Mocha Machine
Beachwood Brewing

Mocha MachineMocha Machine
Beer Geek Stats | Print Shelf Talker
From:
Beachwood Brewing
 
California, United States
Style:
Imperial Porter
Ranked #23
ABV:
9.2%
Score:
96
Ranked #1,065
Avg:
4.33 | pDev: 7.16%
Reviews:
52
Ratings:
284
Status:
Active
Rated:
Oct 07, 2023
Added:
Mar 20, 2013
Wants:
  71
Gots:
  48
Mocha machine is a well-engineered endeavor in massive aromatics and rich flavors. Brewed with an array of British and German malts, this burly brew is infused with masterfully roasted coffee from Portola Coffee lab in Costa Mesa, CA. It is then aged on cacao nibs from Ecuador, adding an awesomely deep dimension of fudge.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by midlifec:
Photo of midlifec
Rated by midlifec from Michigan

4.42/5  rDev +2.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

Mar 22, 2015
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 4.46 by LunchMoney from Minnesota

Oct 07, 2023
 
Rated: 4.25 by mpenske from California

Sep 05, 2023
Photo of DefenCorps
Reviewed by DefenCorps from Oregon

4.35/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
Can from Capitol Highway Deli

What a nose! Gorgeous fresh coffee, rich, fruity, roasty with chocolate, cocoa and a really nice malt depth. Caramel, mild toast and bread. The palate opens with a blend of coffee and roast, bitter malt, roasty coffee, dried berries and a nice, bitter dark chocolate. The mid-palate has creamy, caramelized Vienna like malt notes, along with honey, roast and toast. Bitter finish with roast, lingering coffee, caramel and chocolate. Delightful.
Jan 15, 2023
Photo of NCSapiens
Reviewed by NCSapiens from Indiana

4.39/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
The coffee flavor is the richest gourmet coffee taste I’ve ever experienced in a beer. The choice of porter as the base was smart because it lets the coffee shine through. There is also some nice cocoa nib flavor that compliments the coffee. One of the better coffee beers I’ve had.
Oct 08, 2022
Photo of Viaduck
Reviewed by Viaduck from California

4.22/5  rDev -2.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
Dark, dark brown with a fairly thick tan head. Aroma is mostly coffee & milk chocolate with some toffee sweetness. Mildly sweet with flavors of coffee, milk chocolate, lactose & a hint of spicy hops. Creamy & silky smooth with adequate carbonation. No hint of alcohol. Excellent.
May 14, 2022
 
Rated: 3.58 by TMoney2591 from Illinois

Feb 21, 2022
 
Rated: 4.49 by socon67 from New York

Nov 11, 2021
 
Rated: 3.5 by BigIronH from Michigan

Oct 21, 2021
 
Rated: 3.63 by Resistance88 from California

Oct 14, 2021
Photo of LampertLand
Reviewed by LampertLand from Canada (BC)

3.98/5  rDev -8.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
Beechwood Brewing 'Mocha Machine' @ 9.2% , served from a 12 fl oz can
A-pour is cola brown from the can to black in the glass with a small tan head , leaving a fine spotty lace along the tulip
S-hints of coffee
T-more chocolate at the start , slight bitter coffee finish
MF-mild carbonation , feels full bodied
Ov-good Imperial coffee/chocolate porter
prost LampertLand
Aug 01, 2021
Photo of Roguer
Reviewed by Roguer from Connecticut

3.87/5  rDev -10.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Interestingly, this beer is clearly a dark, nutty brown, close to black but not quite there. Decent head production, good retention, and nice lacing.

Tons of coffee on the nose, really overwhelming the roasted malt base and any of the cacao. It smells quite nice, and if you're looking for a coffee-forward coffee stout, this hits the mark!

Thankfully, the coffee doesn't quite dominate the palate in the way it does the nose - although it's still strong, especially by mid sip. Cola, prune, toast, coffee, chocolate, vanilla, caramel, a bit of brown sugar.

Drinks a touch thin for the ABV.
Apr 04, 2021
 
Rated: 4.25 by Stengelfoot from California

Sep 15, 2020
Photo of RyanK252
Reviewed by RyanK252 from California

4.3/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.25
Can poured into a Founders Brewing Co snifter

A: Pours nearly black with a frothy tan head that settles to a light layer and laces nicely.

