King's Mocha Java Stout
King Brewing Company

King's Mocha Java StoutKing's Mocha Java Stout
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From:
King Brewing Company
 
Michigan, United States
Style:
American Stout
ABV:
Not listed
Score:
80
Avg:
3.43 | pDev: 17.2%
Reviews:
55
Ratings:
55
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Jul 07, 2009
Added:
Mar 04, 2004
Wants:
  0
Gots:
  0
No description / notes.
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Photo of Bung
Reviewed by Bung from Michigan

4.1/5  rDev +19.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
12 oz. Maybe this used to be a 9% imperial, but it is no longer. Nice black/brown pour with a small light tan head. Roast coffee and malt aromas, some light chocolate. Taste was straightforward, similar. Coffee and light chocolates. Medium body, not quite creamy mouthfeel. I thought this was a nice coffee stout.
I'm going to guess I got a bottle from the next batch, because it did not match any of the previous reviews and I certainly would have noticed.
Jul 07, 2009
Photo of shivtim
Reviewed by shivtim from Georgia

3.52/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
Pours out surprisingly viscous, with a deep brown/black color and a cola head that settles into a lacing.
Nose is nice strong toasty roasted malts and coffee syrup, with vanilla notes. Slight creaminess.
Taste is heavy on oily malts up front. Lingering coffee-tainted water flavor. Lacks sweetness, with more of an earthy vibe.
Mouthfeel is a bit light and undercarbonated.
Jan 31, 2009
Photo of DefenCorps
Reviewed by DefenCorps from Oregon

3.15/5  rDev -8.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5
12oz bottle received as an extra at DLD 08 - sarcastro, was that you? Thanks, Matt! Into my Duvel tulip

A: Black with a massive, bubbly head - fist sized! Overcarbonated for sure

S: Well-roasted coffee on the nose with some chocolate in the back. As this warms up, it takes on a mildly phenolic note

T: Tons of coffee and chocolate on this but the overcarbonation really gets in the way. The finish is bitter coffee and pretty delicious.

M: Overcarbonated (did I already say that?) Definitely foams in the mouth. This really detracts from what could be a good beer

D: Rather poor but given how nice this actually tastes, I'm going to let is sit for a few minutes and try to get rid of the CO2.
Jul 21, 2008
Photo of brewdlyhooked13
Reviewed by brewdlyhooked13 from Ohio

3.78/5  rDev +10.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 4
Appearance - nice and black on the pour. Thin mocha head doesn't stay long, leaving only a sparse cover and collar.

Aroma - coffee grounds, a bit aged but intense to the point of having a jalapeno pepperiness. Some grain weakly tries to show some light chocolate but really can't get anything going against the java. The pepper actually got stronger as it set up, but faded during the sampling.

Taste - nice chocolaty, smoky grain out of the gate. The coffee hits right after, biting and dark. On the swallow it lets up a bit and really comes into its own. Smoother, softer flavoring, the malt roastiness now complementing really well. The aftertaste is very nice, like a fresh sip of coffee, once again reminding me too late of the travails of sampling coffee beers later in the evening...

Mouthfeel - too thin, but the carbonation level is crisp, amplifying that a bit.

Drinkability - this beer grew on me and I could use a few more. Thanks to whoever that was at DLD that hooked me up with this out of his trunk, one of those on-the-spot trades. Delicious brew.
Jun 15, 2008
Photo of emerge077
Reviewed by emerge077 from Illinois

4/5  rDev +16.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Cheers to TheBlackMallard for throwing in this extra.

Pours jet black with a creamy mocha tinged head of foam. Surface has a nice egg cream sheen to it, however, the head doesn't last all that long. A tan ring remains.

Initial aroma is of recently brewed coffee grounds, still hot in the filter. Reminds me alot of Bells Java Stout, but the aroma doesn't have quite the sharpness or staying power.

Nutty with mellow coffee flavor. Lower carbonation and low acidity from the coffee. Lingering roastiness, without much bitterness. An easy drinker overall, it could use a touch more carbonation. My bottle was fresh and there was no sourness at all.
Apr 07, 2008
Photo of JDV
Reviewed by JDV from Texas

2.72/5  rDev -20.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5
Bottle courtesy of alexgash, I believe. Thanks!
Pours black with a smallish tan head that fades quickly. Smell is strong coffee, thin roasty malt and an almost cardboard-like component. Flavor is coffee up front and roasted malt, but very thin. Thin malt flavor, roastiness and body, despite the strong coffee flavor. Not great, but drinkable.
Apr 06, 2008
Photo of mully
Reviewed by mully from Minnesota

2.98/5  rDev -13.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3
Thanks to TheBlackMallard for this beer

Thin popping head disolves quickly leaving nothing behind opaque black body

Coffee and blackmalts bitterness seems to come from the coffee as well as the light hop presence
Dry - Over carbonated pretty light, not substantial
Due to the lightness this is pretty drinable, ut not an outstanding beer
Pretty good almost all coffee but not much porter
Apr 01, 2008
Photo of TheBlackMallard
Reviewed by TheBlackMallard from Minnesota

4.02/5  rDev +17.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4
I love this beer when it's good, I've had a few bottles that were bad from different places. It's great on tap at the source.

