Flying Fish Imperial Espresso Porter
This robust dark brew has been created in conjunction with Crescent Moon to coffee to come up with a special five bean blend to bring out the depth of the beer. Originally produced to celebrate our 10th anniversary, this has now become our late-winter seasonal. Note the aromas of toffee, licorice and coffee roastiness. Then take a sip–there’s a malty richness on the palate followed by chocolate, coffee, spices and perhaps even some licorice character from the Mount Rainier hops. The beer finishes with a subtle black cherry/berry character from rare Ethiopian Sidamo beans. Oh yeah, it also packs a royal kick at 8% alcohol.
Coffee: Blend of five Estate coffees locally roasted
Malts: Two Row Pale, Munich, Chocolate, Medium Crystal and Cara Malts.
Hops: Magnum and Mount Rainier
Yeast: English Ale
Original Gravity: 18 Plato
Coffee: Blend of five Estate coffees locally roasted
Malts: Two Row Pale, Munich, Chocolate, Medium Crystal and Cara Malts.
Hops: Magnum and Mount Rainier
Yeast: English Ale
Original Gravity: 18 Plato
3.6
217 reviews
Somerdale, United States
Community reviews
Tap. Only thing for a long time i liked at a nearby bar, great flavor which gets better as it warms to its correct serving temperature. Best flying fish offering i have had yet.
Appearance: Pours a dark brown body with a wispy, lightly frothed, off-white head.
Smell: Sweetish, fruity nose smelling of chocolate, roasted barley, espresso, candied raisins, dark brown sugar, and a small snifter of Harveys Bristol Cream Sherry.
Taste: Toasted, chocolaty dark maltiness with some definite sweetish qualities. Enter in a good shot of espresso, but the taste fades all too soon. There are some strong raisiny, and distinct sherry-like notes to the beer, which makes me question the age of this beer, but, as is often the case, there is no born on/expiration dating whatsoever on the bottle. Light earthy bitterness, just enough to show some hops were in use. Tastes of brown sugar and raisins precede the finishes that adds a revisit of coffee and chocolate, but mainly still tatses of brown sugar and raisins.
Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied. Medium carbonation.
Drinkability: Sweet and easy-drinking, and, perhaps, showing some oxidation as a ramped up fruitiness, but, it’s still plenty drinkable. On the other hand, it doesn’t really live up to the implied "imperial" promise and feels pretty light, overall.
This is probably my favorite NJ beer. However, this year they changed up the recipe a bit and I feel the body is a bit thinner in taste and feel. Still a great beer!
nice and dark with a head that starts to strong then meanders on down. smell is coffee and sugar and caramel, and cream. roasty notes hit first. strong marshmallow and light burnt finish. nice mild coffee flavorbut the roast bitterness really comes in strong. is this lactic? cause i taste the milk like product. cocoa flavors are there in the background and come to the forfront later in this. the main coffee flavors are very good here, a good beer to have after putting up with some uber slackers and then realizing the depths of my own personal failure due to a mediocre fucking masters english student. there isn’t enough beer in the world right now, luckily i have other connections. damn good coffee notes come out as this warms. that me;lted caramel and toffee note really starts to both make me happy and want more while getting a touch clloying and overwhelming.
From a bottlepoured black with a fair amount of head. Flavor, aroma, and lasting finish of black coffee
12 ounce bottle courtesy of Alraomon. Thanks! Pours a dark ruby tinted brown color with a thin head. Fair head retention and lacing. Aroma is very bitter and lightly sweet espresso with light chocolate notes. Taste is chocolate, bitter coffee and a light fruity finish. Medium-full bodied with strong carbonation.
Chocolate, sweet syrup and yes, burnt coffee mixes with brown sugar to form quite a punch... fierce blackness with a creamy brown head; a slant of light appears only when held to a lamp... medium- to heavy-bodied, with initial heat on the throat and a soft buzz to the teeth (8.2% ABV) that blunts as the glass drains... robust, full-on coffee and chocolate flavor... softer secondary hints of liccorice and caramel add a nice, complex finish... a bit slick and oily in spots, this Fish maintains its intent--a porter that doubles as a warmer coffee features... mellow enough to enjoy straight-up, weighty enough ti warm and move with just one bottle...a tenth anniversary celebration indeed....
Bottle. Pours dark, has a nice brown head. Aroma is coffee and a bit roasted. Taste has a nice hint of coffee with a chocolate taste as well.
