel. Problem is there are ALOT of other stellar porters out there that are better than this one. Good brew, just not a "wow" brew.

Serving type: bottle

04-08-2012 00:02:05 | More by magine

tobelerone

New Jersey

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

Cola colored beer with a smallish beige head. Retention and lace are fair. Aroma is pretty mild, striking a nice balance between roastiness and coffee notes. Flavor follows suit; a middle of the road, easy drinking and tasty but unexciting porter. Some mild hoppy bitterness and vague spiciness underneath the coffee and roasted taste; very dry, with minimal overall sweetness, flavors seem a little muted to me.

Body is medium-thin and carbonation is pretty lively. Maybe a little more prickly than I’d like, assertive and bubbly, without a lot of smoothness or creaminess. Crisp and dry finish. Not bad, but if I’m going for a Hawaiian porter make mine a Maui Coconut please.

Serving type: bottle

04-03-2012 16:00:05 | More by tobelerone

arizcards

Arizona

3.6/5  rDev -5.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Picked up a sixer from Total Wine in late January for $6.99.

Beer poured dark brown with a decent tan head that dissapated quickly.

Nose is nice, coffee predominates with a notes of floral hops lingering in the back.

Taste is coffee, malts, with a light hop finish to balance the sweetness.

Mouthfeel is thinner than hoped, somewhat smooth but nothing special.

Overall this is a decent coffee porter but lacks the overall viscosity i was hoping to find.

Serving type: bottle

03-24-2012 23:44:38 | More by arizcards

kylehay2004

Florida

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

1.5 finger head with nice lacing on a jet black body. Aroma is mostly roasted malt with some coffee. Flavor is heavily dominated by dry roast coffee bean flavor without too much of a bitter note. Dry finish. Full body and moderate carbonation. Overall this is more stout like than porter. Coffee is heavy which affects drinkability but it's good for my tastes.

Serving type: on-tap

03-18-2012 23:45:57 | More by kylehay2004

Tardcore

Washington

2.3/5  rDev -39.8%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Poured into a tulip pint from a bottle

Appearance: Dark brown with reddish edges, nearly opaque, and nearly no head despite purposely vigorous pouring. No lacing. If it wasn't for the darkness it looks like a glass of cola. Disappointing.

Smell: Bitter coffee with very slight smoky malt notes. Punches the nose with coffee and little else.

Taste: I can kind of appreciate beers with some added flavoring to enhance inherent bitterness or hops, but this just tastes like pale ale with a whole bunch of weak coffee. If anything saves this beer it is a light smokiness on the back end. However, I can't call it "balanced" due to the overwhelming coffee flavor.

Mouthfeel: Too thin for a Porter. Moderate carbonation. Lacking the creaminess and stickiness of a good porter.

Overall: Just tastes like some kitschy coffee flavored ale, go for it if you're into that kind of thing.

Serving type: bottle

03-12-2012 21:16:10 | More by Tardcore

canucklehead

British Columbia (Canada)

3.78/5  rDev -1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Had this at the Lahaina Yacht club and found it a very nice coffee forward porter with a balanced mouthfeel and a good finish. Not as nuanced as the Coconut Porter from Maui Brewing but still a nice change from the lighter beers at most Maui bars or restaurants

Serving type: on-tap

03-10-2012 23:48:36 | More by canucklehead

mscudder

Georgia

3.98/5  rDev +4.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into a left hand pint.

A - Very dark brown with a tan head that dissipates quickly and leaves little lacing.

S - Spot on what I was looking for in this one! Notes of coffee, roasted malts, and some mild chocolate.

T - Dark roasted malts with soft coffee notes poking through. This is far from powerful, think the inverse of Storm King or more so the Peche Mortel. Little bit of sweetness on the back end with the chocolate.

M - Big complaint in this department is the lack of a body. It is smooth and has a near perfect carbonation (mild) to accent the coffee and chocolates. Smooth throughout and no lingering bitterness.

O - If you are looking for a drinkable coffee style porter this is a great selection. If I see this in a local mart I could easily throw down a sixer without being disappointed. That said if a bold, big body porter is what you are looking for, go elsewhere.

