Highland Black Mocha Stout - Highland Brewing

brewdude1982

North Carolina

3.88/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

This was a pint I had in tap at Wakefield tavern in Raleigh.

This is a dark beer much like one would expect from a stout. Good lacing and a thick head with lots of tiny bubbles. It has relatively no smell but then again I am stuffed up. The taste is very much coffee and roasted dark malts. It is a pleasant change from some of the other stouts that I have had recently. This brewery is making beers that range from mediocre to great in my book.

Serving type: on-tap

12-17-2012 19:50:48 | More by brewdude1982

Mississipping

Mississippi

3.93/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A: Arrived completely black with just a hint of a highlight at the edges when held to light.  A small tan head sits on top but doesn't last very long.  Minimal lacing left behind on the edges of the glass. 

S: Aroma is dominated by chocolate with some roasted barley, coffee, and a touch of hops.  Really nice aroma.

T: Chocolate, again, is dominant in this one.  Sweet chocolate up front, followed by roasted barley and coffee, providing a bit of a bitterness to balance out the sweetness up front.  Hops are almost indistinguishable, but may be getting lost in the bitterness. 

M: Lighter side of medium-bodied with a moderate level of carbonation.  Despite being somewhat thin, it's creamy and smooth on the palate.  Starts out sweet and transitions to a slightly bitter finish with a nice drying effect. 

D: Nice little stout that is tasty and very easy to drink.  Nothing unexpected, but it held my attention and could probably do so again.  My only complaint would be the thinness of the body and feel.  

Serving type: on-tap

01-09-2012 21:36:57 | More by Mississipping

WoodBrew

Illinois

3.98/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I tried the Highland Moca Stout at Shakers in Roanoke, VA. the beer can in a classic beer mug and was dark opaque in color. The head was tan and not much in lacing. The smell included roast, espresso, and semi-sweet chocolate. The taste was very similar to the smell. The mouthfeel was medium body which I think is important for a stout. Overall I thought this was a good stout.

Serving type: on-tap

11-15-2011 04:09:29 | More by WoodBrew

tdm168

North Carolina

3.88/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On Tap at the Village Draft House

Arrived a deep, dark brown with a reddish hue and a thin lacing of brown head. The nose has a heavy note of coffee and a faint note of chocolate. The taste is much the same as the nose; coffee is the dominant flavor with hints of chocolate and light, noticeable hops for battle in the finish. The mouthfeel is full bodied, rich, and smooth.

It's a little one dimensional, but a solid beer all around. In this area it's a staple in most beer stores, and pretty cheap too. It's a go-to beer on a cold day.

Serving type: on-tap

10-16-2011 11:19:15 | More by tdm168

olimpia84

Florida

3.45/5  rDev -11.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On-tap at the Dunedin House of Beer. Served on a Pint glass.

A: black body with a one finger coffee colored head and good lacing that is coffee colored as well.

S: a bit on the mute side but notes of coffee are present along with roasted malts and milk.

T: dark coffee, roasted malts with a bitter aftertaste. A bit on the bland side.

M: smooth feel with a medium to full body leaning more towards medium. Good carbonation.

O: a decent stout that failed to deliver in some areas. Nevertheless I was happy to try it since it's not widely available in my area.

Serving type: on-tap

10-04-2011 00:40:39 | More by olimpia84

LittleDon

Texas

3.33/5  rDev -14.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A pint at Spirits in Cary, NC on 6/29/11.

Black, with a short lived head and no lace. Faint coffee aroma. Thin body and medium high amount of carbonation. Mild coffee flavor in front that improves on warming. Slight burnt sugar finish with some acidity. Borderline 3/3.5 beer. Flavor is enough to push it over the edge.

Serving type: on-tap

06-30-2011 10:42:28 | More by LittleDon

raszputini

North Carolina

3.58/5  rDev -8.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

One of my favorite standard Highland products. A solid chocolate style stout. Pours black with a tan lacy head. Smells of roast, coffee and chocolate. Taste is dominated by roasted malts and a blast of chocolate. Very understated hops. Overall a very sweet stout.

Serving type: on-tap

03-22-2011 01:13:32 | More by raszputini

DmanGTR

New York

3.78/5  rDev -3.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Had this on tap tonight at World of Beer.

Poured deep, dark brown with a light tan head. Lasted throughout the entire experience with scant lace. Decently assertive aroma of coffee and cocoa, light hints of roasted grain and sweetness. This, again, is a rather one-dimensional beer. But the taste makes up for it. Nicely roasted coffee beans, blended mellowly with dark chocolate to yield a creamy, mocha/cappuccino flavor. It's like cappuccino superimposed on Guinness Foreign Export Stout (w/e it's called). Finishes with a rich chocolatey and toasted grain character. Body is a touch thinner than expected but the carbonation makes for a creamy and velvety experience. A nice beer to have after dinner with some cookies or something. I approve.

