The Devil Made Me Do It! Coffee Imperial Oatmeal Porter - Tyranena Brewing Company

JohnnyHopps

Indiana

3.69/5  rDev -12.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Poured into a pint glass, the porter was a nice black color with no head to measure. A slight mocha lacing surrounded the sides of the glass. The aroma demonstrates big coffee. One can almost visualize coffee grounds from the smell. In the initial taste, one gets smokey coffee, a smooth miky texture, and dark chocolate. It has a nice smoothness, but it is certainly not overwhelmingly smooth and creamy. In the aftertaste, one detects a grainy dark chocolate note and very slight warming aftertaste. I generally find the Brewers Gone Wild line to be exciting and interesting. The Devil Made Me Do It! is a pretty middle of the packet coffee porter. There is nothing exceptionally wild about it.

Serving type: bottle

05-19-2013 02:02:27 | More by JohnnyHopps

Knapp85

Pennsylvania

4.16/5  rDev -1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This poured out as a deep brownish black color with a fizzy tan head on top. The retention is minimal but leaves a film on top. No real lacing. The smell of there is loaded with coffee and chocolate. The taste of the beer has a very nice coffee, roasted bitterness and creamy finish. The mouthfeel is nicely carbonated and smooth, rich creamy finish. Overall very nice.

Serving type: bottle

05-06-2013 22:16:33 | More by Knapp85

TheSSG

Illinois

3.98/5  rDev -5.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours an immense, super dense, tan head that is surprisingly persistent with a touch of lacing. Amazing aroma of coffee; roasted, floral, and acidic. Pitch black. Whoa. This starts toasted, acidic, slighty sweet. There is a soft hop bitterness behind the assertive coffee acidity. As the bitterness subsides, it becomes noticeably fruitier as the coffee takes hold. That lighter consistency than a stout is here, and works well. The finish is a nice medley of chocolate, coffee, and roasted malt. As the acidity vanishes, I begin to love the flavors.

Not too bad, overall. I'm still not a huge fan of porters, but I think if you were, this would be amazing.

Serving type: bottle

03-13-2013 01:42:53 | More by TheSSG

ThickNStout

Georgia

3.63/5  rDev -13.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

12oz bottle from zrab11 (sweet extra!). No bottling date. Served in a Burnt Hickory snifter.

Pours dark, near black, brown with a thick half finger of khaki head. A decent bit of lacing.

Smells of rich coffee, sweet cream and roasty malt.

Big, bitter burnt coffee is bold and out front. Other flavors include dark cocoa powder, burnt caramel, smoked oats and faint sweet cream.

Smooth, creamy medium body with just a bit too much carbonation. Long coffee-infused finish.

Very in-your-face coffee taste and silky smooth feel but little else going on to seperate this good brew from herd and make it great. I'm a sucker for imperial coffee stouts/porters and as such I'd definately enjoy this again. But it can't quite compete with upper echelon in the style.

Serving type: bottle

03-11-2013 05:16:15 | More by ThickNStout

jmarsh123

Indiana

4.04/5  rDev -3.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Pours black and pretty opaque. Small beige head recedes quickly. Slight lacing and little retention.

Nice roasted coffee aroma backed by chocolate and cocoa. Not terribly complex, but solid.

Similar flavor. Tug of war between the coffee and cocoa mostly with chocolate in the background. Coffee element seems stronger while it's cold and as it approaches room temperature cocoa and chocolate come more to the forefront. Whichever flavors are more prevalant, a nice roasty bitterness pervades.

Medium bodied. Decent carbonation.

Not the most complex beer I've ever had, but still a very tasty one and well made. Good yin and yang between the roastiness and maltiness.

Serving type: bottle

03-01-2013 15:19:03 | More by jmarsh123

jaasen64

Massachusetts

3.94/5  rDev -6.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12oz bottle poured into Lawson's snifter. Thanks Josh (thebigredone) for this one!

A- Pours an opaque dark black with a very thin layer of mocha brown head that recedes very fast. Fairly low carbonation, but consistent sporadic bubbles. Light lacing.

S- Coffee, roasted espresso beans, dark chocolate. Decently aromatic, coffee smell is slightly stale (imagine it was probably a tiny bit better a little bit fresher).

T- Coffee (like smell not the freshest), dark bitter chocolate, lightly creamy, roasted espresso beans. Good for an imperial oatmeal porter, however I felt like the coffee taste was slightly stale in it. Not as rich or fresh tasting as other coffee porters I've had.

