Red Eye Coffee Porter - Two Brothers Brewing Company

tempest

Pennsylvania

3.55/5  rDev -12.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Picked up a bomber at Abe's for about $7. My glass was black with a tan head that could last for hours. There was a rich ground coffee bean aroma, but the flavor is more subdued. It reminded me more of a milk stout with java hints. Very smooth overall, but I'd expect a more flavorful character.

Serving type: bottle

05-11-2010 04:08:38 | More by tempest

hardy008

Minnesota

3.55/5  rDev -12.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Pour a dark brown, almost black color with a small tan head which fades quickly leaving no lacing. The aroma has espresso, dark chocolate, and dark roasted malt. Smells very nice. There is no one aroma which overwhelms the others.

Espresso is front and center when I taste the beer, followed by the dark chocolate, and dark roasted malt. The taste is not as balanced as the aroma, but still is nice. Mostly bitter without much sweetness for balance. Given a name like Red Eye Coffee Porter, I am not surprised.

On the light side of medium bodied, with low carbonation. The alcohol is well hidden, and there is a coffee bitterness aftertaste. Overall a nice Porter, which I am glad I had a chance to try.

Serving type: bottle

08-18-2012 04:18:54 | More by hardy008

blakesell

Ohio

3.53/5  rDev -13.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from the 22oz bottle into a weizen style glass.

Appearance- Beer pours very dark creamy black with a solid and thick 3 finger tan head. Lacing clings to the sides of the glass. Light red hues are around the sides and tiny bubbles rise from the bottom of the glass.

Smell- Roasted malts and light hops, not much coffee in the nose, as the beer warms the coffee scent does become more apparent. Light chocolate tones, a bit of diacetyl. Some phenolic alcohols.

Taste- slick, slightly buttery, yeasty phenolic, coffee is in there, but more on the finish than upfront. There's something just acidic and astringent on the tongue. A light peanut butteriness on the finish as well.

Mouthfeel- This is where the beer comes up short overall. The coffee flavor is there, but the warming, slick acidity is not a pleasurable mouthfeel at all. Low in carbonation, medium full bodied.

Drinkability- It seems less and less drinkable as it goes on. I like it OK, but I won't repeat it again soon, even though I do have another bottle, it will wait a few years and we'll see.

Serving type: bottle

03-01-2009 21:27:46 | More by blakesell

jjanega08

Minnesota

3.53/5  rDev -13.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Retro Release 1 of 15
No other freshness dating.

A= Pours a nice thick black color with a super thin brown head on it and very little lacing. Looks very much like I would expect only very little head.

S= Smells of heavy coffee. Nice robust almost woody coffee. A strong malt character in it as well.

T= Tastes of coffee and a little malty sweetness. Nice roasty coffee but actually very smooth coffee. A nice roast was used. Not overly acidic in the coffee.

M= The mouth is silky smooth and easy drinking.

O= This is a solid brew. Worth buying but not the most interesting or over the top coffee beer. The alcohol is very well hidden and the coffee is smooth.

Serving type: bottle

07-24-2012 05:25:50 | More by jjanega08

thagr81us

South Carolina

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

A big thanks goes out to pmoney for sending this one as an extra in a recent glassware trade! Served from bottle into a Samuel Smith imperial pint. Poured pitch black with a half finger light tan head that subsided to a minimal amount slowly. Maintained phenomenal lacing throughout the glass. The aroma was comprised of sweet malt, roasted malt, dark chocolate, milk chocolate, coffee, and subtle oatmeal. The flavor was of sweet malt, roasted malt, milk chocolate, cream, coffee, oatmeal, and subtle milk chocolate. It had a medium feel on the palate with mild carbonation. Overall this was a decent brew. For the style this one was pretty much spot on for the most part. The coffee aspect was quite nice on this one, but it definitely wasn’t the dominate factor going on. Definitely worth trying if the opportunity presents itself.

