Alley Kat Coffee Porter

Brewed by Alley Kat Brewing Company
Style: Porter
Edmonton, Canada

***review from Dec 28, 2007***
First thing, there is obviously a shitload of coffee in my glass...man, it’s a pretty intense brand of coffee. But the only thing this reminds me of is camping when I was young, the parents would wake up early with obvious hangovers and then they would stoke up the stove and make endless coffee. This beer smell just like the leftover still filled cold coffee filters. A good flashback memory but that’s about it. Not quite black (initially - 1/3 of a glass left shows that the beer is actually just a very dark brown) with ample redness on the bottom bit of the glass. Light brown cap that needs to be thicker, survives as a skim, minor slippery spotty lacing. Like I said, the aroma is intense but this smell doesn’t do it for me...I think I prefer a milder coffee. Memories of cigarette cannot be shaken although that smell is not part of the beer. This coffee smell sucks. Cold coffee. That’s it. Thick dusty bitter coffee flavour that comes across quite a bit softer when really warm. I’ve probably found the weak berry flavour that mmmmbeer mentioned along with the chalkiness and sourness. Really, this beer has no depth in the flavour department. Mouthfeel is a bit thin even though the coffee hammer tries to make it appear thicker. Smooth beer overall though. Near zero carbonation. I have brutal coffee mouth. Finishes with some bitterness that surprised me. OK brew and decent brew for followers of the local brew.
update on appearance: It was obvious that I had poured this poorly on my review. The other bottles all did this consistantly: poured out a very thick and tall crown with ample retention and 360 degree silty lacing.

"Brew looks extremely black and slight flicks of ruby red light come through when held up directly to the light, a thick brown cap sits on top of the beer and is leaving behind massive amounts of lacing. Wholly fawk that’s a crap load of coffee in the aroma it smells as if you where snorting lines of ground coffee instead of cocaine, this could be set in front of me and if I was told it was coffee I would believe them based on smell alone. This has an extreme coffee flavor the most I’ve ever tasted in any coffee beer this almost all you taste, this taste stronger then coffee I actually brew for myself in the morning. When warmer I believe a very burnt tasting malt comes out and is awesomely bitter this is somewhat offset by a sweetness that has a berry like quality. Flavor is slightly chalky a mildly sour, feel is full and fizzy after taste is bitter. This surprisingly drinkable Alley Kat might have actually pulled one off here, its way better the Mill Street coffee porter. Tasty, drinkable but very one dimensional and probly would have got better marks if it didn’t only taste like coffee."

My Bottom Line:
Coffee beans burst onto the bready caramel maltiness leading to a finishing roastiness, laced by a fruity tinge reminiscent of blackberry jam. This is an efficient, easily drinkable coffee-infused Porter.

Further Personal Perceptions:
-A slim veil of foam recedes to a ring atop the clear dark brown.
-Flavors are harmonious, which is always pleasant.
-There were no vegetal notes in my bottle.
-The body is slick and presents an appreciable level of residual sugars.
-Some chocolate passes by and joins in the fun.
-Carbonation is rather active yet not aggressive on the tongue.

Bottle; thx Mike!

Similar to drinking cold, carbonated decaf coffee which despite how it sounds is surprisingly not bad. It has a definite coffee after taste .This beer is good to try if you like experimenting with your choices of beer. I would not buy this beer for myself, but if someone bought it for me I would drink it. Its more of a beer flavored coffee than a coffee flavored beer.

Hitchiker from BigBrye. Fairly marginal coffee porter. The aroma was definately there, it was coffee. The carbonation was fizzy. It was brown with absolute minimal head. Thin mouthfeel, some coffee taste, ending in sweetness. Not finishable.

So I’ve had at least a six pack of this over the past month or so to make sure I have a true feel for this beer. It pours a dark clear brown with a small bubbly head that fades quickly. Aroma is stale coffee-- I know this sounds derogatory, but I don’t intend it to be. If you leave black coffee in your cup on the counter until it gets cold, this is what it smells like (in contrast to the Mill Street coffee porter that smells like you’ve stuck your nose into a bag of dark roast beans-- a BIG difference). Reedy coffee flavour with a disappointingly thin malt backbone. Thin mouthfeel. I’ll say it again-- I love this local brewer, but this one just missed the mark on one of my favourite styles for the winter season. Not altogether bad, but my expectations were not met.

Bottle courtesy of presario
Dark brown with no head. Low carbonation. Very vegetal coffee nose. Beany taste with slight roast. Thin malts try but fail to back it up. Timmy Ho’s.

coffee, roasty aroma. Jet black, low carbonation, thin head. Strong coffee and chocolate, but not as bitter as i thought it would be. Malt is a little thin, but still an enjoyable pint.