Pours black with a minimal head.

Smells exactly like cold coffee.

Tastes like coffee with a hint of cocoa, theres a sharp roasted finish.

Medium carbonation, a little on the thin side but I think it fits.

Great beer and if it's sour you have a bad bottle.
Mar 18, 2008
Photo of Deuane
Reviewed by Deuane from Pennsylvania

3.05/5  rDev -11.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2 | overall: 3
A-Black with dark brown edges. Medium dark tan head that quickly disappears.

S-Initial shot of coffee followed by a smokey sourness. Not bad but kinda odd.

T-Just above average. Some coffee flavor but weaker than I would like. An odd sour twing towards the end. Slight bit of hop bitterness in the backround.

M-This is were this beer suffers most....Thin..almost cola thin. Where is the body in a "big" stout? Does not even feel like I am drinking a coffee stout.

D-Coffee flavors support this brew to being average. Too thin to be taken seriously and what is that odd sourness? I do not mind drinking one of these but I certainly will not search it out again.
Jan 17, 2008
Photo of BuckeyeNation
Reviewed by BuckeyeNation from Iowa

2.51/5  rDev -26.8%
look: 2.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2
Simple black with no visible highlights. The dark caramel colored cap is soft and featureless, with an audible cracking noise as it disippates. That, plus the loud 'pffft' on crown cracking, does not bode well for the mouthfeel. Heads like this don't leave any lace.

I'm impressed by MJS's nose because it's exactly as advertised. The brewery uses roasted and chocolate malt, along with 'French roast coffee'. It tastes like the latter will be dominant on the palate.

As suspected, the mouthfeel is less than stellar. The beer is way too thin (especially given the 9.0% ABV) and has a fizziness that has no place in a beer of this style. Or a beer of any style for that matter. An excessive amount of time since bottling might be responsible, but with no label date, how am I to know?

The flavor is suspect as well. In fact, it's more than suspect, it's been tried and found guilty. There's an overpowering lemon juice and sour milk puckeriness that ruins whatever roasted coffee bean and chocolate deliciousness might have been present. I can't believe that I'm *only* dealing with old beer. I've had plenty of aged big stouts that tasted great.

Mocha Java Stout is my fifth KBC beer. None of them have been great, or even very good, but this is the worst of the lot. If I was guaranteed a fresh bottle, I might give it another go. Otherwise, I'd just as soon forget this whole experience.
Jan 17, 2008
Photo of orbitalr0x
Reviewed by orbitalr0x from Illinois

2.68/5  rDev -21.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5
12oz bottle pours into my glass a deep black with dark brown edges and a very fizzy half inch of dark tan head. The carbonation and fizziness here is a bit odd. Aromas start with some burnt coffee grounds and chocolate. A bit of a sour, almost lactic twang underneath.

First sip brings some dark roasted malts along with some chocolate and ground coffee flavors. The malt comes across very thin. It flows down with a bit of a sour, slightly acidic twang. Not much hops on the finish, it ends slightly astringent with stingy carbonation. Just not very good.

Mouthfeel is rather light and over carbonated. It doesn't make it very enjoyable to drink. Overall, this one just ends up being a mess and may possibly be infected. If I see a single I'll give it another go, but apart from that I'll pass.
Oct 06, 2007
Photo of russpowell
Reviewed by russpowell from Arkansas

2.54/5  rDev -25.9%
look: 2 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2
Had this late July in NC, review based on notes

Poured black with 1 finger of tan head. Zero lacing & head retention

S: Some coffee grounds

T: Coffee through & through, nothing to balance it out all. Finished dry & chalky

MF: Light-bodied with low carbonation

Almost a drainpour, Coffee stout freaks may like this. I'll pass on this, unless I'm much closer to the source. Even then, proceed with caution
Sep 12, 2007
Photo of TheManiacalOne
Reviewed by TheManiacalOne from Rhode Island

4.28/5  rDev +24.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5
Poured from a 12oz. bottle into a US tumbler pint glass.

A: The beer is a deep dark brown color with a large dense brown head that fades very slowly and leaves a very thick lace on the glass.

S: The aroma is rich and creamy with mostly roasted coffee as the name of the beer would lead you to believe. There is a touch of hops, but it's very faint.

T: The taste is very malty and full of fresh ground coffee, but doesn't overwhelm you with sweetness as many other coffee flavored beers can. A mild bitterness follows and even though there's a mild hops presence, the bitterness is mostly from the coffee flavor. The after-taste is slightly bitter.

M: Very smooth with a little crispness, medium-to-heavy body, medium-to-heavy carbonation, finish is sticky and dry.

