Highland Black Mocha Stout - Highland Brewing

northyorksammy

Ontario (Canada)

3.35/5  rDev -14.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Very dark brown body with light brown soapy head. Heavy roast. Mocha in the finish. While some cream in mouth, some astringency in finish as well. Lacey. Bitterness on heavy side. SO neither would I say clean taste nor black, but still worthwhile to try.

Serving type: bottle

04-30-2008 14:23:27 | More by northyorksammy

BuckeyeNation

Iowa

4.35/5  rDev +11.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Deep, dark, chocolate brown with meager russet highlights at the edges. The wonderful looking crown (darker than khaki, lighter than umber) resembles coffee ice cream as it melts. It's also spectacular in the lace department. What a start!

The nose is impressive as well. It's bursting with a roasted maltiness that pretty much nails the style. Cacao-intensive chocolate keeps freshly-ground coffee beans at the periphery. Since the dictionary definition of mocha is either a type of coffee or a chocolate-coffee mixture, I wonder if coffee was used here?

Black Mocha Stout, like just about everything Highland brews, is very good, drinkable beer. If you aren't afraid of hops (Chinook and Mt. Hood), to the tune of 25 IBUs, then it might even be great beer.

The flavor just does reach the point where my brain says '4.5' (when it comes to beer, my brain thinks in terms of numbers, not letters). What's remarkable is that such an incredibly flavorful stout should be infinitely sessionable as well. The ABV may be slightly too high for that purpose, but palate fatigue shouldn't become as issue, even after multiple bottles.

Brown sugar-coated roasted barley is the shining star of the show, with huge splashes of chocolate liqueur, espresso and molasses. The hops provide an ideal amount of countering bitterness, as well as a citric spiciness, courtesy of Chinook. I've poked and prodded and can find no weaknesses whatsoever.

The mouthfeel is a quality affair that is pretty close to dead-on for the style. Only a wee lack of heft keeps it from earning the big numbers. Nitpicking? Probably.

Do North Carolinians know how lucky they are to have Highland Brewing? These guys are immensely talented and deserve much more recognition than they get. As a music critic once said about The Cars first album, 'drop the needle anywhere and prepare to be impressed'. The same can be said about Highland beer.

Serving type: bottle

01-20-2008 15:00:44 | More by BuckeyeNation

mikesgroove

South Carolina

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

Poured a pitch black as night, dark oil like liquid. Huge tan head had a very very slow fade and left lots of lace all the way down the glass. Looked just like a stout should look....thick.

Smell was very robust, deep roasted coffee and dark german chocolate. Hints of a sugary or caramel sweetness as well. Taste was very thick and complex. Big deep roasted flavor, almost a burnt taste to it. Lots of flavors of coffee and german dark chocolate. Cery thick feel, but not syrupy, great carbonation led to a great silk like feel. Nice big hoppy finish left a very long lingering burnt aroma, I could literally taste it for 20 mins after the last sip, very outstanding full flavor. Overall this was awesome, the perfect desset beer as a good stout should always be. I found no hint at all of any alcohol, nothing but great aromas and flavors.

Serving type: bottle

05-17-2011 00:25:05 | More by mikesgroove

womencantsail

California

3.25/5  rDev -16.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A: The pour is a dark brown color with a sizable tan colored head.

S: Plenty of coffee on the nose with some good roasted notes as well. Light bittersweet chocolate, too.

T: Again, lots of roast and coffee come through. The chocolate quality is not really there, but there is a strange presence of smoke to this beer.

M: The body is a bit on the thing side, perhaps, with a moderate level of carbonation.

D: I don't really know about this beer. I enjoyed the aromas, but the weird smoke/peat character on the palate and the lackluster body were a bit off-putting.

Serving type: bottle

10-05-2010 17:15:27 | More by womencantsail

ChainGangGuy

Georgia

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

Purchased at Green's (Buford Hwy location).

Appearance: Has a typical black-brown stout coloring with a thin biege-colored head.

Smell: A slightly sweet, candied aroma with a touch of roasted coffee and milk chocolate. Very inviting!

Taste: Chocolate-coated malt flavors abound, flanked by the rich coffee essence. Coffee au lait. A slight suggestion of hops provide a bit of balance to this great brew.

