Highland Black Mocha Stout - Highland Brewing

scott9890

Pennsylvania

5/5  rDev +27.9%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Received as a gift, what a great gift someone must like me, The Allens.

A-Pours like I like my women...thick and black! Two-finger head.

S-Smells great roasted chocolatety malted goodness.

T-Like lucky charms wonderfully delicious. Roasted, malted and chcolatey.

M-Like my women should be thick, black, slightly bitter, but oh so yummy!!!

THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING MISSY AND JOE!!!

Serving type: bottle

11-21-2011 14:10:31 | More by scott9890

brewdlyhooked13

Ohio

4.8/5  rDev +22.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Appearance - very dark, I can just barely see some ruby red around the edges. A finely-bubbled but thin mocha head drifts quickly down to a thin covering.

Aroma - good charred malt, slightly smoked aroma, some chocolate syrup depth as well.

Taste - delicious roasty malt up front, dark and soothing. Dark chocolate mixes with the charred flavor well, turning briefly sweet, then burnt like charcoal. The finish is a mellow trifecta of chocolate, roasted grain, and burnt coffee beans.

Mouthfeel - moderately smooth, low key carbonation, great residual.

Drinkability - a top selection from Highland, a big shout out to merlin for bringing this one along for trade.

Serving type: bottle

01-15-2006 17:34:45 | More by brewdlyhooked13

CharlieMopps

Virginia

4.7/5  rDev +20.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A: Inky black liquid topped by two fingers of dense, khaki head that sticks around for a while. Leaves a trail of lace along the sides.

S: Big, robust, roasted chocolate malt aroma combined with mellow but assertive hops. This beer smells like it has great balance, so we'll see how this one turns out.

T: Heavy roasted malt up front that eases off ever-so gently by a transition that is just hoppy enough to smooth it out and round out the flavor profile. Finish is actually refreshing, and the aftertaste is the original lingering roasted malt base. Superbly done, with impeccable balance.

M: Again, balance is the key here. Maintains enough carbonation for a silky mouthfeel, but does not get in the way of the flavor. Some residual slickness on the palate.

D: The skillfully crafted taste of this beer is evident. It's got more balance than a tight-rope walker, and is sure to please anyone who's a fan of the malty stuff. Very easy to drink and even more easy to enjoy.

Serving type: bottle

09-21-2007 22:44:40 | More by CharlieMopps

gorby16

North Carolina

4.7/5  rDev +20.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

A - Poured a black color like motor oil with a nice brown foam

S - roast, chocolate, coffee, a little sweetness

T - Rich, roasted malts with strong coffee flavors; also pick up hints of chocolate, sweetness, hops, and nut

M - low carbonation

D - a very nice stout

Serving type: bottle

01-28-2009 13:20:18 | More by gorby16

zymurgy4all

New York

4.65/5  rDev +18.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Pours a deep dark brown with ruby highlights visible only with a bright light behind the glass. The head is tan that is thick and long lasting. The aroma is of roasted malts with hints of chocolate.
The flavor is very robust, and the beer is fairly dry with only hints of roastiness left in the aftertaste. The mouthfeel is soft and silky. This is an outstanding stout that is worth seeking out.

Serving type: bottle

08-02-2008 21:28:37 | More by zymurgy4all

feloniousmonk

Minnesota

4.6/5  rDev +17.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Ooooh, I know I'm in for a ride, already. I've poured into the glass and the beer fills it with an impenetrable ebon, capped with lush, rocky cocoa tan froth. And the aroma, wafting out from the start is intoxicating and right on the money. Let's go in for a stronger sniff...

Ahhh!!! Rich, deep coffe and chocolate, lightly roasty, toasty, a big of of bittersweet beans, but sweetened up some, very delicious...cocoa is an imprtant element here...

