Highland Thunderstruck Coffee Porter - Highland Brewing

welldigger888

South Carolina

4.63/5  rDev +18.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured an opaque garnet hued elixer with a sweet biege head and ample lacing.

A bit muted on the coffee, but seems to have a nice fruity type english yeastiness that blends well with the roasty grain goodness as the coffee takes a back seat.

Cream filled coffee smoothness that gives way to a nice roast grain bill finishing off with that nice smooth english yeast fruitiness. I assume the english yeastiness is from the cask conditioning, and it plays a vital role here.

So smooth and so creamy with just the right amount of fruity yeast.

WOW, my guys at greens have helped us brew lovers out. Fantastic cask ale, soft and smooth with all the highlights. Well played Wes & Joseph, Thank you and keep up the good work.

Serving type: cask

04-21-2012 02:53:11 | More by welldigger888

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

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

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

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

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

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

Alieniloquium

Florida

3.1/5  rDev -20.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

12 oz. bottle poured into a snifter.

Appearance - Black body with a moderate cream head. Transparent at the edges. Thick collar of foam around the surface.

Smell - Strong coffee aroma. Some chocolate comes through from the beer, but it's mostly coffee.

Taste - Really strong coffee flavor. The beer is mostly lost back there, but some bitter chocolate comes through as well as some hop bite. The combination of coffee, chocolate, and hop bitterness becomes abrasive in the finish.

Mouthfeel - High carbonation, thin body, bitter finish. None too pleasing to consume, although it could be worse, I guess.

Overall - Some sips are decent, others are harsh. Coffee just seems to overwhelm everything in this.

Serving type: bottle

01-18-2013 03:27:02 | More by Alieniloquium

JohnnyMc

Ohio

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

My first Highland beer in quite some time.

Pours out black with about 2 fingers of a mocha/tan head.

The aroma has a decent amount of coffee in it along with bittersweet chocolate, some subtle caramel sweetness and a little bit of hops.

The taste is also mainly dominated by coffee and then that fades to some milk and dark chocolate notes. There is a little bit of caramel sweetness and a touch of grassy hop notes. This is pretty bitter, with not only coffee and dark chocolate bitterness, but some hop bitterness too.

This is full bodied and has a nice, rich and creamy mouthfeel.

Very tasty, very easy to drink, but could be a little more balanced. Definitely try if you enjoy the style.

Serving type: bottle

01-10-2013 02:08:18 | More by JohnnyMc

Georgiabeer

Georgia

3.95/5  rDev +1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A quite nice porter with noticeable, but not too heavy coffee accent. Pleasant overall. Pours fairly inky black, but with a quite light viscosity. Only a short head, and that does fade somewhat quickly, but still, a fairly pretty beer. Very nice, and noticeable, black coffee aroma. Nutty, somewhat roasty, and with a slight molasses note. Dryer on the palate, with nicely balanced roastiness, coffee notes, and a light maltiness and lightly bitter finish. A little slick in the mouth, but overall quite nice.

Serving type: bottle

01-07-2013 23:05:50 | More by Georgiabeer

devilben02

North Carolina

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

Pours black from the bottle, with a foamy, mocha-brown head. The aroma is distinctly reminiscent of coffee and milk, with a bit of milk chocolate and some kind of dry mineral character beneath. The flavor is pleasantly mild, with a light coffee bitterness and lactose sweetness predominating, although some herbal hops and bittersweet chocolate are also present. Overall, although the flavor is a bit dominated by the coffee character, it doesn't change the impression of this beer as a pleasant, drinkable porter.

Serving type: bottle

01-07-2013 15:15:12 | More by devilben02

TWM

4.13/5  rDev +5.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured bottle into pint glass.

Appearance- very, very dark, nearly black. Little visible carbonation, thin head that generally lasts for the entire glass (currently drinking #6 of the six-pack, all of them had the same head for the entire glass).

Smell- A little coffee, hint of caramel, but mostly the earthy smell of a dark ale or porter. Definite hints of the bitterness in the smell

Taste- Lovin' it! Enough coffee to warrant the name without overwhelming the porter flavors. Taste changes through the sip from earthy to chocolate to a slightly bitter coffee aftertaste. Very pleased that Highland didn't try to sweeten their coffee brew, and allow it to remain very much a porter. I drink my coffee black, so this is hitting all the rights notes for me. Not a big hop flavor- the hops seem to add a bit of richness rather than much overt flavor of their own.

Mouthfeel- good but not as creamy and smooth as some porters. However, the feel seems just right for this combination of flavors.

Overall- as a dark-ale loving, black-coffee drinking fan of bitter beers, this one is making me quite happy!

Serving type: bottle

12-27-2012 21:11:17 | More by TWM

Jadjunk

Georgia

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

Highland Thunderstruck Coffee Porter

Poured from a 12 oz bottle to a snifter.

