Saranac Mocha Stout - Matt Brewing Company

Jason

Massachusetts

2.55/5  rDev -27.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

Presentation: 12 oz brown bottle with no freshness date.

Appearance: Nearly black in color with a big bubbled tan lace that sticks to the glass well.

Smell: Odd sweet aroma with a little malt and a vague roasted smell.

Taste & Mouth Feel: Astringent with a fake chocolate burnt malt character. Hops are little but anything. Finishes with a watery burnt flavor.

Drinkability & Notes: Why? I guess I just can’t grasp what they are trying to go for … an other miss in my book.

Serving type: bottle

02-05-2005 01:04:30 | More by Jason

marlinsfan4

Maryland

3.5/5  rDev -0.3%

04-21-2013 05:19:32 | More by marlinsfan4

cliff1066

Virginia

3.5/5  rDev -0.3%

12-11-2012 01:56:39 | More by cliff1066

generallee

New York

3.5/5  rDev -0.3%

08-29-2012 11:23:35 | More by generallee

ABokononist

New York

3.5/5  rDev -0.3%

07-16-2012 17:05:55 | More by ABokononist

TheRuss9585

Vermont

2.5/5  rDev -28.8%

03-28-2012 20:08:57 | More by TheRuss9585

jfcaa193

Connecticut

3.5/5  rDev -0.3%

02-05-2012 19:29:18 | More by jfcaa193

animal69

Louisiana

3.5/5  rDev -0.3%

01-02-2012 22:01:52 | More by animal69

claspada

New Jersey

3.75/5  rDev +6.8%

12-08-2011 14:19:32 | More by claspada

rab53

Massachusetts

4/5  rDev +14%

12-02-2011 04:17:21 | More by rab53

djrn2

New Jersey

3/5  rDev -14.5%

12-01-2011 23:20:31 | More by djrn2

tclapper

North Carolina

4/5  rDev +14%

11-17-2011 21:36:45 | More by tclapper

katan

Colorado

3.35/5  rDev -4.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

12 oz bottle

A - Pours dark black - very opaque. The head was initially large and the trademark stout mocha color. It immediately broke down into a light film. Not much carbonation apparent.

S - A smell of robust dark chocolate - very deep and smoky. Some roasted malt smell here as well. Seems very similar to some of the oatmeal stouts I've had before.

T - Starts off with some sweetness - cream flavored. Develops some balance mid-stream, although still sweet. Then boom: finishes with an assertive flat chocolate flavor. Very naturally chocolate - not that sweet stuff you would associate with candy. More earthy. After taste starts to reveal the bitterness.

M - Has a fair amount of body to it - not watery. Does have a dry texture to it. Some bite from the carbonation.

D - The ABV is more than manageable. The flavors are not so assertive that it would begin to wear. However, the flavor is somewhat one dimensional - so at times boring.

The dry chocolate flavor isn't as pleasant as I would have hoped. A solid beer.

Serving type: bottle

11-27-2008 05:27:34 | More by katan

changeup45

Florida

3.65/5  rDev +4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

I was impressed and enjoyed this one! Strong chocolate aroma, that of a desert beverage. Black color, thick tan head, and some moderate lacing. Smooth chocolate taste, slightly bitter, and a bit toasty in the finish. Didn't really get a whole lot of the coffee. This is definitely a one and done type of beer for me but was fun to try.

Serving type: bottle

08-24-2008 16:15:05 | More by changeup45

BuckeyeNation

Iowa

3/5  rDev -14.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Dark chocolate brown with a generous sliver of dusky ruby along the bottom of the pint glass. Even though the sun won't completely crest the horizon for another few minutes, the beer looks to be opaque. Up above is an attractive crown of cinnamon colored foam that is exceptional when it comes to lace deposition.

Since mocha doesn't mean coffee, but rather a combination of both chocolate and coffee, Mocha Stout smells as advertised (more or less). As far as I can determine, the brewery didn't add coffee or coffee beans, they simply relied on the natural aromas and flavors that come from roasting barley. The nose isn't powerful and it's a bit musty besides.

Due to a shortage of malt and malt sugars (typical from these guys), SMS tastes more like an Irish dry stout than a milk or sweet stout. It's also on the simple side and has a musty, almost mineral-like, flavor that I associate with Euro dark lagers.

Getting back to the whole 'mocha' thing, coffee isn't any more prominent than bittersweet chocolate. Why the brewery decided to use this name, I have no idea. Maybe because when you have what seems like several hundred beers in your lineup, good names are hard to come by.

The barley bill includes chocolate, black and roasted. The lack of much roastedness, along with a less than stout mouthfeel, tells me that Matt Brewing wasn't exactly generous with the malt. The result is a thin chocolate-coffeeness that skates across the palate and is then gone with the swallow. A modest bitter nip finishes things off.

Again, the body/mouthfeel is less than substantial. While it isn't horrible for the ABV, it could stand to be beefed up and smoothed out. There's no problem with the middle-of-road carbonation.

Saranac Mocha Stout is par for the Matt Brewing Company course. It's inexpensive beer that tastes inexpensive. With Goose Island Oatmeal Stout (and any number of others) being as close as my local grocery, I won't be bothering with this one again.

Serving type: bottle

03-26-2008 13:37:49 | More by BuckeyeNation

DavidSeanNJ

New Jersey

3.7/5  rDev +5.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

12 oz bottle- Poured into a pint glass.

A- Rich black/brown color- some tan head- decent lacing lasting midway through the brew.

S- Smell was of roasted malts, chocolates.

T- Taste was of roasted flavors, milky sweetness, and of course mocha- not much hop flavor though.

