Membata
Modern Times Beer

 

16 oz can from Brewer's Haven. I'm always a little leary bout coffee beers, as they often come on quite strong. Not the case here. This one has a perfect balance of coffee and chocolate bitterness. Smooth and creamy. More like a mocha latte...

 

 

Can poured into a Modern Times Beer Glass

A: Pours dark brown with a frothy tawny brown head that settles to a light layer and laces nicely.

S: Roasty, coffee, a little char, and dark chocolate, dark fruit, a touch of earthy spice, toffee sweetness, and faint vanilla.

T: Roasty, bold coffee, dark chocolate, a touch of char, vanilla, earthy, faintly nutty, a touch of peppery spice, and some toffee sweetness, with hints of dark fruit on the back end.

M: Medium body, moderate carbonation.

O: Not my favorite coffee beer from Modern Times, but still solid.

 

Nice, basic coffee stout from Modern Times. Earthy bitterness on the coffee notes, but striking a more rounded, maltier flavor profile than the standard Black House beers, with very light, subtle banana and Belgian ester notes.

 

Membata pours a jet black with a nice frothy 2-finger head and some outstanding lacing retention. The smell is black coffee with roasted malts, espresso, molasses and dark chocolate. The taste is full bodied and bold with bitter black coffee up front, dark toffees and chocolate with a charred wood flavor and burnt sugar.

Picked up a single from the Craft Beer Hop Stop Cooler on 11-7-18 for $3.25. Canned on 10-3-18; consumed on 2-18-19; cold stored since purchase.

Beer poured black with a solid off white head that has some hang time.

Nose is a nice combo of light roasted coffee to go with light chocolate malts. Wish it was stronger.

Taste is very well balanced between the chocolate malt baseline, the coffee addition, and the hopping. Clean finish, no astringency.

Mouthfeel is medium bodied and pretty smooth.

Overall a nice beer that i would be game to try again!

 

Quite a nice stout - outstanding brewery and always reliable. Pours a deep, dark rich black color with a little tan head and spotty lingering lacing. Smells great, nice rich and deep roast coffee, much more so than the fainter aromas of chocolate, malt and caramel. Tastes similarly, in addition to some nice vanilla, roasted nuttiness and dark stone fruit. Slightly thick, deep, rich mouthfeel that mildly coats the palate. Good carbonation. Very enjoyable and I liked the coffee-forward flavors (usually the chocolate is quite dominant in the foreground as well).

 

Haven’t had anything from this brewer, so this is a first impression. From the fruity looking can i thought I was getting something light or pale, but instead it poured dark and slick. I tried it completely blind and I was pleasantly surprised, this is a damn solid coffee stout, very drinkable. Heavy but not too heavy, a great crisp finish. It’s a good day to be alive, and this is a good beer.

 

 

Appearance - Pours black with cola brown edging and a light tan, half finger width head. Sub-par retention results in a thin, broken layer of suds. Not much for lacing; maybe a spot or two.

Smell - Mild coffee aroma. Some caramel and chocolate. About it.

Taste - Mild roast. Hints of chocolate and caramel. Quick flash of berry. Quick to the finish, with continuing light roast in the aftertaste.

Mouthfeel - Medium-bodied with low carbonation. Drinks easy enough, with a slightly creamy texture before a dry finish.

Overall - I don't really find anything good or bad about this beer. It's like an average stout blended with an average coffee. If it had a lasting finish it might be something. It's been a while, but I think I prefer Black House by a mile. I actually bought a 2nd can because I couldn't fathom some of the ratings vs what I'm drinking. Am I missing something here?

 

Can from ABV.

Black with a dark brown head with great retention and lacing, this looks excellent. The nose is a blend of roast and coffee with notes of cocoa and a little vanilla. A touch of dried fruit is present as well. The palate opens mildly bitter and moderately fruity with a blend of mild citrusy hop and grainy malt bitterness. This is followed by a creamy, chocolate-like coffee character, toasty, earthy and mildly bitter. Strangely, there's a mild mineral-like acidity that seems out of place, amplifying acrid notes. Medium-light in body and thin on the finish, there's a lingering roast and coffee flavor. The coffee expression is great - mildly fruity with some cocoa and a little macadamia character.

Type: 16-oz. can
Glass: Ball 16-oz. mason jar
From: 5 Star Market Liquor in La Mesa, Calif.
Price: $12.29 for a 4-pack
Purchased: Dec. 6, 2018
Consumed: Dec. 6, 2018
Reviewed as: American Stout
Misc.: Canned on Oct. 3, 2018

Was trying to finish the Modern Times calendar when I picked up this one. This would be from October, meaning I only would need Sula for December. This is from my favorite brewery in San Diego, well, maybe No. 2 behind Pure Project. Also since Modern Times kills the coffee stouts, I expected this one to be good. Description called it, “We’ll be dosing this silky, chocolaty stout with generous amounts of our house-roasted coffee, yielding a magnificent flavor-combo that celebrates our love of both beverages in the most delicious fashion imaginable.”

Poured a pitch black color with two fingers of frothy head. Could just see a few bubbles coming up along the sides of the glass. Excellent uneven foamy lacing. Very good retention. (Sight - 4.00)

Smelled black coffee, roasted malt, caramel, toffee, espresso, roasted barley, molasses, semi-char wood and dark milk chocolate. Surprisingly better out of the glass than the can. (Smell - 4.25)

A bit colder than I wanted it, but got black coffee, dark espresso, roasted malt, dark toffee, caramel, roasted barley, sticky molasses, dark milk chocolate and semi-char wood. (Taste - 4.00)

Full body. Creamy-to-sticky texture. Average carbonation. Long, roasty finish. Really nice finish. (Feel - 4.75)

Just another good offering from Modern Times. They really kill these coffee stouts. (Overall - 4.25)

4.19 | 93 | A-