M- Medium bodied, decent carbonation, easy drinking, slightly velvety, decent feel for a porter.

O- This was a decent coffee oatmeal porter, however I wasn't a huge fan of how the coffee tasted in it. Overall it was well done, but I felt like the coffee taste wasn't as good as other coffee porters I've had. I'd recommend checking this out, you probably won't be disappointed.

Serving type: bottle

02-16-2013 01:41:00 | More by jaasen64

mjpolzin

Wisconsin

3.95/5  rDev -6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This isn't an overly complex beer as coffee and chocolate dominate the flavor. It really works well though as this is a great, easy drinking coffee beer. The coffee taste and smell are the most dominant things in this beer and the coffee is just the right mix of being bold but not overpowering. I thought it compared favorably to Founders Breakfast Stout which is great because that beer is pretty highly respected.

Serving type: bottle

02-10-2013 04:16:17 | More by mjpolzin

Duff27

Illinois

4.01/5  rDev -4.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

A- Quickly dissipating brown head on a dark brown body. Small collar throughout.

S- Rich coffee on the nose with sweet undertones. Chocolatey delicious.

T- Tastes like a coffee brownie. The coffee used is not a favorite flavor of mine.

M- Lower carbonation, medium mouthfeel.

D/O- I would have liked the mouthfeel to be a little thicker but at "only" 7.5%abv that may be asking too much. Smell was great. With a little tweaking I feel like this could be in the same league as something like Founders Breakfast Stout. Thanks for the extra on a long time want Alex/StayWhatYouAre2!

Serving type: bottle

01-29-2013 04:44:35 | More by Duff27

BasterdInABasket

Wisconsin

4.16/5  rDev -1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

12 oz. bottle poured into New Belgium Globe Glass
A- Opaque black in color, one finger light brown head dissipates quickly, little retention and lacing
S- Sweet chocolate, roasted coffee, chocolate dominates more as it warms, overall good aroma but not much depth
T- Dominated by coffee and cocoa taste, good balance between the two, roasted and and slight bitterness
M- Medium body, nice creaminess, pretty smooth, some carbonation
O- I remember this being a big coffee bomb when it was realeased (early Nov I believe?), chocolate and roasted malt character seems more prevalant now, overall a very good but not great coffee beer three months old.

Serving type: bottle

01-26-2013 02:48:37 | More by BasterdInABasket

AlexFields

Tennessee

4.05/5  rDev -3.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Pour very dark brown, almost ebony color. Fairly thin head.

Smells excellent, all coffee and sweet malt. I don't know when this was bottled exactly but I was surprised to get so much coffee out of it still.

Flavor is also very good, wonderful coffee taste, wonderful sweetness. There's enough of a roasted backbone to carry the sweetness and abv level without it being cloying, and the coffee obviously helps. Really good balance between sweetness and coffee.

Mouthfeel is excellent, super creamy. The silky effect from the oatmeal is pronounced and obvious.

This is a great beer, I'm picky about imperial porters as I often find them too sweet, but this one had great balance and I really enjoyed it, finished it wanting more.

8.1/10

Serving type: bottle

01-17-2013 04:20:25 | More by AlexFields

mkotsayfan

California

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

Poured from a 12oz bottle into a snifter. Pours a silky dark black with a nice light mocha head. The aroma is heavy with dark chocolate and coffee, with some slight roasted malts. The taste is very much like the aroma, with some bitterness from the dark chocolate and coffee. The mouthfeel is right on for a porter, medium bodied with good carbonation.

A surprisingly nice oatmeal porter, must say I'm impressed with Tyranena, this is my first beer I've had of theirs.

Serving type: bottle

01-08-2013 03:11:09 | More by mkotsayfan

Jayman931

Mississippi

4.43/5  rDev +5.5%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Served in a "Raise Your Pints Mississippi" snifter. Only the best for my beer!

Appearance- Dark and opaque. No light coming through it at all. Black Gold

Smell-Lots of Chocolate...backed up by a nice coffee scent....waiting a bit to let it warm up a little...to cold at the moment....

Smell Part Deux-Smells have calmed down alittle but it still is a very good dark beer which I love drinking on a winter night.

The beer is waaayyyy better than the Bowl Game I am watching.... Kent St vs Arkansas St...how is this the 2nd to last bowl game? Anyways...The beer should alwasys be better than the game!