Serving type: bottle

03-09-2012 05:01:17 | More by mscudder

Duffman929

Illinois

3.98/5  rDev +4.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Picked up a 6er of this while I was in Kona.

A: Black color with a slight head. Cannot see through the glass at all.

S: Deep coffee smell. Pretty straight-forward here.

T: Total coffee taste, you can taste the Kona blend. Malty chocolate and slight bitterness.

M: Smooth, with minimal carbonation. No lingering bitter nature.

O: Drank this while comparing with Maui CoConut porter. I liked them each for different reasons, but this had little carbonation and much more coffee. Didn't like it as much as the Black Butte.

Serving type: bottle

03-04-2012 13:07:00 | More by Duffman929

ujsplace

Pennsylvania

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

Poured into a nonic.

Pours a deep, dark near black colored brew that has a two finger thick mocha colored head. Nice lacing as the head recedes.

Smells of roasted coffee, espresso, and chocolate malts.

Predominately tastes of roasted coffee and dark chocolate. Has a nice dose of muted hop bitters toward the end that is fairly well balanced with some malt sweetness.

Medium mouthfeel with good carbonation.

This is my first taste from Kona Brewing and I am not disappointed. I think the coffee is a bit more pronounced, which sets this apart from other American Porters. A nice take that is an easy drinker and a worthwhile try.

Serving type: bottle

02-10-2012 02:11:18 | More by ujsplace

LiquidAmber

Washington

3.7/5  rDev -3.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured into a Gulden Draak tulip. Pours a very dark red brown, appearing black. Thin, fine light tan head dissipates quickly. Aroma of chocolate with faint coffee and roasted malts. Flavor follows, dark and roasted malt, chocolate and light coffee; coffee finish with some residual bitterness. Light bodied. Flavor is light, but well integrated and pleasant. I prefer more robust flavor in my porters, but this tastes good, if a bit attenuated.

Serving type: bottle

02-08-2012 04:24:58 | More by LiquidAmber

UCLABrewN84

California

3.65/5  rDev -4.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Bottled on 8/31/11.

Pours an almost opaque super dark brown with a 1 inch tan head that settles to a thin cap. Small dots of lace form on the glass on the drink down. Smell is of dark roasted malt, roasted coffee beans, and slight cocoa. Taste is of dark roasted malt and some sweetened burnt coffee flavors. There is an acidic quality and roasty bitterness on the palate with each sip. This beer has a good level of carbonation with a crisp mouthfeel. Overall, this is a pretty good stout but the coffee flavors I am getting are a bit odd with the roast.

Serving type: bottle

02-06-2012 05:59:36 | More by UCLABrewN84

EricCioe

Montana

2.88/5  rDev -24.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

This pours black with ruby highlights and a one finger khaki head rising and falling with little lace. On the nose there are goofy stale coffee grounds, not overpowering like in Bell's Java Stout but also with a lot less heft than that beer. In the mouth the coffee grounds come out a bit sour without much backing them up. Where is the body? This reminds me of Atwater's Vanilla Java Porter in that they are both thin, somewhat artificial tasting brews. This one is better than the other but that's not saying much. The finish is long with an acidic note hanging out longest.

Overall, I was disappointed by this brew. It was a struggle through a 6 pack, and that with using it as an extra in a trade with a guy who loves it.

Serving type: bottle

02-05-2012 05:43:36 | More by EricCioe

ONUMello

Ohio

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

12oz bottle poured into a pint glass
A: Virtually pitch black, just a bit of dark brown around the edges of the glass. A very thin head slowly disappears.
S: Burnt coffee/espresso.
T: Also primarily dark coffee/espresso, followed by chocolate. Bold up front but falls off towards the finish.
M: Smooth, medium-bodied. Nice but a bit light.
O: Overall enjoyable to drink, but would be even better if the flavor at the beginning lasted a bit longer..