Mouthfeel: Luxurious on the tongue, with a modest amount of carbonation. Very creamy. This beer is a joy to experience from start to finish. Exactly medium-bodied with out leaning towards being heavy or thin. Perfect.

Drinkability: This beer's well-balanced character, makes it a true session stout. A great choice any time of day, any time of year. Delish!

Find some. Treasure it.

Serving type: bottle

11-05-2005 05:56:29 | More by ChainGangGuy

brentk56

North Carolina

4.35/5  rDev +11.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Appearance: Pours a coffee brown color with a huge mocha head; sticks nicely and leaves a wonderful spattering of lace

Smell: Milk chocolate, with hints of coffee and char

Taste: Roasty and chocolatey up front, with an underlying though subtle citrus fruit flavor arriving by mid-palate; after the swallow, the coffee takes over, though the other flavors remain present underneath

Mouthfeel: Medium body with moderate carbonation; just a touch thin to my palate

Drinkability: Much better than I remembered, this is a really flavorful stout that packs a wallop for being less than 6%

Serving type: bottle

05-13-2009 02:00:51 | More by brentk56

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

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

NeroFiddled

Pennsylvania

4.35/5  rDev +11.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

An translucent black body displays ruby-mahogany hilghlights below a full head of frothy dark tan foam that holds quite well and leaves thin rings of craggy lace about the pint. The nose is mocha-like and caramelish. It's medium bodied and smooth across the palate with a mild caress on the tongue from its restrained carbonation. The flavor is fairly rich and complex with notes of dark malt acidity, yeasty fruitiness, caramel, coffee and chocolate. It's well-balanced by a firm bitterness, and it finishes dry with a lingering note of yeasty fruitiness and some lightly roasty mocha. Very well done!

Serving type: bottle

05-20-2005 22:54:30 | More by NeroFiddled

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

zeff80

Missouri

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

A - Poured out an opaque, dark, dark brown color with a small, caramel-colored head of bubbly foam. It left a little lace on the glass.

S - It smelled of coffee, chocolate and toffee. There was a toasty malt aroma, too.

T - For a "black mocha" stout, the coffee flavor is fairly tame, blending nicely with chocolate, caramel and toffee flavors. Just enough sweetness to balance out the bitter.

M - It was crisp, sharp and smooth. A light to medium-bodied stout with a dry finish.

D - This is a pretty good stout. Not overpowering with the coffee.

Serving type: bottle

03-28-2010 12:24:41 | More by zeff80

metter98

New York

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

A: The beer is jet black in color and poured with a thin tan head that slowly died down and left wispy patterns of bubbles on the surface.
S: There are light to moderate aromas of chocolate in the nose.
T: The taste is similar to the smell and the chocolate flavors particularly stand out in the finish.
M: It feels medium-bodied on the palate and has a moderate amount of carbonation with a dry finish.
D: The beer goes down quite smoothly but there's nothing really unique in the flavors that would want to make me try this again.

Serving type: bottle

02-01-2011 02:28:11 | More by metter98

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

russpowell

Oklahoma

4.35/5  rDev +11.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours mahogany/purple black with a 3 fingers mocha head. Good head retention & very good lacing

S: Slight roastyness

Taste: Slight roastyness & choclate up front. Slight licorice notes & fruittyness come to the fore as it warms. Finishes choclatey & roasty

MF: Medium with great carbonation

Drinks really easy, nice quaffable stout!

Serving type: bottle

07-02-2006 02:44:41 | More by russpowell

Gavage

New Jersey

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

Appearance: black with a thick and fluffy tan colored head that lasts. Nice lace develops.

Smell: roasted malts and coffee are clearly identifiable and pleasant overall.

Taste: follows the nose as roasted malt, big coffee flavors, hint of milk chocolate, some prune sweetness and a nice balancing bitterness make up a tasty stout.

Mouthfeel: medium-heavy in body. Lightly crisp to start but finishes smooth. Aftertaste is long as the flavors linger around in the mouth.

Drinkability: easy to drink this one especially if you are in the mood for a coffee focused stout. Give this a try.

