Flying Fish Imperial Espresso Porter

Brewed by Flying Fish Brewing Company
Style: Imperial/Strong Porter
Cherry Hill, New Jersey USA

Appears a near black with a frothy, 3 finger tan head that slowly fades into a 1/4" head of foam and chunky collar. Scattered speckles of lacing are left around the glass. Smell is of sweet cream, cocoa notes, obvious nod to espresso, mocha, brown sugar, caramel, and perhaps a touch of sourness ala balsamic vinegar. Definitely something meaty in there. There’s also a strong hop presence for some odd reason. Taste is of the aromas but it’s giving me that dry, rotted fruit, over-attenuated flavor that seems like a homebrewed coffee porter gone awry. I dunno...not digging it to much. Mouthfeel is medium bodied, sugary up front, dry i& thin in the finish, and making me wonder what the hell happened here. It’s like a porter that got all effed up from hopping and they tried to cover it up by adding espresso beans in the secondary. Rotten bananas and rye are all along the palate like road kill meat from a street vendor. The creamy espresso seems to want to save this but I can’t get the sourpuss off my face from the funky attenuation issue that I can’t seem to stomach. It’s almost like it’s too sweet and dry with a touch of weirdness before goodness slowly touches it with espresso and cream. The bad outweighs the good though, unfortunately. I drank the bottle and I didn’t dump it down the drain. For that alone, it’s at least average. Otherwise, it has a very strange factor that didn’t agree with me and left me with a strange, raw meat flavor lingering in my mouth that I didn’t enjoy.

Light mahogany hues when held against the light. Thin, whispy beige head with a roasted coffee and brown sugar nose. The alcohol rises in the nose as it warms. Bitter coffee is the predominate flavor in the back half of this beer with a long reasted espresso bean finish. The front is a quick hit of brown sugar and molasses with some chocolate and sweeter coffee. Not as unified a flavor as some coffee beers, but still a decent use of coffee in a pretty good porter.

Bottle. Nutty, slightly sweet aroma, with roast malt overtones and a touch of burn. Touch of lactose. Opaque Coke-colored pour with a creamy, rocky tanned / light brown head. Rich, milky, malty, lightly fruity (red) taste with touches of mocha and berry, big roast and brown sugar, bourbon floating around the sides, and a touch of tartness to accompany the faint chocolate. A lot more going on here that expected. Mouthfeel is medium-full and creamy, creamy as in "out of a coffee creamer." Smooth and drying toward the end and the bitterness and light roast and burnedness meld into something completely different. Lightly crisp with a strange, unfamiliar hop influence. I like this one, an unusual degree of complexity.

Bottle. [Courtesy of Storm, another great session @ Papsoe] Small beige head that mostly diminished. Spare lacework. Very dark mahogany color. Aroma of roasted malt, liquorish, hint of vanilla. Medium bodied with a soft carbonation. Balanced bitter and sweet flavor. Coffee like lingering finish. Thanks Jacob. 31-08-2007 "You’ve rated 1420 beers. 420 Sound Treat! -- Because I got... ??? 666 Sound Treat -- It’s Raining Blood!!! Check the 100 Beer Club to see your status."

Bottle: Cola in color and hue, moderate sudsy off-white head, perhaps slightly tannish, spotty lacing.   Coffeeish nose, lactose sweetness, roasty, some chocolate.   Smells pretty damn good!   Roasty, milky, some coffee bean on the tongue.   Sweetness is there, but not as much as I thought based on the nose.   Remains coffeeish from start to finish.   Its quite pleasant actually, and coming from me thats saying something.   Not brash like others, but quite flavorful and long lasting.   Nearly silky smooth, fairly big bodied.   This one is pretty enjoyable.   As it warms it does seem to lose a bit tho.   warming for sure, but not alcoholic.   Thanks to Paul and Ty for sending me a bottle!

(Bottle 35,5 cl) Courtesy of Storm. Pours a clear, reddish brown with a beige head. Sweetish, roasted malt aroma - some vanilla also. Medium body with sweetish, roasted malt, lightly burned with some cola notes and a dry, burned bitterness from the malt. 310807

Date: 02/03/2007
Mode: Bottle
Source: Tasting, Cellar Party

hazy dark brown, coffee and chocolate aroma, rich chocolate flavor, just a touch of the coffee, light bitterness in the finish, well balanced

Aroma: 6/10; Appearance: 6/10; Flavor: 7/10; Palate: 6/10; Overall: 12/20
Rating: 3.1/5.0
Drinkability: 7/10
Score: *4

Dark mahogany color. A beer based on (sweet) caramel, with a respectable body and (IMO) not much bitterness, also some roastedmalt; but lack of complexity and interest.