Taste: simply a wonderful thing going on in the mouth. All those flavors mentioned in the nose combine beautifully for a dark, delectable symphony on the palate. Rich and sweet, chocolatey, but still enough bitter to keep the thing in check. Immaculate integration, exquisite balance, almost flawless. I could drink this forever...damnably good. It feels great to meet once in a while such a fantastic creation as this, and know that stupendous stouts aren't just conceived once in a while,from the usual suspects, but are cropping up all over the place, created by a host of talented brewers across the U.S.A!

Serving type: bottle

07-09-2005 10:17:46 | More by feloniousmonk

caresville

New Jersey

4.6/5  rDev +17.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

i am ashamed to say i have never heard of this beer until i received it in RIS BIF from jyounger30. huge thanks to that man for this manly beer!! i love it!!

a- black as night with a fluffy mocha head (aggressive pour) that turns into a mocha ring within 90 seconds. wonderful lacing throughout pint glass.

s- sweet caramel, black coffee with mocha (duh), licorice and the color black if thats possible.

t&m- i love this stuff. not too thin and not sludge either. right in the middle. warms and sweetens insides of the mouth immediately. caramel nips and black dunkin donuts coffee are the two tastes that come to mind every sip. lucky for me, i love both. hints of brown sugar, molasses, licorice, raisins and almonds are also very very present.

d- complex but simple. sticks to the basics. easily one of my top 10 favorite stouts ever. not paper thin and not motor oil sludge. easy drinking all the way. great stout for someone who would love to get into the style!!

Serving type: bottle

01-16-2010 08:23:48 | More by caresville

finepaws

North Carolina

4.58/5  rDev +17.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Yum, yum, yum! Had this one at Biltmore House in Asheville. I saw mocha, I saw stout, knew I had to have it. Waiter seemed impressed. "Excellent choice" he said. I grinned. (Beer snob!) It came in a glass, duh, thick dark color. Nice caramel head. Didn't last throughout, but did lace the sides. Smelled like mocha java coffee. Tasted like it too, with a thick feel. I really enjoyed this one. Next to youngs dbl chocolate, I'm thrilled. Guess what, I can't find this one in a store either....waaah!

Serving type: on-tap

05-22-2004 03:39:16 | More by finepaws

AlexJ

North Carolina

4.55/5  rDev +16.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

Inky black with beautiful crimson highlights and a creamy beige head that leaves lace mapwork as it recedes back into the abyss. Excellent head retention.

Creamy chocolate and black malts woven together with notes of mocha latte, chewy caramel, and a whisper of pine and floral hops. Smells perfect.

Ladies and gentlemen we have a winner! Dark roasted malts on the forefront fade into flavors of well-creamed coffee and chocolate turtle brownies. There's a perfect amount of light floral and sticky pine note to provide perfect balance. This is a stout that could be enjoyed from dawn til' dusk, by itself or with an array of foods, and tastes best out of the cellar.

Medium to large body with very light carbonation and a slick and silky mouthfeel. It definately has an oily texture that really coats your palete. It finishes with a mouthfull of semi-sweet dark chocolate flavors and a hint of bitter coffee. Delish. I think Shakespear Stout has a new nemesis.

Serving type: bottle

06-28-2005 19:55:43 | More by AlexJ

cracgor

Texas

4.55/5  rDev +16.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4.5

Dark black with a nice head of tan froth. Good retention. Smells like burnt chocolate. Tastes like an awesome chocolate coffee or espresso. Full of charred goodness. Is much lighter in body than I expect, but it is still a medium bodied stout. Very drinkable. An enjoyable well balanced delicious malt. Another great beer from highland.

Serving type: bottle

11-14-2005 22:49:36 | More by cracgor

Cyberkedi

Georgia

4.55/5  rDev +16.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

I admit to being a wee prejudiced in favor of stouts and porters, which is why I tend to rate them high if they're good. However, this one does deserve kudos. Color is a deep sable, almost black, and opaque. Aroma is fairly strong, smoky, with rich roast coffee overtone. Flavor is very smooth, tasting rather like roast coffee with hints of chocolate and just a whisper of hops. I heartily recommend this one to all porter and stout fans.