Serving type: bottle

08-22-2009 17:11:04 | More by Gavage

jwc215

New Jersey

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

Pours almost jet black with a thin tan head. It thins in the middle too much, but the heavy ring leaves some lacing.

The smell is of robust dark chocolate.

Rich, dark chocolate over bready grains greet the nose. A touch of dark fruits is present. It's sweet, but has a nice touch of bready, almost fruity, hops that balance it out nicely and adds to the complexity and overall taste. A slight smokiness is evident in the middle, and that too adds to the flavor.

The feel is rich and creamy in a medium body. The carbonation lets it go down easily and leaves a lively feeling (a bit unusual for the style, but it seems to work here). At the same time it does thin just a tad too much. Still in all, it is smooth and leaves a nice, not too strong, aftertaste.

Easy to drink, it has a solid rich taste in a medium body. Not overly complex for style, but complex enough, and tasty enough, to be a good, enjoyable stout.

Thanks to SilentSabre for this one!

Serving type: bottle

10-20-2006 10:45:16 | More by jwc215

akorsak

Pennsylvania

3.5/5  rDev -10.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A 12 oz bottle from a Dark Lord day trade with some NC folks.

A: The stout pours quite dark, with a coffee-esque color. Nothing seems to make it through the glass and the dark depth of the beer. The head was quite thick, 3 fingers, on pour and almost overflowed the glass. As it settles, the ale has left an extensive lacing throughout the glass.

S: The aroma coming off of the beer is roasted malt, burnt bread with a strong chocolate aroma.

T: The stout is serviceable, having a strong malt body, bready with a strong roasted element that adds a depth to the body. That roasted body releases some chocolate and caramel flavor as well. The flavors, overall, are restrained and lack the pizzazz that a good stout should have. The flavor squarely puts this beer into the decent realm.

M: The mouthfeel has hints of roasted malt and chocolate and ends on an enjoyable note with a chocolate flourish. The flavor comes through a tad too late though for me.

D: The low abv and nice mocha finish redeem the beer, creating a decent flavor that, while it won't transcend the stout style, it won't turn you off from stouts either.

Serving type: bottle

07-02-2007 01:58:38 | More by akorsak

tempest

Pennsylvania

4.1/5  rDev +4.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

I picked up a bomber at Knightly Spirits near Universal Studios. Poured into a tumbler, the beer is opaque dark brown with a short tan head. I like mocha/coffee-flavored beer such as this because I feel like they take the best roasted tastes of a coffee drink. This also has a touch of orange peel hops and a dry dark chocolate bitter finish. The beer is thinner than most stouts, but I think that simly makes it more drinkable. This really is a tasty stout, worth a try.

Serving type: bottle

09-11-2009 04:04:13 | More by tempest

Wasatch

Utah

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

Thanks goes out to ThorsHammer for this brew.

Poured into a pint glass (Wasatch) a nice clean/clear dark brown color, nice carbonation, nice little tannish creamy head, not much sticky lacing to follow though. The nose is malty, big notes of toffee/chocolate/caramel. The taste pretty much follows the nose, slight sweetness, and the big dark stuff. Medium body. Drinkable, a pretty tasty American Stout.

Serving type: bottle

02-03-2008 19:24:02 | More by Wasatch

rhoadsrage

Illinois

4.1/5  rDev +4.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

(Served in a glass mug)
thanks to SincereNc for this brew
A- The jet black body of this beer has a thick dark tan head on top that last for a good long while. There is no sign of carbonation lurking in the body.

S- The slightly sweet aroma of black roasted malt has a faint roasted chicory hint in the finish. There are notes of cream that come through as the beer warms.

T- The smooth roasted flavor of dark malt has a faint dark chocolate taste and a hint of peaty smoked tartness that increases a the beer warms a bit. There is a soft burnt roasted malt flavor that lingers after each sip, but no for long.

M- This beer has a medium mouthfeel but a chewy texture that increases as the beer warms. No alcohol heat is noticed.

D- Nice smooth black malt flavor with good roasted bitter notes. The peat hint is just enough to add depth but not enough to taste like band aids.

Serving type: bottle

08-18-2008 18:28:54 | More by rhoadsrage

jlindros

Massachusetts

4.05/5  rDev +3.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Interesting concept, a Scottish style brewery in the middle of Asheville, NC. Thanks to JonnyGalt for this interesting beer.

