Highland Thunderstruck Coffee Porter - Highland Brewing

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

DavoleBomb

Ohio

3.53/5  rDev -9.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured into a pint glass. Big thanks to SteveFinny for this.

4.0 A: Black color. Two fingers of light brown, creamy/frothy head. Retention is good overall and very good given the coffee involved. A short ring of lacing is left.

3.5 S: Smell of coffee dominates, though I will admit that it's reminiscent of stale coffee. Plenty of roast, moderate sweetness, and hints of molasses. Still, decent.

3.5 T: Coffee rules the taste as well. Solid malty base. Chocolate shows up for the first time along with the molasses. Good.

3.5 M: Medium body. Good moderate carbonation. Reasonably creamy and smooth.

3.5 D: Solid throughout.

Serving type: bottle

07-27-2012 18:35:01 | More by DavoleBomb

ChainGangGuy

Georgia

3.98/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

12 ounce bottle - $1.69 at Charlie's Beer and Wine in Marietta, Georgia.

Appearance: Pours what appears to be an essentially black body with a full, thick finger of medium-tan-hued foam.

Smell: Roasty, coffee-accented nose with a touch of bitter chocolate and increasingly fainter, lighter notes of caramel, pale malts, spicy hops, and fruit.

Taste: Roasty coffee and bitterish chocolate mingled with the base pale malts. Some thin traces of caramel, maybe even a fat drop of molasses in there as well. Very low fruitiness. Modestly spicy hops aided a bit by the roast, the carbonation, and wheat. Roasty finish with some of that dark chocolate lingering into the aftertaste.

Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied. Medium carbonation, though there's an added skosh of crispness on the tail end of the swallow.

Overall: A solid, enjoyable coffee-infused porter.

Serving type: bottle

07-14-2012 14:46:54 | More by ChainGangGuy

buschbeer

Ohio

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

12oz bottle
Served in a perfect pint glass

A - It is dark brown/black with ruby highlights. It had a couple inches of mocha head.

S - I get some fresh coffee and roasted malt.

T - At first I get some roasted and burnt malt. As it warmed the coffee came though loud and clear.

M - Full

O - At first I wasn't thinking this was going to be a good beer. After it warmed and the coffee came through it is quite enjoyable.

Serving type: bottle

06-14-2012 01:00:05 | More by buschbeer

Kegatron

Pennsylvania

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

22 oz bottle into a pint glass.

Pours a VERY dark clear ruby/near brown, with 2 fingers of rich light mocha head. This retains with a ½ finger or so of froth which leaves back a foamy cascade of sticky lacing. The aroma has a ripe smoky twang to it from a mix of cocoa, toffee, green citrus and coffee. The hops in particular give a nice fresh leafy pop in the nose.

The coffee flavor is there in the taste but isn’t overpowering, as sweet notes of chocolate and caramel kicks in next, which in turn give way to bitter green citrus along the rear. Roast and hops finish this dry and bitter with some lingering acrid smokiness on the tail end. The mouthfeel is medium bodied with a mellow creamy prickle to the carbonation. This movies rather nicely, with just enough crispness to it from those hops.

This was a pretty decent take on a Coffee Porter, with a good balance and flow to the flavors and an easy enough body to keep this on the drinkable side on things. I’d like to see them put this in 12 oz bottles at some point.

Serving type: bottle

06-07-2012 17:09:04 | More by Kegatron

HardTarget

Texas

3.8/5  rDev -2.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

Appearance: Black glass glows lightly brown with back light. Holds a respectable dark tan cover that laces with tides.

Smell: Malty chocolate coffee. Definite dusty, earthy porter hop as well, but the malt and coffee are firm, forward, and lasting.

Taste: Almost chalky character, partly from the dark roasted grain, partly from the balanced bitter, partly from the bone dry finish. Enjoyable flavors balance each other leaving a complete, round profile.

Mouthfeel: Again, the dryness gives that milk of magnesia chalky character, think the low carbonation and heavy body play into that as well.

Overall: Beer punches above it's weight. Loads of flavor, heavy body, under 6% abv. A head scratcher, but an enjoyable glass.

Cheers to Illudium for the sample!

Serving type: bottle

04-25-2012 02:45:19 | More by HardTarget

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

beer2day

North Carolina

3.5/5  rDev -10.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Very dark brown pour with 1+ fingers of medium khaki head. No retention and light sheeting of lace around the glass.

Nose is medium to dark coffee with a hint of roasted chocolate malt. Combines to give a decently rich aroma.

Taste is a little bit of a downer. Coffee becomes stale. Earthy, dirty, unfinished flavor. Very little chocolate balance.

Feel is about right, maybe a bit on the heavy side.

Overall, a good effort from Highlands. Just missed my mark.

Serving type: bottle

04-20-2012 02:17:00 | More by beer2day

MacQ32

South Carolina

3.6/5  rDev -7.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5

A - Ok so I wasnt really paying attention while I poured an although there is nearly no head to speak of I may have poured a little too gently into my sweetwater globe glass. Pours a near black with a very thin lacing, almost no retention, lacing is fair.

S- Definitely very roasty, coffee and roasted malts w/ some spice. Mild hop character, kinda of smokey, maybe some vanilla too

T - Pretty good, very coffee forward, a little smokey, vanilla is there as well. A nice very mild hop biterness. Roasty + Hop bitterness meet nicely.

M - Very light, too light for my liking. Appropriate carbonation. Some lactose/unfermentables would compliment this very well but take away from the roastyness at the same time.

O - Taste is good, smell is good, pour is ok, mouth feel is much too weak. Overall decent, if I wanted to drink 10 porters I'd probably go to this but I like mine more rich and robust

Serving type: bottle

04-15-2012 22:08:17 | More by MacQ32

cwoods

4.83/5  rDev +23.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Maybee Im biased since Im from NC but, I cannot help but LOVE this brew. Beer has a great poor with a nice frothey head. The smell is pleasant and leads you into coffe porter bliss. Its everything I desire in coffe porter and is one of my top 5 beers. Not a thing I would change about this beer, just wish it was availabe year round.

Serving type: bottle

04-12-2012 23:39:49 | More by cwoods

Apellonious

North Carolina

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

A - pours a dark, brownish black, no head

S - roasted coffee beans

T - coffee, slight smoke, vanilla, malts. Smoky lingering finish.

M - good mouthfeel, decent smoothness, some sharpness on the front of the tongue. Carbonation medium low.

O - Cant vote for this over their oatmeal porter, but it is a solid porter, especially if you are into coffee flavors.

Serving type: bottle

04-05-2012 01:40:25 | More by Apellonious

shand

Florida

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

Poured from a 12oz bottle into a Sam Adams perfect pint.

I've been impressed with the Highland brews I've had recently, hoping this one keeps the trend. It looks the part, pouring a pretty solid black with a small head. The aroma is very roasty, with roasted malts, coffee, and a little bit of a chalky smell. The taste is also good, offering a solid amount of coffee flavor over the roasted malt base of the porter. There's really not much else to report taste-wise, but it's done very well. The mouthfeel is medium-bodied with just a touch of prickliness, and the drinkability is good. Overall, it's a good coffee beer.

Serving type: bottle

03-19-2012 02:33:56 | More by shand