Serving type: on-tap

01-06-2008 02:43:59 | More by Cyberkedi

NClifestyle

North Carolina

4.53/5  rDev +15.9%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

this is some beautiful stuff. i've never seen it on tap here in town (greensboro) so i was stoked to have a few pints tonight at the lager haus.
extremely dark, didn't see any red or maroon edges. thick, dark tan head of creamy, tight bubbles.
smell of chocolate, cocoa that blended into caramel coffee. very sweet smell.
taste was similar, but not burnt, or not as much as you might expect. lovely taste, almost milk stout like, but not quite that sweet.
creamy, thick, and lovely mouthfeel.
i drank 4 tonight, without thinking, you tell me how easy they go down?
highland is an up and comer; all of their beers are great, and this one is near the top of the heap. i'll take cold mountain as the spectacular, seasonal, amazing beer, gaelic as the primo session brew, and black mocha as the smooth grandaddy of the bunch.

cheers...

Serving type: on-tap

12-15-2005 05:45:53 | More by NClifestyle

LuckySevens82

Florida

4.5/5  rDev +15.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

22 oz "dinner bottle" courtesy of Ninjaworm.

Pours an opaque black with slight brown and ruby hues. Head is small, but still a dense and well formed chocolate milk color. Lacing is nice, as is retention.
Smell is roasted malts, faint coffee, cocoa, just a hint of dark fruits (figs, raisins). A little vanilla, caramel and just a faint whiff of hops.
Taste is roasted malts up front but soon fade away to coffee, slight vanilla, and a very nice hot chocolate. Hops are present but by no means overwhelm the amazing flavors in this beer. Very nice.
Mouthfeel is good, definitely coats the tongue and is enjoyable from beginning to end.
Overall, I could really see myself having more than one of these beers in a sitting. At 5.3% abv, it's a great session beer, and the flavors in this are downright amazing. A top notch beer.

Serving type: bottle

06-30-2005 00:57:38 | More by LuckySevens82

BEERchitect

Kentucky

4.5/5  rDev +15.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

I am always impressed with Highland's brews. This beer even surpasses my expectations. Looks a viscous, malty, roasty brew with tan head retention, lacing and everything else that is good in the world. Smells very chocolatey, syrupy, with hints of espresso, nuts, and dark fruits (fruit cake). Tastes even better. Best described as a Young's Double Chocolate Stout, but bolder. Hopped for balance and that's all. Allows the roasted grain and coffee flavors to round out the bitter flavors. Feels rich and smooth with a long lingering chocolate / coffee mix. Tough to find a better stout.

Serving type: bottle

10-26-2006 20:37:55 | More by BEERchitect

donmonkey1

Tennessee

4.5/5  rDev +15.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Appearance: Pours totally black. There's a nice, thick, tan head with really nice lacing.

Smell: Coffee, toffee, molasses, brown sugar, cocoa. It smells a little more like a dry cocoa than a sweet chocolate.

Taste: Mildly semi-sweet cocoa up front, leaning toward coffee in the middle, and ending like well roasted dark malt with a touch of tree bark. Although I expected more of a chocolate taste, this beer is really excellent.

Mouthfeel: fairly thick with a nice "stinginess".

Drinkability: The beer is a little on the heavy side and leaves very much of a coffee aftertaste, but it's excellent.

Serving type: bottle

08-18-2009 21:53:04 | More by donmonkey1

Spica66

Indiana

4.5/5  rDev +15.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Got this in trade from thagr81us. Thanks, Calton.

Poured into tasting glass and shared with gwuilliums (who promptly broke his while we were bottling Batch 12- talk about alcohol abuse!!).

A: Very dark and somewhat viscous pour. Excellent dark khaki head formation and retention. Lacing as you drink. Very, very nice.

S: This smells like the name implies. Dark coffee and roast barley. Very mocha!

T: Both of us really enjoyed the taste. Dark roast coffee and just a touch of astringency on the finish (something we strive for in our own stouts). Some slight hoppiness is present as well.

