Highland Thunderstruck Coffee Porter - Highland Brewing

CarolinaKevin

North Carolina

4/5  rDev +2.3%

01-21-2012 18:07:50 | More by CarolinaKevin

Ryan011235

Ohio

3.59/5  rDev -8.2%
look: 3.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Poured into an snifter on 4/30/13

Dark brown with a leaning toward black once in the glass. 1/4th inch tan foam. Soapy skim and some bubbles remain. A few trails of drippy lace.

The aroma is quite nice, actually. Roasted coffee, chocolate, coffee beans blend together with a hint of peanut butter. The wheat adds a subtle grainy layer. Very smooth. The taste is not as smooth though, nor the feel. At least initially, the medium body is shaken with harsh carbonation though it is able to be swirled out over time. The coffee is pretty strong but not overly bitter. It's plenty roasty but in a tangy, rough manner. Undertones of chocolate. Modest hop notion.

It seems like a pedestrian porter but the coffee addition makes for a more interesting beer. I enjoyed both bottles I had.

Serving type: bottle

05-01-2013 03:00:54 | More by Ryan011235

ltdantheman

Georgia

3.75/5  rDev -4.1%

04-26-2013 14:29:51 | More by ltdantheman

ant880

New York

3.75/5  rDev -4.1%

04-15-2013 00:24:54 | More by ant880

Mojo

Alabama

4.14/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

12 ounce bottle -> snifter

There is nothing I don't love about this. Sure there are better beers, but this one is just right for me tonight. <ha ha> It pours a deep obsidian with a big two finger caramel colored head, average retention, and average lacing. The nose is coffee, chocolate, molasses, toffee, and caramel. Taste follows the nose. Mouthfeel is okay, but nothing too special. Try it, you'll like it as the old commercial goes.

Serving type: bottle

04-12-2013 03:29:26 | More by Mojo

Sludgeman

District of Columbia

4/5  rDev +2.3%

04-10-2013 03:12:25 | More by Sludgeman

blackie

Virginia

4.2/5  rDev +7.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

have had this in a couple formats since release, rating a single bottle picked up at bruisin'

a: served from 12 ounce bottle into a wide snifter, this anticipated coffee porter produces a brief flash of mocha head that falls back to a thin ring, the beer itself a deep brown-to-black in color

s: awesome medium roast coffee nose - smooth barley roasts and roasted wheat mingle in, combining to produce dark fruit and chocolate aromas, mild hop aroma with some slight grassiness, some other presence here - vanilla, toffee, cocoa - but it all comes back around to that lovely, pure coffee aroma - not at the top, but up there with the best coffee aromas I’ve found - rich with a clean, cold-steeped character

m: carbonation on the lower side of the moderate range, body a fuller medium, smooth

t: fresh, rich medium-roast coffee flavors underscored by notes of toffee and semisweet chocolate, not too heavy and in keeping with the porter style, some sugars on the front and middle with a delicate, cleanly flavored hop bitter lingering with strong coffee

o: really like the combination of porter and coffee - provides the nice roasted barley and sugars that you’d find in a stout, while allowing more of the bean to shine through, and the coffee character, of course - it’s fantastic, nice use of Midnight wheat as well (a new variety to me) - helping to keep things clean and balanced while contributing its own roasted character, easy drinking and very enjoyable

beans roasted by Dynamite Roasters in Black Mountain - they produce some quality beans and have a really nice shop in town

Serving type: bottle

04-10-2013 02:12:01 | More by blackie

marley2112

North Carolina

4/5  rDev +2.3%

04-09-2013 02:23:37 | More by marley2112

tobelerone

New Jersey

4/5  rDev +2.3%

03-31-2013 03:16:40 | More by tobelerone

SmellsofMahagony

Texas

3.75/5  rDev -4.1%

03-28-2013 03:04:57 | More by SmellsofMahagony

TappaKeggaBrew

Ohio

3.46/5  rDev -11.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A: Very dark, reddish brown, but clear. The head looked like the foam on a cup of espresso, although it was thin and faded with hardly any lacing.