Serving type: on-tap

02-20-2011 05:44:00 | More by DmanGTR

TheKingofWichita

North Carolina

3.63/5  rDev -7.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a dark black color with a tan head and some lacing. Smells of deep dark roasted coffee and dark chocolate. Tastes of chocolate malts, roasted coffee and some caramel. Toffee in there as well. Mouthfeel is medium and smooth. Drinkability is good.

Serving type: on-tap

10-18-2010 16:32:01 | More by TheKingofWichita

828beagle

North Carolina

4.03/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap poured into a Highland pint glass at the Mellow Mushroom in Asheville. A nice midnight black with a thick beautiful two finger beige head. Beautiful lacing effect throughout to the last drop. Black gourmet cappucino smell. Bittersweet taste of a full box of fine Belgium dark chocolates and nutty truffles. An indulgent work of art. Rather heavy but that's to be expected. It feels like you ate a full meal after you've had a couple. Not a session beer by any means but a nice change up every once in a while. I like it better than most other stouts I've had and I think it's better crafted than most of the other brews by Highland. I highly recommend it.

Serving type: on-tap

07-26-2010 20:40:34 | More by 828beagle

feelmefoam

South Carolina

4/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a deep, dark black, maybe the darkest brown with no highlights to speak of. The beer pushed up about a finger of tan, foamy head and left some decent lacing down that glass as it dissipated.

The beer smelled very similar to how it tasted. Up front was big coffee/mocha aroma with some toasted malt and a bit of dark chocolate, too. The flavor mirrored this almost to a tee. Up front, dark roasted malts took the stage, followed closely by the heavy mocha coffee flavors and accented by some bittersweet chocolate and bit of earthy malt flavor towards the end.

The mouthfeel was a few notches above medium with only a minor amount of carbonation, making for a clean and smooth drinking experience.

Overall, this was a very good stout that didnt' false advertise at all. Mocha was prevalent, as well as few other flavors, and it made this beer very flavorable and drinkable, moreso than the other beers I've had from Highland so far. Not spectacular, but a very good American Stout with some solid coffee notes included.

Serving type: on-tap

04-10-2010 07:42:55 | More by feelmefoam

Deuane

Pennsylvania

3.98/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A-Deep, dark black/brown with a thin tan head that reduced a bit and left spotty lace.

S-Touch of ash, dark chocolate with a bit o' coffee. Nice supporting background of roasted black patent malt and lightly earthy hops.

T-Bittersweet chocolate upfront with lighter notes of coffee, dark roasted malt, earthy hops and a touch of ash.

M-Medium body with good lingering bitterness and flavour.

D-Solid. A good easy drinking and flavourful brew. I actually prefer their Oatmeal Porter but this is a good second choice.

Serving type: on-tap

03-16-2010 12:37:17 | More by Deuane

carolinahophead

North Carolina

4.4/5  rDev +12.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Thanks Hoge for getting this brew at the Flying Saucer Charlotte...
A : A deep black coffee color ... like it should be. ( Nice glass lacing )
S : What a wonderful rich dark chocolate aroma, with the great roasted malt coming though.
You can appreciate the quality.

T : The taste is a smooth mocha and of rich dark roasted coffee ... It would be great with a cheesecake

M : This stout is easy to drink and well balanced. A medium mouthfell with alot going on.

O : Another great winter/early spring brew from Highland Brewing Co. The draft version is awesome. A real treat. Its available in bottle too.

Serving type: on-tap

03-02-2010 05:32:18 | More by carolinahophead

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

clemsonbrewer

South Carolina

4.25/5  rDev +8.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Pours pitch black with a medium brown head. Very thin lacing that hangs around a little. Smells of dark chocolate and HEAVY malt. Tastes of coffee and dark chocolate with thin hoppy balance. Mouthfeel is heavy in a good way. Very smooth strong coffee palate. This a great dessert beer. I had this in a beerbar/restaurant in Clemson, SC with some cheesecake. Wonderful combo. I will definitely try this beer again when I get the chance.

Serving type: on-tap

11-29-2007 03:23:08 | More by clemsonbrewer

veech

Tennessee

4.08/5  rDev +4.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

This is a well done, flavorful stout that avoids being over the top on any one front. A: Deep dark opaque black with a nice but thin creamy tan head S: Strong hints of coffee, chocolate and caramel with a touch of almonds. T: Very chocolateywith slightly burnt coffee finish M: Thick, chewy and robust. Nicely viscous. D: This beer despite the body and flavor drinks surprisingly smoothly. A session of this beer might leave one full, but very satisfied. A nice stout among the stable of excellent Highland beers.

