Berkshire Coffeehouse Porter

Brewed by Berkshire Brewing Co.
Style: Porter
South Deerfield, Massachusetts USA

750ml bottle thanks to thaichile...pour is brownish black, aroma is of very strong coffee, I can’t help but feel that the taste is a little thin, the coffee is certainly there and added in the perfect proportion...I don’t believe that the porter would stand very well on it’s own, would love to see them make an imperial coffee porter!

poured from a 22oz. bomber into a wide-mouthed ale glass, gifted to me for my 34th birthday back in February :-) A: Looks rather "standard" for a robust porter, 1-finger head that quickly reduces to a thin, cream-colored head that sticks with the beer throughout. S: This is a wonderful smelling ale, with very strong sweet coffee being the predominant scent. Some solid dark fruit notes work their way into the mix, as does a light floral aroma as you get into the beer. T/M: The initial flavor is sweet, and quickly moves into a delicious roasted body featuring ample notes of cocoa & baker’s chocolate, as well as raspberry. A strong coffee finish is nice & bitter, yet lingers for only a short amount of time. Zesty carbonation on the nose, beer becomes creamier as it flows over the tongue. D: I could easily drink several of these in a sitting (if they were in 12oz and not 22oz bottles, very smooth, drinkable beer.

An awkward colored head slowly dissipates, hued and rippled like the cap of a shitake mushroom. The body is a deep brown and red blend, medium dense in appearance and three quarters opaque. Aroma is doused with rich chocolate, rich coffee, rich caramel. The nose may well be powerful, but it neither showcases any inspired intricacy, nor does it seem like these tumultuous ingredients descend from a lofty pedigree to the glass that now beckons me from the table. The roast, en masse, is defined in the flavor by an unwilling compliance. Everything feels forced, but worse, now it feels watery. The palate only accelerates astringent bitterness. The mouthfeel is medium bodied with potholes of oil and water along the often travelled road to my stomach. The finish is bitter, unbalanced, moderately astringent; by this point in a sip it’s just another dark beer. Shame, too, as it started off really nicely.

They weren’t joking about the coffee in this porter. You get the aroma as soon as you open the bottle. The color is between a coca-cola brown and black with a light brown head. The flavor is of a mellow coffee, not a heavily roasted style. The mouthfeel is relatively light with a slightly bitter aftertaste. I think this would make a nice dessert beer.

Bottle acquired via a trade with Maniacal One, thanks! Bottle poured a dark brown, with slight head. Not too thick, could see almost all the way thru the glass. Smell was of coffee of course, with some alcohol undertones. The taste was again coffee and had a slight bitterness to it. I do have to say that this is one of the most balanced coffee beers I’ve ever had. It is a "coffee" porter, but it is extremely well done. I drink a lot of coffee stouts and sometimes the coffee is overbearing and takes over the drink. Not in this one. The coffee is blended very well. This is a very good porter. I just wish some stout brewers would take note of this and harmonize the coffee in their stouts with the rest of the ingredients the way Berkshire has accomplished it in this porter. Highly recommend, more than worth the effort of finding.

Very dark brown body, small, off-white head. Strong, coffee, espresso bean aroma - very dry and bitter, IMHO as a good cup of coffee should be. Not as woody or vanilla-laden as I’d like it to be to give it some sweetness to balance the bitterness, but it is forgivable. The coffee flavor is authentic. It dominates the beer. The finish is somewhat thin and watery, though.

This appears to be a staple product at taprooms around Boston, and I can’t say I blame them - it’s rather novel (for the inexperienced), and pretty approachable - dark brown with a small, off-white head - aroma of spent coffee grounds and cream - somewhat thin-bodied, and quite bitter - some sweet cream character arrives late - the coffee flavor seems stale and tobacco-like - the overall impression is like drinking a cup of sweetened coffee that has been sitting out all day - now, I love coffee, even if it’s been sitting out all day, but for most it might be a turn-off.

On tap at Track 84 in Providence. Very dark brown with great tan head. Nose knocks you out with coffee. Wonderful coffee taste that is very creamy and full-bodies. Outstanding.