S: Rather tame in the aroma department. I detected toasted malt, of course, and some orange rind, and a faint hint of coffee, but nothing robust.

T: Acrid, heavily-toasted grain is the first flavor, followed by acidic coffee. I caught just a hint of tart fruit before a mixture of bitter coffee and bitter hops take over in the end, lingering well although turning a little harsh toward the end.

M: Well carbonated, and initially moist; fairly thin; the finish is dry, just short of astringent

O: Decent, but the finish (both flavor and feel) detracted somewhat from the experience. It seems like they almost got it, but need to tweak the recipe/process just a touch.

Serving type: bottle

03-27-2013 02:13:28 | More by TappaKeggaBrew

zillo043068

New Jersey

4/5  rDev +2.3%

03-15-2013 23:05:44 | More by zillo043068

wmobley

Wisconsin

4.25/5  rDev +8.7%

03-14-2013 19:38:49 | More by wmobley

jerefreakinmiah

Texas

3.75/5  rDev -4.1%

02-24-2013 19:38:15 | More by jerefreakinmiah

BlackBelt5112203

South Carolina

4.34/5  rDev +11%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

12 oz bottle poured into a mug at cellar temperature.

L – Deep brown-to-black color with a nice 3-finger frothy, bubbly, tan head. Really nice retention and some great lacing.

S – Amazing roasted malt aromas with coffee, chocolate, and some molasses. There’s a touch of lighter dark fruit aromas such as figs and cherries, too. Again, just a touch of those – the big roasted malts and coffee are front and center.

T – It starts off sweet with chocolate, molasses, some vanilla, and some dark fruit flavors. As the taste progresses, the fruits become more prominent until spicy and earthy bitter noble hops appear and build toward the finish. At the finish, as the hops start to fade, the big roasted coffee bitterness comes in. This is a tasty beer.

F – Medium-to-full-bodied with great carbonation, a creamy and smooth mouthfeel, and a bittersweet and slightly spicy finish. Roasted coffee bitterness lingers at the back of the throat for a really nice amount of time.

O – This is a great porter. It’s full of both sweet and bitter roasted flavors and aromas and has a fantastic mouthfeel. This is one of the fullest-bodied porters that I’ve ever had; most that I’ve had are usually lacking in this category. Highland really impressed me with this one. Cheers!

Serving type: bottle

02-22-2013 04:14:31 | More by BlackBelt5112203

RWLawman

North Carolina

3.25/5  rDev -16.9%

02-20-2013 02:11:35 | More by RWLawman

MRsojourner

Massachusetts

3.5/5  rDev -10.5%

02-17-2013 21:25:15 | More by MRsojourner

acsprouse

South Carolina

4/5  rDev +2.3%

02-15-2013 06:37:52 | More by acsprouse

GetTheYayo

Colorado

3.75/5  rDev -4.1%

02-12-2013 01:24:49 | More by GetTheYayo

firstlighthiker

Tennessee

3.25/5  rDev -16.9%

02-06-2013 01:25:00 | More by firstlighthiker

facundoCNB

New Jersey

3.56/5  rDev -9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

dark brown pour, half a finger of head quickly diminished. smells of milk chocolate and light coffee roast notes. kind of a watered don coffee taste, dark roast bitterness, a bit of a "bean" taste. a lighter medium body with high carbonation.
nothing too impressive from this one, but i also feel like i'm not being fair rating anything after having just drank CBS. again, nothing impressive, but it is a decent tasty treat.

Serving type: bottle

02-02-2013 21:53:06 | More by facundoCNB

cliff1066

Virginia

4/5  rDev +2.3%

01-30-2013 02:30:17 | More by cliff1066

Sivad

North Carolina

4.25/5  rDev +8.7%

01-20-2013 22:57:25 | More by Sivad

napier51

North Carolina

4/5  rDev +2.3%

01-18-2013 19:45:21 | More by napier51

nwatson

Virginia

4/5  rDev +2.3%

01-18-2013 09:10:29 | More by nwatson