Taste-Nice....just like the smell....nice cocoa taste finishing with coffe....little bitterness due to the coffee and cocoa. Not getting much of the Oatmeal...as it is a Imperial Oatmeal Porter. Still it is very good.

Mouthfeel- I like it....I would say its medium. Might be heavy to some. For those of you who have had FFF Baller Stout it would be a light mouth feel...but the mouthfeel suites this beer perfectly. I actually just bumped my rating of Mouthfeel up to 4.5

Overall: Would buy this beer again in an instant. Very Solid. As far as Porters go I think it is well above average.

Cheers

Serving type: bottle

01-07-2013 02:57:29 | More by Jayman931

secondtooth

Indiana

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

Pours a pitch black, with nice, thick, and sturdy head of slowly-dissipating tan bubbles. Beautiful web-lattice lace.

Immediate aroma of coffee and a hint of mocha. Delectable!

Taste is smooth and creamy coffee and more mocha-cocoa tones. With some room-temperature warming, I get some fruity character, too.

While Tyranena is pretty reliable in creating some worthy brews, this one is world class, with plenty of complexity and easy drinkability. A home run here, and this is perhaps my favorite Tyranena brew yet!

Serving type: bottle

01-04-2013 22:34:49 | More by secondtooth

scaliasux

Wisconsin

4.43/5  rDev +5.5%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4.5

Appearance - Very dark brown - might be a touch of red. Pretty dark, but appears clear. Thin light brown head with little persistence.

Smell - Rich dark roast malt aroma. Chocolate and coffee dominate. A little raisin too.

Taste - Sweet dark malt and coffee. Rich malty sweetness - toast, chocolate, raisin. Coffee character is quite prominent (and slightly bitter) and melds nicely with malt flavors. A hint of vanilla too? Not noticing any alcohol flavors.

Mouthfeel - Medium to full. Smooth.

Overall - Dark and rich, perfect for our bitter Midwestern winters (at least this year so far). Flavors work together nicely, a satisfying slow sippin' treat.

Serving type: bottle

01-02-2013 03:46:27 | More by scaliasux

Treebs

Illinois

3.83/5  rDev -8.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

On tap at Brixie's. Served in a snifter.

A: Pours a jet black with a thick tan head forming on the pour. The head has nice retention and leaves nice splotchy lace behind.

S: Coffee grounds up front with a little bitter roast. Some milk chocolate as well. Toasted cereal grains in the periphery.

T: The taste is pretty similar to the nose. Pure coffee beans, lingering chocolate and some toasted grains. A little roasted malts with a slight astringency to it.

M: Pretty thin with a medium coffee presence on the finish. Medium carbonation.

O: A little to thin for me overall. It detracted from the drinkability somewhat. Nice flavors overall though.

Serving type: on-tap

01-02-2013 00:50:53 | More by Treebs

jeonseh

Indiana

3.83/5  rDev -8.8%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Bottle poured into a FFF tulip

A - Dark brown and opaque. One finger of mocha colored head settles down to foam only on the sides of the glass.

S - An amazing nose with vanilla, sweet coffee, light milk chocolate, slight hazelnut, and sweet cream. Very strong and great nose on thising his one.

T - Dark chocolate up front with slight vanilla sweetness. There is a lot of bitter and roasted coffee and malt in the finish as well as slight cream. While this is good, there is not as much flavor as I'd hope from the nose. It's actually a bit thin in the flavor profile.

MF - Light body and a bit watery. Finish is slightly astringent as the coffee rules this part.

O - This is a solid beer with an amazing nose. If it tasted like it smelled, it'd be amazing but unfortunately, it doesn't. It's also a bit too thin for my tastes. I heard some people call this a KBS killer but not even close in my opinion.

Serving type: bottle

01-01-2013 04:21:06 | More by jeonseh

ditka311

Illinois

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

Amazing beer. This is my first review so I will get the nuances down later but I will put this up with Founders Breakfast any day.

Appearance (4) - Opaque with a minimal tan head.

Smell (4.5) - Coffee and more coffee. Should have poured this into a mug for breakfast

Taste (5) - Sweet malts balanced by hops and more coffee bitterness. Beautiful.

Mouthfeel (4) - medium to full bodied.

Overall - Can't say enough about this beer. I came up to the WI Northwoods looking to bring back NG beers but glad I got this one. Gonna replace all of the average NG beers with this and bring back Black Top and as much of this as I can find.

Serving type: bottle

12-30-2012 07:16:34 | More by ditka311

Scotchboy

Idaho

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

Awesome extra sent by Aaron (thanks man!) poured into a Snake River pint glass...

