Highland Black Mocha Stout

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

Black and opaque with a lovely, frothy, khaki tan head sitting on top. Burnt brown sugar oatmeal, mocha coffee coolers and semi-sweet chocolate morsels melting over espresso beans lead to an exceedingly well executed aroma. Flavor slides in as delicatessen chocolate milk with a teaspoon of espresso mixed in for veracity. Caramel crème comes in to sweeten up the dry, sooty french press / brown sugar oatmeal concoction. Mild, roasty acidity, but we fall back in line with the mocha-cocoa milk pattern. Thinner, slicker digestif with a wholesome skim milk backbone. Slight hop sear at the tongue’s tip, with the balance being whacked by too much black patent and not enough caramel. Dry taint of steel twanging hop flavors follow bittersweet chocolate slabs all the way through the finish. It’s a stout.

Pours the standard stout black color that allows a little light through at the bottom and sides when you stare at it just right. Head is medium sized and tan. Chocolate comes through loud and clear with the aroma along with a decent amount of roasted malt. Fairly dry taste with hints of chocolate and a little smoke. Maybe a little thin but I don’t fault the beer for that. I choose to fault all those delicious Impy stouts out there for making me a little spoiled. Creamy mouthfeel. Good session stout.

Pours pitch black with a medium brown head. Very thin lacing that hangs around a little. Smells of dark chocolate and HEAVY roasted malt. Tastes of coffee and dark chocolate with thin hoppy balance. Mouthfeel is thick and slightly chewy. Very smooth strong coffee palate. This a great dessert beer. I had this in a beerbar/restaurant in Clemson, SC with some cheesecake. Wonderful combo. I will definitely try this beer again when I get the chance.

22 oz bottle. Opaque black, brown around the edges. Bubbly khaki head that dissipated quickly and left almost no lace. Roasty, malty nose with notes of molasses, chocolate, and anise. Flavor is dominated by roasty malt, more like coffee than chocolate. Roasty bitterness that clings to your palate at the end.

(12oz bottle) Large pillowy tan head atop a black body. Aroma is medium sweet, milk chocolate, coffee, some roast. Taste is same as aroma, plus light burnt. Smooth, light-medium body, some creaminess.

22 oz bottle, via ross. Pours a very dark black with some mahogany on the edges under a firm and creamy brown head. No sediment in bottle. Aroma is heavy on the milk chocolate with a hearty roasted and black patant malt base. Notes of powdery cocoa and light hops as well. Flavor is very roasty with a lighter burnt malt accent. Not much in the way of chocolate based on what I was expecting from the aroma, save for some powdery cocoa on the lightly bitter finish. Mouthfeel is on the thinner side with very soft carbonation yielding a slightly creamy texture. Overall a pretty good beer, very drinkable with good depth of flavor.

A nice sharp bite in the flavor of this Stout. Very thin mouthfeel. The mocha is present with a nice chocolately taste, and the bite comes with a little bark (taste that is). i enjoyed this brew much but am finding that the Highland Brewing Company’s two dark beers taste too similar.

Bomber, big thanks to after4ever. Nearly opaque blackish brown with a scant tan head. Aromas of bittersweet chocolate with a just bit of malt behind it. Full-ish body with moderate carbonation. The taste is sweet with chocolate, coffee, vanilla, nuts. Clean finish, very slightly sour, maybe with a hint of pepper? This beer is all about the malt - the hops make only a token appearance.