Coffee Break
Port Orleans Brewing Co.

 

 

 

Dull black to dark cola brown with a moderate creamy tan froth leaving droopy layers of lacing.

Dusty, bitter, roasty and even herbal, it's almost like chicory and I don't think I'm just associating that based on where I'm drinking this. The roastiness is almost smoky, but redeemed by hints of vanilla cream on the exhale after the powder dry finish, reviving the palate for another sip. As it warms I get a hint of Spanish peanut skin.

Nice ebony color, but the head vanishes in a heartbeat. The mocha nose is the best feature. Nothing special on the palate, although the coffee cuts any sweetness, a feature I like. Not worth getting again given other offerings in this category.

 

 

CAN: 12 fl oz pull-tab. Orange and white label. Canned 09/29/19.

6.5% ABV. "Stout brewed w/ local coffee." Brewed with coffee from French Truck Coffee (Central & South American coffees."

Opaque black body. Fizzy tan head. Head isn't very robust but it is full enough, not tending as weak or thin as the worst coffee stouts I've seen. Retention is decent - ~3 minutes at most. Leaves inconsistent wisps of lacing on the sides of my nonic pint as it recedes.

AROMA: Chocolate malt. Dark malt sweetness. A vague impression of cold brew with minimal concomitant coffee bitterness. Doesn't seem earthy, expressive, or rich coffee-wise, though it does evoke cold brew coffee. A hint of vanillin is present, I guess.

Aromatic intensity is average. Suggests a no-frills coffee stout with wanting coffee flavours and a mediocre base beer.

TASTE: Mild coffee with no real distinctive character aside from minimal earthiness. Chocolate specialty malt. Dark malt sweetness. That's it., really...it's a painfully simple rudimentary no-frills coffee stout that barely offers the minimum needed to tick the boxes of the style. I'm not sure why I hoped for anything more from Port Orleans....

TEXTURE: Medium-bodied. Somewhere between smooth and coarse and wet and dry, but not dialed in to where it actually elevates the beer as a whole or accentuates specific flavours. Well-carbonated.

OVERALL: A very basic coffee stout from New Orleans' worst brewery. I'm glad I just bought a single can. There's nowhere this is sold you can't also find either Parish's Reve or Founders' Breakfast Stout (or, hell, Guinness Extra Stout).

C / AVERAGE

 

A bit too bubbly. Needs more coffee.

 

Coffee Break has a thick, beige-to-tan head, lots of glass lacing, and a dark brown appearance. The aroma is of cold-press dark coffee, cocoa, cream, and dark bread crust. The flavor is similar, with low bitterness, except for the unsweetened coffee bitterness. Mouthfeel is high medium, and Coffee Break finishes on the dry side.

RJT