A: Very dark pour, opaque brown with a light tan head.

S: Big coffee and coffeehouse aromas right upfront...fresh and strong. Touch of smokiness and faint burnt malt? Lots of roast and roasted malt as well.

T: Follows the nose, same big coffee flavors with a hefty roasted malt backbone. Very light underlying mocha. Finishes with espresso bitterness - this is not a sweet beer.

MF: Medium bodied with medium to high carbonation.

O: Good beer, and definitely a coffee-lovers porter. Oatmeal characteristics seemed a bit tame.

Serving type: bottle

12-26-2012 13:59:05 | More by Scotchboy

FreshHawk

Illinois

4.68/5  rDev +11.4%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

A - Deep black color with an average sized, creamy, meringue, cafe colored head. Average retention leaving a nice lacing on the finish.

S - Wonderful aroma of freshly roasted coffee beans, dark baker's chocolate, and roasted oat. Not a sharp, astringent burnt aroma but a very smooth, slightly sweet aroma. It even smells like it will be a creamy, coffee treat. Very enticing.

T - Follows the nose. Starts with a very strong roasted coffee bean flavor. That quickly gives way to the dark, slightly bitter chocolate, roasted oat, earthy flavors. This provides a flavorful, savory/earthy flavor with the coffee in the background. Finally, there is a slightly sweet chocolate, mocha flavor on the finish. Hints of bittersweet chocolate linger on the tongue after the sip. Very tasty.

M - Medium body with just a touch below average carbonation. Velvety and creamy feel with just a touch of chewiness.

D - Very easy to drink beer. Works well as a beer to sip on, but I keep coming back for another sip right after I finish savoring its predecessor. Great balance between a slight sweetness, bitterness, and earthiness. No astringency or harshness. Just bold flavors that meld together very well.

Notes: Wonderful coffee porter. Loads of roasted coffee flavor but no astringency or undue bitterness. I love the combination of oatmeal and coffee when done right in beers (and for breakfast) and this was done right. Flavors blend together perfectly with no off-putting aspects. Definitely rivals Founder's Breakfast Stout for a beautiful, dark, breakfast beer. Well done.

Serving type: bottle

12-23-2012 03:29:55 | More by FreshHawk

zac16125

South Carolina

3.58/5  rDev -14.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

12oz bottle into a pint glass

Thanks to haveanother1 for sending this over in a trade.

A: Pours an opaque black with browning on the edges when held to light, and 1 fingers width of light mocha colored head. Leaves a good amount of streaky lacing.

S: Coffee, heavy cream, roasted malt. Very nice, but not a lot going on.

T: Dark fruits upfront, followed by a big creamed coffee flavor on that back end. Medicinal phenolic notes. A flat-cola like character. Coffee lingers for a long time after each sip.

M/D: Very heavily carbonated, which I do not like. Rather thin mouthfeel. ABV completely masked. Drinkability is good, but limited by the heavy carbonation.

O: Overall, a decent beer. Simple yet nice aroma. Some astringent phenolic characters in the taste and a thin and over carbonated mouthfeel pull the rating down a bit. Worth a try but not FBS or Wake N Bake.

Serving type: bottle

12-22-2012 14:06:46 | More by zac16125

BrownAleMale

Wisconsin

4.53/5  rDev +7.9%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

12 oz bottle poured into a Gulden Draak tulip glass

Appearance- Black in color with 2 fingers of brownish head. The head dissipates to about a fingers worth. In the center the head resembles a rootbeer float and whats left of the ice cream. Nice sticky lacing!

Smell- Mounds of coffee, chocolate, coco and sweet goodness. A slight hop hint is present.

Taste- So good ecspecially if you are a chocolate lover. Hershey chocolate, fresh coffee, and a tiny coffee bitterness finish.

Mouthfeel- Thick, almost chocolate milk like. A nice quick dry finish that leaves me wanting more!

Overall- I was amazed with the ability to make such a delish beer with basically no hop balance. This is a smack in the mouth of chocolate and coffee that leaves me wanting more.Really think Southern Tier Choklat with less biterness and more sweetness.

Serving type: bottle

12-16-2012 00:27:25 | More by BrownAleMale

emyers

Illinois

4.31/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

The first time a tried this beer it impressed me so much that I had to do a side-by-side comparison with my all-time favorite for the style - Founders Breakfast Stout. While Tyranena came up short, the fact that I felt compelled to do the comparison to FBS, which I have an admittedly somewhat unhealthy obsession with, speaks volumes to the quality of this beer.