M: Medium-bodied and round and nice. Just what a stout should be. I am tempted to give it a 5...

D: I am going to set up a trade for an enormous amount of this beer. It is perfectly drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

12-10-2010 14:50:34 | More by Spica66

TheManiacalOne

Rhode Island

4.47/5  rDev +14.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Acquired via trade from WeisGuy, so a big "Thank you" goes out to him. Poured from a 22oz bottle into a mug glass.

A: The beer is a deep black color, with a short brown head that fades slowly and leaves a thick lace on the glass.

S: The aroma is of roasted malts, dark chocolate, coffee and hints of dark fruit and hops.

T: The taste is very smoky and traditionally malty, with strong flavors of dark chocolate, roasted coffee and some dark fruit that comes out more as the beer warms. There's a decent hops presence that tries to sneak its way through and while it gets beaten out by the malty and sweet flavors, it still provides a decent balance. The after-taste is smoky and slightly sweet.

M: Very smooth with a good amount of crispness, medium-to-heavy body, light-to-medium carbonation, finish is quite clean for a style that is usually on the sticky side.

D: Tasty, goes down very easily, slightly filling, good kick, very good representation of style, this is a very good and flavorful beer to sit back and relax with. A bomber or two while watching a movie is the perfect role for this beer.

Serving type: bottle

12-09-2007 05:49:24 | More by TheManiacalOne

KarlHungus

Minnesota

4.47/5  rDev +14.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Thank to MuenchenerKindl for this one. It pours very dark, almost black color. The head is half an inch in height, and recedes quickly like most coffee beers do. The aroma is more of milk chocolate than coffee, but there is still some coffee in it. Roaste malt and vanilla round out the aroma. The taste seems to be where the coffee lies. Milk chocolate, vanilla, and roasted malt linger in the finish with more coffee at the end. The mouthfeel is medium-full bodied with light carbonation, and a velvety texture. Overall, this is a very good beer. I have a soft spot for coffee stouts, and this is one of the more balanced ones I have had. I wish this were available in my area as I would choose this over Bell's Java Stout most of the time.

Serving type: bottle

04-30-2008 21:47:15 | More by KarlHungus

TerjUGA

Georgia

4.47/5  rDev +14.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A- jet black, very very dark, very little head that disapears into nothing, almost no lacing.

S- very sweet smell, chocolate, roasted malts.

T- I bit of a bite up front, full flavor of chocolate and mocha all the way through, nice and sweet but not to much. nice blend.

M- great mouthfeel, slightly more carbonated up front than i expected but its nice while finishing with a refreshing sweetness.

D- great brew, one of my favorites, the name of this beer describes it perfectly. I would recommend this to anyone. Great beer.

Serving type: bottle

09-19-2008 23:21:55 | More by TerjUGA

Breedlove

Tennessee

4.47/5  rDev +14.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A: Very black. Poured with about 2 fingers of head. Moderated lacing. Looks very Stout-ish, it that was a word.

S: This beer smells lovely. Lots of coffee (obviously) but some vanilla too. This semms just like a mocha stout should.

T: Great! Big choclate and coffee. Sweet up front nice and bitter in the back. Nice.

M: Just about right. Not too thick, but chewy enough.

D: I could dring a bunch of these. Great stout. I am a fan.

If you had not had this beer I would check it out. One of the most drinkable coffee stouts out there. That is all.

Serving type: bottle

05-07-2009 04:06:13 | More by Breedlove

RBorsato

Virginia

4.45/5  rDev +13.8%
look: 5 | smell: 3 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pitch black with a dark brown/chocolate colored head. Light aroma: sweet, light caramel, and light roastiness. I can't believe how light the aroma was considering the rich roasty, coffee-ish, chocolate flavors. Full bodied (leans medium) with a light smoky finish.