(Appearance) Pours a medium fizzy brown head with poor retention. Very dark body, near black aside from the edges. Decent appearance overall. 3.5

(Smell) Balanced chocolate, black malt and hints of nutty toffee. Coffee aromas are warm and toasty albeit mild, Malt presence is slightly sweet. Earthy bitter aromas suggest mild low-alpha hop presence. Medium potency. 3.5

(Taste) Thorough bitter earthy hop introduction follows through with a sweet milky chocolate midsection and finally reaches a mild, balanced coffee finish. Malt body balances well with the bitterness from the hops and coffee. Not particularly coffee heavy, but I like the stages this beer takes and the diversity of flavor it provides. 4

(Mouthfeel) Largely smooth with a bit of creaminess aside from some air on the tongue. Could be slightly more viscous to better counter the bitterness of the coffee flavor. 3

(Overall) This coffee porter focuses more on bitterness than the flavors of coffee, complimenting other porter characters that would otherwise be overshadowed. Chocolate and toffee are easier to find as a result and this coffee porter dives a touch deeper than alternative beers in its particular style. Bitterness keeps it from being overly quaffable but it is enjoyable in small sips. 4

Vintage Reviews:

Fall/Winter 2011. Initial release. (1+ year aged)

Similar head quality and equally dark in appearance. Toasty, crisp coffee aromas are gone and a very faint trace of cold coffee lingers amongst a prevailing toasted malt background with faint chocolate and nutty malt background. The malt profile as a whole is more thoroughly exposed than in the fresh batch, likely due to the lacking coffee profile. Some faint sourness has come into play by this r a. The hop profile has broken down and the stages of flavor have mellowed out significantly, with little hop or coffee flavor to be individually discerned. The finish has a slightly acidic tartness to it. This beer, like most mild-bodied coffee porters and stouts hasn’t aged particularly well, and while it’s a slightly better example than Kona’s Pipeline, it is still far superior when fresh.

Recommended Vintage: Fresh

Highland Brewing Company's
Thunderstruck Coffee Porter
3.78/5.00

Serving type: bottle

12-27-2012 06:02:16 | More by Jadjunk

mscudder

Georgia

4.08/5  rDev +4.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Into a pint.

A - A black hue with a massive, thin-bubbled, tan head. Retention and lacing are both fantastic.

S - Sweet cocoa powder with a thin amount of coffee behind it.

T - Mild Roasted coffee paired with a fair amount of chocolate. Little bit of caramel and molasses to speak to of. Finishes with a roasted dryness infused with dark chocolate. I like it.

M - A rather thin medium body that has a creaminess to it. Touch of bitterness on the finish I could go without.

O - This is the best brew I have had from Highland. I found one offering at $7.99 for a sixer. That is a mind boggling great deal.

Serving type: bottle

12-27-2012 04:10:59 | More by mscudder

macrosmatic

Florida

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

Reviewed from notes. Poured from 12 oz. bottle into a TBBC pint glass.

A: Very dark brown, somewhat opaque, with a one-finger medium tan head and good visible carbonation.

S: Coffee (shocker here), and some sweet malt aroma. Maybe a bit of dark spices. Really, not a particularly big beer on the nose.

T: Bigger coffee flavor than the aroma would imply, with some notes of chocolate. Finishes with just a hint of metallic, but this is subtle and not terribly off-putting. Less sweet overall than most coffee porters but this isn't an unwelcome deviation.

M: Medium body for a coffee porter. Good carbonation sensation, minimal alcohol presence.

O: This was a good beer, but nothing outstanding in a sea of coffee porters. Still, one that I would gladly have again if available at a restaurant or bar, and I was in the mood for a coffee porter.

Serving type: bottle

12-17-2012 00:48:25 | More by macrosmatic

MuddyFeet

North Carolina

4/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

May have just found my go to cold weather porter (locally brewed). Dark brown color that light can barely pierce. Mocha head. Bittersweet nose that comes out nicely as it warms. Dark chocolate tones in the flavor with bitter coffe flavors. Bittersweet malts. Medium body. This wod be excellent if aged in a bourbon barrel.

Serving type: bottle

12-11-2012 01:48:33 | More by MuddyFeet

birchstick

Missouri

4.2/5  rDev +7.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - pours an opaque black color with a chocolaty head that disappears rather quickly

S - nose consists of heaps and heaps of roasted, nutty coffee with dark chocolates also in the mix

T - opens up with bitter, chocolaty, burnt coffee notes. From there, these flavors separate and take turns being the dominant flavor on the palate. Kind of crazy how the flavors begin together, separate, and then come back together before ultimately giving way to roasted coffee.

M - mouthfeel is full and complements the beer well

D - overall, this is a really nice coffee porter. To me, this is one of the better ones out there, especially at the price point and availability (if you live in the distribution area). If you like coffee and like stouts, this is a perfect marriage of the two beverages.

