Kinsman Project: Black Mocha Stout
Highland Brewing

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From:
Highland Brewing
 
North Carolina, United States
Style:
American Stout
ABV:
5.6%
Score:
86
Avg:
3.8 | pDev: 8.16%
Reviews:
7
Ratings:
19
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Dec 29, 2017
Added:
Feb 14, 2016
Wants:
  0
Gots:
  5
The Kinsman Project is a post-fermentation infusion of all natural ingredients with our flagship beers to create complimentary, playful flavors in rare, small batches.

We infused our award-winning Black Mocha Stout with all natural ingredients to create a deeply rich, dark beer with notes of toasted chocolate and vanilla layered over hints of earthy smoke and spices.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by pathman:
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Rated by pathman from Ohio

4.25/5  rDev +11.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Mar 25, 2016
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 3.82 by MGoeltz from Tennessee

Dec 29, 2017
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Reviewed by farrago from New Jersey

3.54/5  rDev -6.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Even a fairly aggressive pour barely yields a full surface coating, light tan in hue, while the lacing is wispy it does manage to form long, unbroken rivulets. Pitch black liquid, a few bubbles visible near the yellow tinted surface. Very milky nose, lactose driven with vanilla bean, muted cocoa and a vague coffee roast, has a metallic edge, not much breadth nor staying power so hard to stay with it. Medium-bodied and closer to light than full, here it’s first and foremost about the peppers, very spicy and hot. Takes awhile to register the cinnamon amidst the heat but it’s there. The vanilla bean and cacao seem faded or at least not up to the task of facing off against the peppers. However, you do get a pleasing chocolaty as well as minty resonance at the end. Has a mineral water sort of base to it, fresh and vaguely stony or metallic. The carbonation holds steady and has enough scrubbing ability to relieve some heat. An admirable try but in the end not that interesting and too dominated by the chipotle peppers.
Mar 03, 2017
Photo of Dope
Reviewed by Dope from Massachusetts

3.91/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
2/3/16 bottling date

A: Pours a very dark brown, nearly black. Big, thick, thinly bubbled brown head. Fluffy head sticks around quite well, revealing significant chunks of lacing as it fades.

S: Lots of vanilla with a bit of cinnamon. Vegetal peppers but no real sign of coffee or chocolate.

T: Vanilla, chocolate and a little coffee up front. Lightly smoky and some vegetal pepper again. Heat from the chipotles and cinnamon shows up in the middle. Burn takes you into the aftertaste with a little smoke.

M: Light bodied, a bit watery. A good beat of spicy heat too.

O: Interesting brew. Peppers are probably the most prominent addition with the vegetal pepper flesh and heat both standing above the rest of the flavors. No real sign of coffee which was a bummer, but the chocolate and vanilla sweetens it up a bit. A bit too light bodied if I'm honest but it's still pretty good.
Dec 28, 2016
 
Rated: 3.66 by REVZEB from Illinois

May 16, 2016
 
Rated: 3.48 by DioS from Georgia

Apr 24, 2016
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Reviewed by FriedSlug from North Carolina

4.25/5  rDev +11.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Nice dark brown beer with a tan head that leaves decent lacing. Smell is roasted malt, cocoa, cinnamon and smokiness from the chipotle. The taste is sightly sweet, with a ton of chocolate, cinnamon and vanilla. There is a bit of smokiness and some heat. Medium mouthfeel. Great beer.
Apr 21, 2016
Photo of KRubes
Reviewed by KRubes from North Carolina

3.65/5  rDev -3.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5
A - Bomber bottled on 2/3/16. Enjoyed in a tulip glass. A dark brown, almost black pour topped off with a bubbly, spongy head that subsided into a thick blanket coating. Sticky lacing.

S - Cinnamon, roasted malt, char, pepper.

T - Chocolate, cinnamon, smoked malt, rounded out with a touch of spice. The more I get into it, the more pronounced the smokiness becomes.

M - A tad lighter and thinner than expected.

O - An enjoyable brew with an assortment of flavors. I'd prefer a thicker body, but it works. I'm a fan of Highland's new approach.
Apr 01, 2016
 
Rated: 4 by AngusOg from North Carolina

Mar 30, 2016
 
Rated: 3.92 by ryanhooks81 from Georgia

Mar 25, 2016
 
Rated: 4.16 by zachthelaxer93 from South Carolina

Mar 22, 2016
Photo of dbrauneis
Reviewed by dbrauneis from North Carolina

3.7/5  rDev -2.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
A: Pours an opaque yet still clear jet black in color with moderate amounts of active visible carbonation visible along the sides of the glass and moderate dark cola brown + crimson red highlights. The beer has a two finger tall foamy dark tan head that slowly reduces to a large patch of medium thick film covering the entire surface of the beer with a thick ring at the edges of the glass. Moderate amounts of lacing are observed.

S: Light to moderate aromas of roasted malts with a hint of cocoa. Hints of vanilla and cinnamon aromas.

T: Upfront there is a moderate flavor of roasted malts with a light to moderate flavor of cocoa and dark chocolate. Light flavors of vanilla and a light to moderate flavor of earthy smokey chipotle peppers with just a subtle hint of spiciness/heat. Light amounts of cinnamon spice towards the finish. Light to moderate amounts of roasty bitterness in the finish which does not linger for long.

M: Medium bodied with moderate amounts of carbonation. Slightly thin.

O: Enjoyable and pretty easy to drink since the chipotle peppers do not add a lot of heat (just flavor) to the beer and it is a lower ABV beer. A little thin in body for the types of flavors/aromas that are being brought out. I might get it again but would not search it out though I really like the concept.
Mar 22, 2016
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Reviewed by SaCkErZ9 from South Carolina

3.34/5  rDev -12.1%
look: 4.75 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5
This one is kind of all over the place. Pours a silky, creamy, smooth opaque color with a perfectly froths mocha colored head. This beer looks beautiful straight from the 22oz bottle.

The smell on this one is funky. Not a fan. A bit of poopy diaper and some stank feet for good measure. This may be a desirable attribute in other beers, but not for a porter. I feel like I get some cinnamon, but that could be a placebo effect.

Nice flavor. Definitely some cinnamon and maybe even some nutmeg. A slight holiday flavor to this. The underlying porter is mostly unremarkable.

A pretty good brew with some flaws. I like the heat from the chipotle peppers, which shows up extremely late, but adds some needed dimension. If they were to clean up the porter and loose the stank, this could be awesome.
Mar 17, 2016
 
Rated: 3.83 by glf60 from Virginia

Mar 16, 2016
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Reviewed by Dave1999 from North Carolina

3.79/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 4.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
Pours black with a tan coloured head.

The smell is coffee and roasted malts.

The taste is coffee, milk chocolate with some heat on the finish from the chipotle peppers and a bitterness from the cocoa nibs. Not getting much vanilla or cinnamon.

The mouthfeel is light for the style.

Overall not bad but not great. I actually think the base beer is better than this.
Mar 07, 2016
 
Rated: 3 by thedifferencemaker from Ohio

Feb 27, 2016
 
Rated: 4 by Brewsed from North Carolina

Feb 16, 2016
 
Rated: 3.83 by baklo from North Carolina

Feb 15, 2016
 
Rated: 4.05 by AlexFields from Tennessee

Feb 14, 2016
Kinsman Project: Black Mocha Stout from Highland Brewing
Beer rating: 86 out of 100 with 19 ratings