Serving type: bottle

02-02-2012 02:39:01 | More by ONUMello

StonedTrippin

Colorado

3.95/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

by all counts a lovely porter. pours a nice dark ale color with very limited transparency and a 1 inch white head. smells like fine hawaiian coffee, sweet chocolate malts, and that north shore evening breeze. flavor is rich but drinkable, plenty of roasted grain here and a delicate sort of coffee finish. not bitter coffee, but like a luxurious cup with a spoonful of raw sugar. no acidity either. mouthfeel is damn near perfect, everything a porter should be. fuller bodied but not filling, still an ale here. highly sessionable with a modest abv, and just enough bubbles to bring out the flavor, no more. overall this is a fantastic porter, one of my favorites actually, and it is infinitely better than kona's longboard lager. almost wrote these guys off, but now i am keen for more. well done here! mahalo!

Serving type: bottle

01-30-2012 06:43:46 | More by StonedTrippin

scarfield

Nebraska

3.75/5  rDev -1.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

App- Pours black with a rocky 1 inch head. Head diminishes slightly, but the lacing left behind is of excellent constancy.

Smell- Cocoa and espresso are the most prevalent.
Very straightforward.

Taste- The first thing to hit is espresso-ish very dark coffee flavors. The sweetness, earthiness, and chocolate malt hit after you swallow. A bit of dark chocolate bitterness as well.

Mouthfeel- Full bodied, creamy, perhaps even a bit oily.

Overall- Pleased with this beer, but to me it is almost too forward with the coffee. The fact that this is a beer gets lost, but that would make it a good sessionable beer.

Serving type: bottle

01-29-2012 22:49:20 | More by scarfield

hopfacebrew

Colorado

4.1/5  rDev +7.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Note: This review was a re-post from my former account, jmkratt, which was hacked and I lost all my reviews...sorry for the redundancy.

Poured from 12oz bottle to pint glass.

A - Pours a deep black color with a 1 finger cream colored head with moderate retention.

S - The aroma is mostly that of dark roasted malts with a fair amount of coffee in the mix.

T/M - The beer starts right where the nose left off with the chocolate roasted malt flavors. I found the coffee to be more pronounced than the aroma let on and found it to blend well with the roasted malts. The beer finishes rather dry with a strong coffee presence.
There's chocolate and roasted malt on the palate again, and there's more of a coffee flavor--there's a bitter coffee finish.

D - Very, very drinkable.

Overall this is a beer I'd recommend to try. I am not a coffee drinker but appreciated the complex flavors the Kona coffee adds to the Porter. I will look forward to next year's edition!

Serving type: bottle

Reviewed on: 01-25-2011 22:54:52

Serving type: bottle

01-27-2012 22:20:17 | More by hopfacebrew

papat444

Quebec (Canada)

3.23/5  rDev -15.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

This one has special meaning because it was the first beer i traded for and it was with atigerlife. That one was actually brewed in Hawaii. This one is brewed in NH(!).

Poured from a 12oz. bottle, bottled Oct. 14, 2011.

Appearance: A dark, almost opaque cola colored body with the head of light coffee foam. Thick at first but a bit disappointed as it doesn't stick around for long.

Smell: Nice espresso aroma, roasty with some macadamia nuts.

Taste: Nice chocolatey coffee combo with some roasted notes hiding in the back. The problem is that the flavor is fleeting and lacks a definite fullness.

Mouthfeel: Creamy, low bitterness and very smooth but as with the flavor, no robustness or full body. Too weak.

Overall: Nice initial impression but it fades fast as it can't sustain it. I expect more out of a porter. Just ok, nothing more.

Serving type: bottle

01-27-2012 12:36:41 | More by papat444

DM1293

California

3.43/5  rDev -10.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Appearance - Nice and dark. A small head that dissipates fairly quick.

Smell - I really wish the coffee smell was more prominent, but its as good as I'd expect it to smell for a porter.

Taste - Pretty good. Coffee notes hit up front, a slightly sweet taste, gives into bitterness and leaves a lingering note but not too overpowering. Usually I prefer the tastes of stouts to porters, but this feels like a good balance between the two kinds.

Mouthfeel - A little thick but not too thick. I like it.

Overall - I paid less than two bucks to try a bottle, I think its worth a try if you like yourself a Porter.