Serving type: bottle

12-07-2012 01:15:13 | More by birchstick

KickbacksSteve

Florida

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

On tap at Kickbacks in Jax. Poured into a snifter. Nice tan head, moderate retention on a dark ruby, almost black body. Nice lacing leaving behind clear film. Aroma of roasted malt and coffee with a mild sweetness (like coffee cake) in there somewhere. Taste includes a nice roast, mild sweetness with coffee in the aftertaste. Very easy to drink, quite sessionable and tasty.

Serving type: on-tap

11-28-2012 04:02:25 | More by KickbacksSteve

scvance

South Carolina

4.38/5  rDev +12%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a bottle into a pint glass.

Pours a pitch black color and leaves a thin, very creamy, tan layer of head. Excellent retention and lacing all the way to the end. Smells very roasted, chocolate and coffee, with a slight earthiness. Taste is amazing, dark full roasted coffee notes right away that fades to a bittersweet chocolate flavor. The mouthfeel is wonderfully creamy and smooth. Medium carbonation and full bodied. Overall this beer is excellent, it was hard finding anything wrong with it. One of the best coffee porters I've tried. The taste and feel really just put it over the top. Excellent.

Serving type: bottle

11-28-2012 03:17:33 | More by scvance

alpinebryant

Connecticut

3.1/5  rDev -20.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

A: Pours a medium brown with a nice frothy tan head of small and midsized bubbles.

S: Aroma of burnt coffee, toasted malts and brown ashy mocha. Slight hints of chocolate also peek through.

T: The flavor is mostly roasted malt, some bakers chocolate and some bittering hops. Some slightly vegetal flavors also mixing with the acridness of the coffee flavors. The finish is rather flat..

M: Mouthfeel is light for a porter with a mild carbonation. It is however very smooth for a coffee porter, and not as bitter as some others which make them less appealing to me.

O: Overall this isnt bad. I probably wouldnt seek it out but it is relatively drinkable for what it is worth.

Serving type: bottle

11-21-2012 20:18:02 | More by alpinebryant

PorterLambic

Florida

3.48/5  rDev -11%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Somewhat aggressively poured into a standard pint glass. A seriously big, fluffy head of dark tan develops over the opaque and deeply brown liquid. Retention is good after it setlles to a very thick film. Good lacing.
Smell is burnt malt, wet cardboard and coffee grounds. All balanced but....
Taste is toasted, no burnt, malts, coffee, cardboard and not much else.
Medium bodied, medium effervescence. Drying somewhat. Aftertaste is slightly ashy from the burnt malt. A good beer but not a great one.

Serving type: bottle

11-15-2012 03:03:20 | More by PorterLambic

jucifer1818

Florida

4.7/5  rDev +20.2%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Had this one at brewfest, and it was also the first one I had.

an what a beer to start with! this is by far the best coffee beer I've ever had.

You can actually taste the coffee, and it feels like a cup of cold black coffee, which if that's what you want....this is the perfect brew for you

Its body Still felt a little too light for my taste, but its strong coffee flavors really make up for this.
my only retreat was not having a scoop of vanilla ice cream to add to it!

Serving type: on-tap

11-04-2012 17:33:08 | More by jucifer1818

RochefortChris

South Carolina

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

Poured into a dimpled mug and almost completely black. Excellent coffee aroma and full mouthfeel. Along with coffee hints of dark chocolate and taffy which make for a nice balance of flavor. I actually expected more out of this as I enjoy Highland's beers. Nothing great but overall a very nice beer.

Serving type: bottle

10-28-2012 23:43:25 | More by RochefortChris

jtd1969

North Carolina

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

A - Very dark brown, almost black with light tannish head, good lacing

S - coffee, lots of it

T - coffee with a slight sweet/sour taste, light hop tingle finishes much like ground coffee.

M - smooth, creamy, coffeey, with good hops, medium body and medium carbonation

O - Very good local coffee porter. I like it. There are other coffee porters I like as much or better, but this is a good drinkable coffee porter. I buy a six pack or two at least every season.

Serving type: bottle

10-06-2012 04:43:47 | More by jtd1969

oline73

Maryland

3.68/5  rDev -5.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Poured from the bottle into a Chimay goblet.

Appearance: The beer pours an almost opaque dark brown with some red at the edges where the light hits. There is a layer of off white head with a ring around the edge of the pour.

Smell: This one smells like a nut brown with some coffee undertones. There is a slightly sweet nutty malt note here. The coffee isn't particularly strong.

Taste: The coffee is more prevalent here than it was in the smell. I'm getting roasted malt along with dark fruit and dark chocolate. The finish is roasty and slightly bitter.

Mouthfeel: Medium beer with large bubbles and a dry finish.

Overall: This is a solid enough coffee beer. Nothing too special, but not bad either.

Serving type: bottle

08-01-2012 03:01:24 | More by oline73