D: Very tasty, goes down easily, a little bit filling, good representation style, this is one of those beers that I could keep on drinking, but might fill me up too quickly after only a few of them. However, you’re into the coffee flavored beers then this is a good one for you.
May 10, 2007
Photo of Bighuge
Reviewed by Bighuge from Minnesota

4.1/5  rDev +19.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4
This beer is black. A small brown head is erected with the pour. It doesn't stick around much though and the lacing is minimal. The aroma is pretty thick with coffee grounds and roasted malt tones. Solid nose. The taste if formidable. Pretty heavy with the coffee bean (French roast??) and char and chocolate and blackened malts. Kind of a dry, acrid aftertaste. A little bit of a tannic presence. But also some underlying sweetness. Pretty complex and very enjoyable. Mouthfeel is a little watery and the body a little light. That's the area that needs improvement....a boost in the "heft" factor. Otherwise, this is a very solid coffee stout.
Apr 13, 2007
Photo of atsprings
Reviewed by atsprings from North Carolina

3.52/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3
Poured a bottle and a half into a 20oz. mug. Very dark color with a decent head that diminished somewhat quickly and left spotty lacing on the glass. Aroma was rather appealing with a good blend of coffee, dark chocolate and malt. The mocha flavor was a little disappointing for the style. Not any where near the level of such others as Highland Black Mocha or Terrapin Wake-n-Bake. Mouthfeel was a little weak for a stout, not much of a punch to it. This is somewhat drinkable, but far from my first choice.
Feb 10, 2007
Photo of GbVDave
Reviewed by GbVDave from Illinois

3.22/5  rDev -6.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
Poured from a 12oz bottle into a pint glass.

A: Nice looking black body with some dark brown towards the edges. Mocha colored one finger head that quickly disappears to nothing leaving a sickly looking smear of lace.

S: Strong aroma of espresso followed by an odd fleeting scent of a dirty ashtray.

T: Espresso coffee, and roasted malt dominate with hints of dark chocolate. Tart fruit and a tiny hop bite in the bitter coffee finish.

M: Thin and chalky. Unfortunately watery.

D: Just above average. Too thin and watery with flavors too unbalanced towards the bitter side of the spectrum. I bet this stout on nitro pour would do wonders.
Feb 10, 2007
Photo of Winter
Reviewed by Winter from Wisconsin

3.58/5  rDev +4.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
Bottle label depicts Kokopelli running off with a cup of java in one hand and a beer, presumably, Mocha Java Stout, in the other. This stout pours black in color with a brown cap. Aroma consists of espresso coffee and dark chocolate. The mouthfeel is full-bodied. Assertive bitter and bold roasted coffee flavor. Not sweet at all. Hints of dark chocolate. Finish is dry and leaves you wanting to take another sip. Overall, this wasn't bad, but not my favorite coffee stout.
Jan 28, 2007
Photo of Billolick
Reviewed by Billolick from New York

3.45/5  rDev +0.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5
12 ounce bottle, w/o any freshness indication being offered. Pours pretty darn close to black with a very dark medium bubble mocha head showing excellent retention, and leaving a thick coating of sheeting. the sniff here produces a rich load of expresso and coffee grounds. Fairly thin body wise, but rich in the coffee flavors. If you like coffee this is the stout for you. Can't see ordering too many of these. Active carbonation and a bit prickly on the tongue.
Dec 23, 2006
Photo of mntlover
Reviewed by mntlover from Tennessee

3.25/5  rDev -5.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3
Pours black with some deep reds showing thru with light, a nice creamy mocha colored head that falls to a film imparting some lace.

Aroma is coffee in the forefront smelling lightly old and bitter with chocolate and smoky hints underneath. Some light hops and fruitiness, prunish, also noted.

Taste is coffee with chocolate notes, again smoky flavors show up. A light fruitiness seems to make its presence noticed thru out. Roasted malts appear but are subtle, coffee definitely dominates. Some light hop noted in the finish they mingle in with the smoke. Mouthfeel affects the taste for me making this stout seem light and watery, or maybe its all the coffee and no real roasted malt noted?

Mouthfeel is a minus on this baby might hit medium but carbonation making it seem like light almost watery like again.

Drinkability is ok the flavors aren't bad hell right on for a java stout lots of coffee flavors just sucks it has that coffee mouthfeel. Any way thanks go to Enola for this bottle.
Dec 21, 2006
Photo of alexgash
Reviewed by alexgash from Connecticut

3.47/5  rDev +1.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Used oil brown to black with a small, light brown head that doesn't stick around long. Nose is peaty and roasty, with cinder, chocolate, and smoky coffee. There's also a slight spiciness that is a little odd. Toasted, roasted bitterness up front. Slightly astringent. Turns meaty with charred fruit and licorice. Roasted coffee bitterness comes on in the spicy finish along with renewed licorice and homebrew funk. Not bad, not great. Moderate body, with an oily feel.
Dec 02, 2006
King's Mocha Java Stout from King Brewing Company
Beer rating: 80 out of 100 with 55 ratings