Serving type: bottle

06-03-2012 15:39:47 | More by thagr81us

Florida9

Illinois

3.48/5  rDev -14.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A: Pitch black with a couple of inches of dark tan head. Head dissipates quickly

S: Coffee, chocolate, and smokey, roasted malts, though the aromas are somewhat muted and not very pronounced.

T: Very clean taste at first, then moves into coffee flavors, finish is complex. A slight coffee bitterness (as opposed to a hop bitterness) coats the back of the tongue. Very much like a chilled, alcoholic coffee.

M: Medium body, light carbonation. Again, a slight bitterness on the tongue and sides of mouth.

D: Overall, a good, but not great, beer. Would have expected the aromas to be a little more pronounced. However, this is pleasant, drinkable beer, though I don't think I could drink more than one in a sitting.

Serving type: bottle

04-02-2009 00:56:43 | More by Florida9

sweemzander

Illinois

3.48/5  rDev -14.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

22oz. bottle poured into a tulip.

(A)- Pours a pitch black color. Minimal tan froth.

(S)- A wealth of raisin, nuts, molasses, and subtle coffee.

(T)- A good profile of roasted coffee grounds. It has an interesting subtle smokiness with a bit of raisin as well.

(M)- A good carbonation level and balance. Lots of raisin with a subtle smokiness.

(D)- A solid porter with the nice coffee addition. Not too strong or unbalanced, but almost stout-like in its feel.

Serving type: bottle

05-24-2012 14:32:27 | More by sweemzander

Vierenner

Ohio

3.48/5  rDev -14.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Pours beautifully and the aroma is wonderful ... chocolate and coffee similar to Big John from Goose Island. But the taste is an entirely different story ... rather weak in my opinion. Like it's watered down or something. I was hoping for robust, thick flavor but got slightly bitter averageness. I wish they'd pick one flavor and make it big!!

Serving type: bottle

11-29-2012 23:58:32 | More by Vierenner

sleuthdog

Illinois

3.45/5  rDev -15%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Poured into tulip glass

A: Pours a dark black with little to no head with moderate pour. Lacing is there but moderate at best.

S: First off is the obvious coffee. Actually what comes to mind is coffee grounds. Next I pick up some bitter chocolate notes with some faint molasses. The alcohol is apparent on the nose but not overpowering by any means. Some slight carbonation is observed.

T: Ok...coffee as it is a coffee porter but not over the top. Nice roasted malt taste with nutty notes. The alcohol burn is evident as I swirl the beer but is well disguised at 9.2%. Some semi-sweet chocolate with dark fruit is there as well.

M: Fairly thin but creamy at the same time. This does not really coat my mouth and I would not call it chewey but the mouthfeel is nice for the style. I expected it to be a little more oily from the appearence but I am not disappointed.

O: This one is good, not really good, but good.
I enjoyed that it is a coffee porter without the coffee being too much. The other flavors were compimenting this brew nicely

Serving type: bottle

04-01-2012 01:04:03 | More by sleuthdog

BeerBelcher

Ohio

3.43/5  rDev -15.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 4

I like Two Brothers beer and have a high opinion of Cane & Ebel, Opus 10, and Heavy Handed. This beer wasn't bad, but didn't really meet my expectation. The combination of this brewer, the look of the packaging, and the claims the packaging copy made all conspired to create this expectation that this beer was something BIG and extreme, and I didn't find it to be that exactly. The beer is what it says it is - it's a porter with some coffee flavor. But I didn't find much big/extreme in the bottle. The color is a translucent coffee color. The head is plentiful. The aroma is of coffee, but not terribly intense. Flavor is of a not-very-roasty porter, overlaid with a fair amount of somewhat sweet coffee flavor (which is also not very roasty). For a beer that is 9%+ ABV, I didn't detect any booziness. Mouthfeel was a touch on the thin side.

Not bad, but not extreme, which is what I was expecting. At $6.99 a bottle, this is worth a try, but the next time I have access to beer shopping where Two Brothers are available, I will probably purchase something else from their brewery.

I bought this bottle at Sam's Liquor in Chicago.

