The color is black as the heart of an ex-girlfriend. The tiny little bubbles stick very well to the sides, and they leave a thin skin across the top. The smell is all kinds of coffee. I mean really, really coffee. I can smell it from three feet away. It's not like fresh brewed coffee, either. It smells more like coffee grounds, if that makes any sense. As I lift it up to smell it, I also get the sensation of the cold that makes it feel more like old coffee grounds.
First sip is horrendous. It is like licking a three day old coffee filter. This is the worst beer I have had in recent memory. Just the thought of taking another sip makes me almost vomit. Maybe if I was a fan of coffee this would be a different experience for me, but I can only tell you how I feel and react to the beverage, and that is wholeheartedly negative. This is an atrocious beverage that should never have been put on the market. I can't believe someone made this and thought, "Yeah, let's go with this!"
I should have seen this coming, but I am an optimistic pragmatist. I really wanted this to be a decent beer, and I never would have expected the terrible brew that is now going to get poured down the drain.
0.0/5
Highland Brewing Thunderstruck Coffee Porter
Thursday, February 20, 2014
The overtly Scottish brewer is from Asheville, North Carolina. I've had their very good Devil's Britches Ale and (before I even started this site) their Gaelic Ale. Both of those were very good beers, and I am not sure this will continue the trend, as I am not a fan of coffee. I chose this beer because I hadn't had it and also because your typical chocolate or coffee porter doesn't necessarily actually contain chocolate or coffee. The tastes are brought forward by the treatment and type of malt. In this beer, I see coffee on the label.