[22 oz bottle for $2.89]

Serving type: bottle

12-09-2002 07:42:18 | More by RBorsato

mantupeht

North Carolina

4.45/5  rDev +13.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured into a glass.

A - As promised, it's pretty black. A little bit of tan, creamy looking foam retained after the initial pour.

S - Smells very invititing - like mocha coffee, as advertised. A very dark roasted smell, no hoppy smell.

T - Wonderful. Tastes just like it smells, a great strong roasted flavor, fairly hoppy - which can be a bit much for me, but well balanced and counteracted by the roasted taste.

M - Advertised as Highland's most robust beer, given that, there would be the potential to be thick and overbearing, but it's mildly thick and creamy and not at all too heavy.

D - Average would be in order on one hand since it's such a full and flavored beer, one could drink no more than a couple, but I bumped it up a bit just because of the high quality

Excellent - highly recommended.

Serving type: bottle

06-23-2008 00:00:23 | More by mantupeht

johnnybgood1999

Virginia

4.45/5  rDev +13.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

One of my go to stouts here in Lynchburg.

A: Nice medium head and black body. Amber appears around the edges only when held up to light. Moderate, sticky looking lacing is visible.

S: Pretty nice aroma. Dark cocoa comes through along with burn malts. Hop aroma is negligible.

T: Aptly named as Black Mocha Stout, the mocha smacks you in the face immediately. Bitter chocolate is used, so it becomes overwhelming if it is not sipped from the front of the tongue to the back. This brew is very hefty and flavorful for 5.6% abv. As such, the mocha is balanced by a nice roasted malt flavor.

M: This beer is the king of smooth. This and Founders Porter are the smoothest, silkiest dark beers I've had that are not on the Russian Imperial Stout level. It really caresses the palate.

O: This is one of my go to stouts for a reason: it's quite good.

Serving type: bottle

04-26-2011 22:39:33 | More by johnnybgood1999

SaCkErZ9

Florida

4.43/5  rDev +13.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a 22 oz bottle into an imperial pint glass. No freshness date. A tall, creamy head forms and then dissipates at a pretty slow pace, leaving a nice fuzzy top to the beer. An almost completely opaque beer, but when held up to the carolina blue sky, I see the tiniest bit of light penetrating the bottom of the glass.

Tons of coffee notes with toffee and caramel and chocolate as well. Smells like a good beer to be having on this fine morning with my breakfast. Lots of roasted malts. Great smell.

Taste like a strong cup of coffee. A bit of citrus hops come in there as well. Great chocolate malt flavor that is perfectly balanced. Silky smooth and creamy. Very tasty.

Perfect mouthfeel. Very smooth and clean. A great beer in my opinion.

Serving type: bottle

12-18-2005 18:01:16 | More by SaCkErZ9

tavernjef

Minnesota

4.43/5  rDev +13.3%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Perfectly ebon with a large foamy cap of deep yellowed brown spongeyness. Keeps a huge skim/capping present for great length and lacing is spread out in lots of spots and a few stringy thingies.

Good aroma of soft cocoa covered bread, brown sugar, and mocha coffee ice cream with a bit of dry nuttyness on top.

Flavors are a bit nicer and quite fufilling in tone and richness. Good amounts of chocolate malt, some nice evenly set drying to it as it soothes into a semi creamy coffeeness and roastability. Tiny burnt notes flick about along with some dry husks and cocoa. A very easy going character of evenness and smoothness. Good balance of chocolatey sweetness mixed with coffee dryness and slight bitterings of burntness.

Feel is soft and creamy with a nice delicate dryness throughout. Body dances well in the medium areas, kinda gets more tang as it warms with a bit of oatyness. Very soothing and nearly silky in some ways.

This one grew on me, at first it didn't seem like it was gonna knock my socks off but as it went along it became a very inticingly fun brew to drink. I think the overall subtle tones in flavor and body really worked well together and made for a very approachable drinker of a stout! Thanks to mjgardner for the hookup of Highland!

Serving type: bottle

07-21-2007 00:01:36 | More by tavernjef