M- Mouthfeel was much lighter than expected for a stout-- no stickyness either.

D- Good stuff from Saranac. Could drink a few of these in a sitting.

Serving type: bottle

11-17-2007 18:56:36 | More by DavidSeanNJ

MuenchenerKindl

Germany

3.58/5  rDev +2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 12 oz bottle to a pint glass. The liquid is a dark brown with a small tan head that yields some lace.

The smell is milky & chocolaty sweet with an odd soapy note.

The taste is sweet and chocolaty, a bit too sweet, no alcohol and not much hops to balance.

The mouth feel works well good body and nice carbonation. A good creamy feel through out.

The drinkability is about average. Not some thing I would seek more of. MK

Serving type: bottle

07-27-2007 05:21:06 | More by MuenchenerKindl

hero27

Iowa

3.23/5  rDev -8%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

12 oz bottle.

Deep brown, nearly black. Pitted, tan head that leaves a nice layer of lacing behind it.
Chocolate comes through on the aroma..with just a bit of roasted malt wafting out.
Chocolate malt flavor, sort of coffee-ish, but overall the flavor is more sweet than bitter.
Mouthfeel is a little thin..slightly sweet finish.
The first couple sips were pretty good, but it's rather cloying and doesn't really make me yearn to grab another. I think they should add some hops to kickstart a little bitterness to help balance this out.

But overall, a pretty decent offering from Saranac.

Serving type: bottle

06-18-2007 01:14:03 | More by hero27

Redwood21

Virginia

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

ok so this beer was better than i expected.
the appearance was nice witha motor oil black color and a dark tan head
the smell is not strong, sorta has a coffee aroma...not suprising.
its an ok flavor its an ok beer. there is a roasted coffee flavormaybe some caramel there is a taste that doesnt taste the best, not sure what it is, maybe alcohol, but at 5% unlikely. not sure. its a good beer, not great

Serving type: bottle

05-01-2007 05:14:13 | More by Redwood21

billybob

Massachusetts

4.05/5  rDev +15.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

pours almost total black color with a three quarter inch tan head that fades to just cover the beer and some sticky lacing. hints chocolate and rich coffee aromas. taste of chocolate and coffee malt milkshake and sweet toffee. mouthfeel light and good carbonation for a stout. very tasty, would buy again.

Serving type: bottle

04-03-2007 14:48:07 | More by billybob

happygnome

Minnesota

3.48/5  rDev -0.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 4

a: almost black in color with about an inch of head that dissapears not too fast but fast, leaves a lot of lacing very inviting
s: roasted malts, kind of a coffee aroma, hints of chocolate very nice
t: coffee, chocolate, roasted malts, very little hops but still very nice
m: strange mouthfeel starts out medium but kind of finishes lighter

overall I really enjoyed this beer the mouthfeel was a little off, unfortunate change but overall this is a beer that i could see sessioning, very very enjoyable

Serving type: bottle

03-31-2007 18:06:57 | More by happygnome

TheManiacalOne

Rhode Island

3.45/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 12oz bottle into a US tumbler pint glass.

A: The beer is a deep dark brown color with a thin but dense tan head that fades slowly and leaves a thick lace on the glass.

S: The aroma is sweet with dark chocolate, coffee, caramel, roasted malt and a bit more hops than I had expected.

T: The taste is very smoky and very malty. There are flavors of dark chocolate and espresso along with a decent hops presence. The after-taste is dry and sweet.

M: Crisp and very smooth, medium-to-heavy body, medium carbonation, dry and sticky finish.

D: Tasty, goes down easily, a little filling, which causes this one to be more of a sipper despite only having a 5.00% ABV. Overall, it wasn’t that bad. I thought it would be worse given what I’ve come to expect from the Saranac brews.

Serving type: bottle

03-27-2007 04:48:13 | More by TheManiacalOne

woodychandler

Pennsylvania

3.2/5  rDev -8.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

This started out with a beautiful, thick medium-brown head that fell away to wisps, leaving behind some nice sticky lacing. The nose reminded me instantly of Hershey's syrup and especially when ABC mixes their Cherry Chocolate Porter with said syrup. The color was a deep, dark brown which even a spotlight could not penetrate. The mouthfeel was thick and had a real chocolaty taste on the palate. The finish had a graininess to it, especially in the back of the throat. I am not sure whether that was a negative or neutral. It would not be a selling point for me, definitely not. The extreme finish had a sour, charcoal bite. Oof. This may be a one-and-done.

Serving type: bottle

03-07-2007 18:55:12 | More by woodychandler

sethmeister

New Hampshire

3.38/5  rDev -3.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 4

12 oz into pint glass at just below room temp. This beer came in the 12 beers of winter pack.

Pours almost black with 2 fingers of fluffy tan head which begins to collapse in on itself and leaves a great deal of lace.

Faint coffee scent with hint of chocolate.

Taste is coffee, chocolate, and roasted malt sweetness. There's a very subtle cocoa aftertaste which lingers briefly. Almost no hops present.

Mouthfeel starts creamy but ends on an unfortunate watery note.

This is not a bold or impressive beer but it is a drinkable and pleasant one.

Serving type: bottle

03-06-2007 05:04:35 | More by sethmeister

EGledhill

Pennsylvania

3.85/5  rDev +9.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

poured into glass. 1-2 finger light brown head, not much carbonation. First drink was everything i was expecting. tastes of choclate with subtle coffee notes.

I got this one through the 12 beers of winter variety pack, and while i disliked one or two of them, the rest were all enjoyable but this one by far was my favorite

Serving type: bottle

02-20-2007 05:31:53 | More by EGledhill