A creamy looking mocha colored smaller head that sits there for a bit, and leaves a high water mark of lacing notched as I sip, over a dark almost black beer, with slight hints of molasses colored light sneaking through when held directly to the light.

Nose is pure black malts, like nightmarish black malt aroma, dark as hell. Some coffee in there, a bit of fresh roasted coffee beans and a bit of roast, a bit of mocha with that as a hint of cocoa starts to sneak in. A light caramel aroma, hint of fluffy nougat and maybe a bit vanilla.

Taste starts rich and creamy, almost milky or lots of oats, then roasted malt, a hint of acrid almost burnt roast, and burnt roast. Some coffee, little roasted coffee bean and hint of burnt coffee, and light charcoal like. Some baker's chocolate comes in lightly in the background and brings the mocha quality out more. A little caramel and fluffy nougat again. Some bitterness but mostly from the roast, maybe a hint of earthy hops. Finish is a bit sticky and syrupy quite rich and mouth coating, a bigger bitterness fairly earthy bitterness and lingering roasted malt, light coffee and chocolate lingering.

Mouth is thick and rich, quite creamy, decent carb.

Overall pretty good, lots of coffee, mocha, roast, and very rich and creamy thick for being just 5.6%, although it does bring a bit of acrid burnt flavors from the roast, but not too strong. Overall a nice tasty beer.

Serving type: bottle

11-10-2012 16:04:43 | More by jlindros

ppoitras

Massachusetts

4.13/5  rDev +5.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

22oz bottle from AKSmokedPorter as part of Secret Santa 2005. Thanks for the opportunity.

Poured into an imperial pint glass, formed a 1" dark brown head above the almost opaque dark brown brew. Head fades slowly, with heavy sticky brown lacing. Aroma is dark chocolate and light coffee. Taste is as the nose indicates, with the mocha very nicely balanced. Mouthfeel seems a bit thin, but it is definitely smooth, and drinkability is excellent for the same reasons. A brew I would be glad to revisit, if the occasion arises.

Serving type: bottle

02-26-2006 01:17:35 | More by ppoitras

weeare138

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev -4.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appears a black color with a one finger tan head that lasts for about a minute. Tiny lacing is tossed about.
Smell is of roasted malt with chocolate and coffee with some dark fruit and cream mixed in.
Taste is of coffee, dark malts, and cream.
Mouthfeel is of velvet, and slightly roasted malt in this full bodied brew.

Serving type: bottle

08-15-2005 20:57:32 | More by weeare138

Zorro

California

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

Sampled through the efforts of 120/190 BIF and lostbearbrew.

Pours a deep brown clear beer with a good tall brown head.

Smell is sweet with a strong coffee edge and dark roasted malt sourness. Sweet scents have a maple syrup scent. Chocolate and vanilla are under the heavier scents.

Taste is very mild and heavy on the coffee at the start. Only problem here is that the tastes stay too timid. This could be bolder like the Founder's coffee stouts are. Good coffee stout but the flavor never goes anywhere.

Mouthfeel is OK but light.

Damn this beer was a let down; the smell had so much promise. This is a beer that shows how appealing to everyone satisfies no one.

Serving type: bottle

06-17-2006 03:23:27 | More by Zorro

Kegatron

Pennsylvania

4.33/5  rDev +10.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

22oz bottle into a pint glass.

Pours a dark brown/almost black with some garnet tinges around the bottom and a finger of poofy tan head that retained very nicely and left some good lacing. The aroma is pretty straightforward with roasted malt, chocolate, a twinge of coffee, and some light floral hoppiness in the backend.

The taste packed with everything that makes a roasty Stout great. Roasted gains, chocolate sweetness, some burnt coffee bitterness, and just a tingle of hop bitterness in the finish. The mouthfeel is full and creamy with a nice carbonation.

Wow, this guy packs exactly what I like in my American Stouts. Fantastic full flavors and a low ABV that make this one easy drinking flavorful beer. I'll definitely be seeking out more of this in the future.

Serving type: bottle

01-29-2008 17:50:41 | More by Kegatron