Serving type: on-tap

10-15-2006 17:06:01 | More by veech

rodrot

North Carolina

3.9/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Sampled at the brewery during a tour. This beer poured nearly black with a 2 inch creamy head that left a layer of lace on the glass. Aroma was of coffee, chocolate and flowery hops. Taste was very roasty and coffeeish with a good bitter kick of hops. Mouthfeel was fairly smooth and made the beer easy to drink. Body was medium. This beer reminded me of a slightly lighter version of Sierra Nevada stout. Very tasty and worth picking up a bomber or 2.

Serving type: on-tap

06-25-2006 15:45:08 | More by rodrot

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

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

GCBrewingCo

North Carolina

4.22/5  rDev +7.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

The beer arrived at the table a blackish dark brown and completely full. The head was low due to the high fill, but lasting at the edges of the surface to lace the glass.

The aroma was coffee and chocolate with a sweet caramel.

The flavor was dry chocolate and coffee with a slight acidity in the flavor that adds to the complexity.

The finish was dry coffee (very nice). The body was medium-full.

Pint glass at Barley's Taproom in Knoxville, TN.

Serving type: on-tap

04-21-2004 02:03:09 | More by GCBrewingCo

oberon

North Carolina

3.8/5  rDev -2.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Had a nice traditional color black with maybe a slight red hue in there,appetizing in the pour with nice caramel colored head.I do agree with other guy who reviewed this one not much smell,a little chocolaty/earthy smell but not much.Taste was nice and chocalty and earth with that smokey tinge coming through in the end.Pretty good velvety body.Another good one from Highland.

Serving type: on-tap

02-27-2003 07:19:20 | More by oberon

Damian

Massachusetts

3.53/5  rDev -9.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5

Drank from a 1 pint 6 fl. oz. bottle
Served in a pint glass
Thanks to my dad for this bomber

With an aggressive pour, a one-finger tall crop of saddle brown foam topped the shimmery, near pitch black liquid. The head faded to a thick, clingy collar. No lacing whatsoever.

The nose was incredibly unique. Not at all typical for an American stout. Super smoky. Peat smoked malts were apparent. Strong prune and raisin notes. Lots of leather and tobacco. Somewhat sherry-like with an interesting oxidized quality. As the beer warmed, chocolate fudge was noticeable. This reminded me a lot of an aged old ale.

The flavor profile was much more typical of the style. Quite roasty and dry. Roasted malts appeared on the front end. Hint of caramel-like sweetness. Raisins came through in the center. Touch of black coffee. The finish was ashy with a charred, slight bitterness. Overall, not very complex.

The liquid was thinner and lighter bodied for the style. A touch watery with a very mellow effervescence. Slightly creamy on the palate.

This is a very strange offering from the folks at Highland Brewing. The nose was amazingly complex but did not represent the style well, and the flavor profile contained hardly any mocha character. This seemed like a beer that simply went awry.

Serving type: bottle

04-19-2013 17:59:00 | More by Damian

pauldave1976

North Carolina

1.6/5  rDev -59.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 1 | feel: 1 | overall: 1.5

Not good. Lower than average. Will not waste my money again. I would expect a lot more out of a brew from Asheville, North Carolina. Seemed really plain and pretty sad for a "craft" beer.I guess it s par for the course, as I feel the exact same way about the rest of their beers. I would like to try some of their one shots to hopefully redeem them in my mind.

Serving type: bottle

04-08-2013 23:29:26 | More by pauldave1976

kangarooAdam59

Maine

3.68/5  rDev -5.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

Thanx Damian74Shensky:

Into a nonic:

A: dark black body with an off-white colored one finger head, minimal lacing

S: roasted sweet malt and light coffee

T: roasty and sweet through previously mentioned flavors, slightly woody, dry aftertaste and finish

M: medium, sessionable, adequate carbonation

O: hey not bad for the style, I would have this one again

Serving type: bottle

03-30-2013 02:32:23 | More by kangarooAdam59

StJamesGate

New York

4.03/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Jet black with pomegranate highlights and creamy beige head that instantly sheets, rings and laces.
Ash, oily espresso and burnt sugar on the nose.
Sultana, char, dark caramel, some roasty sweetness and moderate branch hop bitterness.
Cocoa bean finish and dry linger.
Smooth, medium, chewy.

Big and round, roast forward, but smooth and even. A very clean but solid stout that's neither an RIS nor Irish nor hoppy - unusual these days.

Happy first taste of Asheville.

Serving type: bottle

03-30-2013 00:58:07 | More by StJamesGate