Highland Black Mocha Stout

Brewed by Highland Brewing Company
Style: Stout
Asheville, North Carolina USA

bottle, from Raleigh Whole Foods. Ok to good aroma. Cocoa, salt, peat, bread, cardboard little banana. Dark orangy brown color, small head that faded quickly. minor lace. Bittersweet flavor. It loses the salty, peaty I was getting in the aroma. Chocolate, coffee for the most part. Little cardboard too. Medium body, smooth creamy mouthfeel, bitter dry finish. Nice, easy to drink stout. Like to find on tap somewhere to compare. Maybe what I called cardboard is what other I see call wood. Got a little bored as I was getting toward the end of it.

A half inch dark tan head is well retained, blotchy. Totally opaque very dark brown/chestnut in color. Creamy looking consistency that seems to pull what would be lacing down toward the body with each tilt of the glass. Aroma is at first roasted malt, a very nice level/concentration. Chocolate follows, semi-sweet. Then wood, some cream. All very mellow, perhaps subdued by earthy hops that don’t poke out, rather rumble around under the surface. The nose ends sharply with a sensation of brewing coffee. Everything in the flavor seems so cohesively blended. This is a far cry from what was produced in the basement at Barley’s. Coffee is a bit heavier than the chocolate in a really well rounded flavor, substantiated by more earthiness and roasted malts. Palate is creamy, thick, but not too much so. Off dry finish, surprisingly brief. Interesting woody and tannic notes left behind. Another impressive offering from this tremendous brewery.

The aroma was estery with a strong chocolate presence coupled with espresso coffee and caramel. A very nice roasty aromatic coupled with some light presence of dark fruits. The black beer was crystal clear with a ruby highlight and a fleeting tan head which did lace at the glass. The flavor was coffee and dark chocolate. Some caramel notes were present but for the most par the beer started and ended on a dry note. As the beer warmed a stronger presence of coffee emerged which was well achieved. The body was medium-full and with a moderate carbonation, was not especially creamy in mouthfeel. No alcohol was notable in this nicely done beer. 22 ounce bottle.

Pours a midnight black with almost no head. Somewhat subtle nose, light coffee and a creamy caramel smell. Taste is pretty coffe dominated although not extremely powerful. You get the dark chocolate characters towards the finish on this one. Also nice roasty malts show up as well. Pretty impressed withthis stout. Good job.

Bottle... Black ale with a mid-sized, rocky, lightly tanned head. Lots of roasted malts and chocolate notes in the nose. Lightly sweet, mocha flavor. Medium-bodied with a skim milk mouthfeel and faint carbonation. Chocolaty, coffee finish. Appropriately named. Kudos to TURDFERGUSON for floating the bottle my way!

Wonderful stuff. Tasted side by side with The Abyss (deschutes)... and I liked both equally. Chocolate, toffee, nice touch of hops, beautiful deep dark color... great beer.

Bottle. Chocolate and mocha nose, light aromatic hops. Lightly sweet. Ruby-pitch pour with a thick dense light brown head. Dry, tangy taste, lots of roast and slight bitterness and sourness. Wood and chocolate. Medium body, very dry aftertaste. Love the woody sourness, excellent effort!

Pours brown/black with just a tinge of red against light. The aroma is mostly sweet chocolate and coffee. The flavor seems almost a bit restrained, a bit of coffee and chocolate, and a mildly hoppy finish.