Serving type: bottle

09-02-2009 21:04:27 | More by BeerBelcher

LilBeerDoctor

New York

3.38/5  rDev -16.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Bottle. Pours black with a small tan head. Aroma of sweet malt and roasted notes. Flavor is sweet vanilla initially with roasted malt in the finish. Light sweetness, on the borderline of too sweet...A bit boring, but not bad per se. A mediocre imperial porter.

Serving type: bottle

06-09-2009 18:23:44 | More by LilBeerDoctor

akorsak

Pennsylvania

3.35/5  rDev -17.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A 650 mL bomber purcahsed at the Andersons on Monroe in Toledo, OH.

A: The porter is an appropriately dark brown cola color, looking black even up close. An off-white head approached a finger and a half before fading away. No trace of lacing.

S: The porter element is upfront followed by a robust coffee blast. The porter has chocolate and roasted grains; the coffee has a mild undertone that has an au lait finish.

T: The coffee lacks the crispness that a cold toddy imparts, so its tastes like the beans were added directly into the mash. The java is smooth with a lactic finish. The porter is roasted and helped out by the coffee, also sweetened with extra chocolate and cocoa powder. Overall, the porter is okay, nothing great but the coffee is a plus.

M: The mouthfeel is creamy smooth, cutting nicely into the fuller porter flavors. The coffee is a welcome touch.

D: Drinkable enough, especially because the higher alcohol doesn't really come through. Decent.

Serving type: bottle

09-20-2009 17:16:49 | More by akorsak

woosterbill

Connecticut

3.23/5  rDev -20.4%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Bomber into a snifter; shared with jtclockwork (from RB) at the Ginger Man in Manhattan.

A: Black body with clear brown highlights. Thin, fine brown head. Not much in the way of retention, and spotty lace. Pretty average.

S: Stale coffee, chocolate, and a breadiness that resembles a multigrain bagel. Disappointing.

T: A little better here, with some nutty, caramelized sweetness offsetting the staleness of the coffee. Grainy, bittersweet finish with some coffee on the aftertaste. Better than average, but far from impressive.

M: Medium body and lively, smooth carbonation. Very good.

O: While not horrible, this one was pretty disappointing. Perhaps the bottle had been behind the bar for a few months too long, but with no date to be seen I can't be sure. I won't be seeking it out again.

Cheers!

Serving type: bottle

05-20-2012 18:14:56 | More by woosterbill

SaCkErZ9

Florida

3.13/5  rDev -22.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

Thanks to nkersten for this beer via Coffee BIF. Served slightly below cellar temp, around 50F. Pours from the 22oz bottle into a pint glass a nearly opaque black with black grape colored highlights along the edges and around the bottom of the glass. The beer is topped by an enormous tan head that remains intact for quite a while. Generous portion of lacing veil the side of the glass.

The aroma was sweet and alcoholic with no coffee at all in the nose. The nose was a bit disappointed as I was looking for more coffee or atleast some roastiness, even though this is a porter. Dark fruits, raisins, alcohol.

The flavor profile matched the nose very well. Sweet, fruity, malty, slight bit of chocolate with a small roast character. Quite bready.

Full on the tongue. Overly sweet I think. No coffee to be seen in this one which disappoints me. This would certainly be closer to a Baltic Porter due to the sweetness and high abv. Really full bodied and sticky sweet. A certain sipper but too sweet for me. One bomber over two hours is plenty for me. Thanks for the beer Nate.

Serving type: bottle

10-23-2009 19:28:45 | More by SaCkErZ9

sweethome

Illinois

2.98/5  rDev -26.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Pour is dark as night. Light tan head.

Nose of dirt - a bit funky, spent coffee grounds, roast malts.

Entry is rather dry, builds out to a dry stout profile. Mid mouth, a funk takes over. Dirt, funk, wormy taste. Not enjoyable flavor. Finshes with coffee dryness.

Several aspects I like, but my goodness...this is the worst flavor profile I have had witha Two Brothers beer - this was hard for me to finish- last half of bottle was a drain pour. Laxks a "good" coffee flavor.

Serving type: bottle

05-13-2012 03:16:33 | More by sweethome