Serving type: bottle

01-27-2012 05:33:37 | More by DM1293

JohnFatAss

New Jersey

3.73/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pipeline Porter is very dark in color with a light brown head that did not last long. No lacing left on the glass.

Lightly carbonated. The mouthful is watery for a porter.

It has a nice coffee flavor. Very easy to drink.

Nothing spectacular, but very enjoyable.

Serving type: bottle

01-22-2012 03:28:29 | More by JohnFatAss

jayhawk73

Maryland

3.15/5  rDev -17.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Pours an extremely dark brown color w/ a thin, fizzy cocoa head. A little low on the carbonation, and minimal lacing on my snifter glass. The nose is coffee, some malt, and a hint of chocolate. Fairly weak, but pleasant smelling brew. The taste is a lot thinner than I was expecting. It's coffee, some hops, and that's really about it. I'd like the malt to be a little more present here. Feel is thin, a little undercarbonated, with a dry finish. Overall, this beer is ok, but I probably won't seek it out again. A decent porter.

Serving type: bottle

01-21-2012 20:01:44 | More by jayhawk73

micromaniac129

Pennsylvania

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

A rich looking velvetty pouring brown color ale. A small mocha color head sits on top, small and dense. Fine lacing is left in it's wake.
Light carbonation in the body. Good smelling beer with coffee and roasted malts.
Taste of ground black coffee and lightly roasted malts. Smooth and easy drinking this medium body ale is. The finish is semi-dry and semi-bitter.
A good beer easy drinking but lacks depth in both aroama and taste.

Serving type: bottle

01-21-2012 13:43:40 | More by micromaniac129

TheSixthRing

California

4.15/5  rDev +8.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Appearance - Pours a dark coffee black, with brown peeking through in light and around the edges. A fair tan head develops, with decent retention. Lacing is small and spotty.

Smell - Coffee and malt, with faint chocolate notes a teasing aromatic quality.

Taste - Strong, quality coffee upfront and dominates throughout, a bit of roasted chocolate malt sneaks through before more coffee makes a comeback in the aftertaste. The result is a simple but strong mocha flavor.

Mouthfeel - Light in body; probably a bit thin for the style. Carbonation is fair. goes down with nice smoothness.

Overall - One of my favorite seasonal porters, a definite standby. It's a shame Kona doesn't offer this beer year-round, because I would still drink this in spring and summer.

Serving type: bottle

01-21-2012 07:10:07 | More by TheSixthRing

poriggity

California

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

I got some of this out of a sampler 12 pack from Kona Brewing. I didn't read what this beer was before I opened, and let's say, I was VERY surprised with the blast of coffee flavor, with carmel. I am a few sips into this beer at this point, and I am enjoying it. I need a few more sips, but I am enjoying it. If you love beer and coffee, this is a good brew!

Serving type: bottle

01-21-2012 01:20:43 | More by poriggity

BeerLover99

New Jersey

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

A: dark brown/black body, trace head,
a little lacing

S: big kona coffee, hint of nutty/caramel

T: big kona, nutty, malt, semi-dry roasted finish

M: med/light, smooth mouth

O: 1st Hawaiian beer, not bad.
Recommend it, but not must have.
Solid, had better in this style.

GOOD, NOT MUST HAVE!

Serving type: bottle

01-20-2012 17:49:42 | More by BeerLover99

DrDemento456

Pennsylvania

3.98/5  rDev +4.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Noted is the brew on date "Nov 16 2011" At least two months old.

A - Solid looking porter I get a deep dark black with a 1/4 inch of mocha colored head.

S - Subdued coffee smells and a touch of aged chocolates. Roast is minimal.

T - Coffee and roast flavors are very well balanced with an almost sweet level of vanilla. Coffee flavors are a tag weak but forgiven for the age.

M - Light to medium it is one of the smoother better drinking porters I had.

Overall not sure how this one drinks fresh or even if I ever could get one brewed less than a month old but if this was distributed to PA (fingers crossed) I would pick up a six pack often. Solid balanced coffee porter.

Serving type: bottle

01-18-2012 08:11:01 | More by DrDemento456