S: Roasty, bold coffee, dark chocolate, char, and a hint of smoke, earthy, spicy herbal notes, faint pine, caramel toffee sweetness, and just a touch of alcohol can poke through as it warms.

T: Roasty goodness, milk and dark chocolate followed by a nice hit of coffee, earthy, a touch of char, spicy, piney, and herbal undertones, caramel, toffee, and almost lactose like sweetness.

M: Full body, mild carbonation, creamy smooth. Damn near perfect.

O: We've seen more Beachwood stuff roll into my area in the last couple years, all delicious, so I've become a big fan of theirs. Been wanting to try this one, hoping it would show up, so when I saw a can in the beer cave at my local shop I snapped it up. Definitely lives up to expectations. There's a little more sweetness in the taste than the nose would let on, but overall it's a really nice chocolate coffee imperial porter.
Jul 22, 2020
 
Rated: 4 by TallGuyCM from California

Jun 11, 2020
 
Rated: 4.35 by RMW66 from Australia

Apr 18, 2020
Photo of BucannonXC5
Reviewed by BucannonXC5 from California

4.34/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Type: 12-oz. can
Reviewed as: Imperial Porter
Glass: Ball 16-oz. mason jar
Price: $12.39 for a 4-pack
From: Windmill Farms in Del Cerro (San Diego), Calif.
Purchased: Jan. 31, 2020
Consumed: Jan. 31, 2020
Misc.: Canned on Jan. 8, 2020

I’m pretty sure this is the first time I’ve seen this in a can (or a bottle), but went to Windmill Farms looking for a stout or porter and this fit the bill. Had this three times before, giving it a 4.25 on Untappd on Aug. 3, 2016 (“Had high hopes and this delivered. Imperial Chocolate Coffee Porter, but you can take away chocolate and porter. Delicious.”), Oct. 17, 2017 (“Jesus. Solid Air Force. Almost a 4.50.”), and March 8, 2019 (“Always so good. So close to a 4.5. Setting up a court date now.”) Here’s the court date. Beer Advocate description read, “Mocha machine is a well-engineered endeavor in massive aromatics and rich flavors. Brewed with an array of British and German malts, this burly brew is infused with masterfully roasted coffee from Portola Coffee lab in Costa Mesa, CA. It is then aged on cacao nibs from Ecuador, adding an awesomely deep dimension of fudge.”

Poured a pitch black color with one finger of khaki tan frothy-to-fizzy head. Could see some bubble streams creeping up along the sides of the glass. Outstanding spotty lacing. Outstanding retention. (Sight - 4.00)

Smelled mocha, roasted dark coffee malts, cacao, bitter dark chocolate, ashtray, semi-char wood, anise, molasses and cocoa. (Smell - 4.25)

Tasted better than the nose. First thing I thought was that it was so much smoother than the nose. In order got mocha, roasted coffee malts, cacao, ashtray, charwood, anise, molasses, bitter dark chocolate, cocoa powder, baker’s chocolate and roasted barley. Excellent taste and that 9.2 pct. is well hidden. (Taste - 4.50)

Full body. Sticky-to-slick texture. Average carbonation. Long, roasty finish. (Feel - 4.25)

Excellent. Glad I got to have this in cans and got the chance to review it. (Overall - 4.25)

4.34 | 96 | A
Apr 12, 2020
 
Rated: 4.22 by Spaceman_Jer from Colorado

Jan 25, 2020
Photo of zonker17
Reviewed by zonker17 from Texas

4.21/5  rDev -2.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Bought bottle 2017. Near black with beige head, light retention, no lacing. Big chocolate, smooth. Roast malt compliments or adds to chocolate character. Body above average, could be a bit bigger. Overall tasty ale.
Jan 25, 2020
Photo of johnnyboy76
Reviewed by johnnyboy76 from Oregon

3.77/5  rDev -12.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5
Smelled great. Taste was true to the title, but way too thin. This needs some body. Especially for an imperial. More like the body of a standard porter but more abv. Not impressed
Dec 19, 2019
Mocha Machine from Beachwood Brewing
Beer rating: 96 out of 100 with 284 ratings