A - Dark brown with tan lacing. Very little head retention.

S - All freshly brewed coffee. Excellent. The aroma is what really stands out about this beer, and athough it doesn't have the complexity of the chocolate-coffee combo of FBS, I would put the two beers on the same level in the smell department. It really captures that freshly brewed coffee smell.

T - Coffee up front, with more coffee on the finish. There are hints of chocolate and nuts, but this is really all about the coffee. Mild bitterness. When compared to FBS it's a bit one dimensional, but that one dimension is very, very good. Where a lot of coffee beers can come off a bit artificial, this really nails that fresh coffee flavor.

F - Medium body, smooth. A bit too much bite from the carbonation, but still a good mouthfeel.

O - Excellent example of the style, and a beer every coffee-lover should try. While it doesn't achieve the greatness of FBS, I would say it's in the upper echelon of the coffee stout world.

Serving type: bottle

12-13-2012 08:10:23 | More by emyers

GeezLynn

Minnesota

4.04/5  rDev -3.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25

A: Deep impenetrable black with a slight, goopy tan head and a few yeasties slowly settling out.
S: Rich, heavily roasted malts, earthy coffee, and herbal hops. Musty.
T: Dark roasted coffee, a bit of chocolate (bittersweet/baker’s) and prominent earthy hop presence. Definitely more of an ashy, earthy flavor. Seems to have a touch of lactose. Finishes dry with a flurry of bitterness.
M: full bodied with plenty of fine carbonation that gives it a full mouthfeel.

Overall, not my favorite Tyranena beer on account of the somewhat rough coffee flavor, but a good stout nonetheless.

Serving type: bottle

12-09-2012 04:40:06 | More by GeezLynn

jegross2

Illinois

4.53/5  rDev +7.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Reviewing The Devil Made Me Do It! Coffee Imperial Oatmeal Porter from Tyranena Brewing Company out of Lake Mills, Wisconsin. Tyranena makes some of the finest porters in the country. If you have not tried the other beers in their Brewers Gone Wild! imperial series, then you are missing out.

Score: 96

Bottled 10/26/12. Served in a Leinekugel's Big Eddy snifter and enjoyed on 12/08/12.

Appearance: Black as ink. Pours a finger of tan head that recedes to a thin ring around the glass and patchy fog that covers most of the top of the glass. Above average lacing, good retention. 4/5

Smell: Tons of roasted coffee, hot cocoa, dark chocolate, oatmeal and raw coffee beans. There is some "molasses" that reminds me more of the complexities of the Diablo roast coffee from Intelligensia than actual, straight up molasses. Absolutely wonderful nose; rivals Founders Breakfast Stout in my opinion. 4.5/5

Taste: Tastes almost exactly like it smells, with a strong lingering coffee finish. There's a smooth unsweetened chocolate backbone behind the coffee. There is only a hint of that "molasses" character that I detected in the nose. Some 20 or 30 seconds after the swallow, there is still some coffee breath flavor floating on the palate. This one does everything you could possibly want in an oatmeal porter, and it does it excellently. 4.5/5

Mouthfeel: Just shy of full bodied with a low amount of carbonation. Slightly chewy, modestly dry finish. Slightly acidic, modestly bitter. Not overly so of either. 5/5

Overall: This one gives Founders Breakfast Stout and Terrapin Wake-n-Bake a serious run for their money. Cheers to yet another outstanding porter, Tyranena!

Recommendation: Fans of oatmeal stouts and coffee beers need to seek this one out while it's still on the shelf.

Pairings: Cranberry walnut biscotti.

Cost: $10 for a four pack.

Serving type: bottle

12-09-2012 04:04:34 | More by jegross2

DocJitsu

California

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

Pours an opaque, very dark brown with a taupe head. The head attenatues quickly with very little sudsy residue on the glass. Not much beyond coffee on the nose. Some oats. But, of course, who can fault them for that, given the name of the beer. Nice smooth, slick, and wet mouthfeel. There's quite a bit going on with the flavors. A lot more than the nose would lead one to expect. Coffee up front, but the flavor begins to become much milder as it advances. It finishes with a little dark ripe fruit and some salty watermelon. Incredibly interesting. Usually, a coffee stout finishes with coffee flavor and coffee acidity. Impressively engineered, but not my favorite.

Serving type: bottle

12-06-2012 03:47:36 | More by DocJitsu