Thanks to Kevin for this one. Dark brown pour with a thick beige head and minimal lace. Fresh roasted coffee beans on the nose. Creamy mouth-feel. Chocolate, alcohol, roasted malts, and coffee.
Big thanks to daknole. Dark brown, thick beige head. Roasted, cherry, oat aromas. The dark fruits from the roast malt combine wonderfully with the oily coffee here. I like coffee beer but this is really a good one. Full bodied, smooth palate. Yum.
12 oz bottle. Deep dark brown beer with a creamy tan head. Aroma is lighlty coffeeish with a fairly herbal component as well. There is a touch of light cola character to the malts. Lightly sweet with a rich coffee flavour as well as a nice rich dark maltiness. The body is quite light, but it doesn’t really come across as watery. Mocha flavoured finish. It’s a pretty solid brew.
Tap and bottle. Sweet and roasty. Pretty good FF offering. Smooth and a liitle bittering.
12oz bottle from larry.....pours just slightly darker than cola with a thin wispy off-white head....aroma of cocoa and roasted malt. thought that the coffee would be a little more assertive though..... chocolate and roasted malt mostly in the flavor. light smoke in the finish with a lingering sweetness. soft carbonation and decent mouthfeel.
Draft. Pours near black with a creamy beige head. Roasted malt aroma with creamy espresso coffee. The flavor has roasted malts, coffee, cream, and a light espresso sweetness. Nice.
Bottle, sent as an extra in trade with Jabic. Thanks! Black center with clear, dark brown edges. Initial dark tan head that fades to a light ring. Soft carbonation releases lots of smoke, charred wood and caramelized sugars. Some plum and vanilla extract mixed in with the coffee notes. Easy-drinking flavor of smoke and dry cocoa powder with burnt sugar and coffee. Ends pretty dry for the style, with no lingering flavors. Alcohol is hardly noticeable.
Pours a very deep brown, not quite black with a medium sized tan head that faded rapidly. Aroma was of spicy black coffee with some roasted malt and dark chocolate as well. Flavor was delicious dark coffee beans, though it was a little thin and bubbly. A wonderful after dinner beer! I strongly recommend enjoying this with a chocolatey dessert.
Pours dark red/brown with a thick, tan, quickly dissipating head. Nose is heavy, heavy roasted coffee. Flavor is mostly coffee with a slight chocolate note. Basically tastes like iced coffee or Kahlua on the rocks. Pretty thin mouthfeel, but a very clean finish.
color is a burnt caramel color with a thin mocha colored head. very nice aroma is dominated by coffee and light grassy hops. tastes of lightly roasted coffee but is a bit chalky and leaves me wanting something more out of it. the mouthfeel is a bit watery and the finish is a bit boring and lacks something...maybe more coffee or roastiness.
Amber brown in color. Aroma is of maple, malt and chocolate. Taste is of cocoa, chocolate, caramel, tea, and toffee.
Thanks to Blankboy. Appearance: Brown/Orange with a small head. Aroma: Espresso (yup) pine and alcohol. Flavour: Smooth chocolate, coffee, alcohol well hidden. Nice licorice taste in the finish too.
Pours with a dark brown to black body topped by a thin to medium thick head with a good amount of lacing. It is sweet and malty with a note of coffee and cream as well as a slight touch of vanilla. Medium bodied and smooth.
12-oz. Thanks, Riverside! Pours a medium brown with garnet highlights. Loose tan head. Big chocolate, coffee, and plum nose. Creamy medium body. Chocolate, cherry, nectarine mid-palate. Mild coffee finish. This one may have thinned out a bit with time in the bottle. Quite possibly it was a bit more dimensional when it was fresh, and maybe even a little amazing.
Dark mahogany Color with a bit of garnet when held to the light. Diminished creamy tan head that is just a thin lid after typing this. Quite sweet in scent. Aromas of brown sugar, lightly roasted to toasted malt, some german chocolate and mild vanilla. Quite sweet, with dark corn syrup, and lightly roasted malt. Some mild cocoa and some dark cherry flavors drift in and out. FInish is somewhat sugary and the linger is has just enough roast to dry it out. Not much in the espresso department. I actually forgot that this had it in the name. For me this was a too sweet and sticky.
My bottle (12oz) shared with HogTownHarry & garthicus -- courtesy of Thaichile. Pours a murky amber-brown with an average size diminishing tan head. Aroma of roasted malt, caramel, grassy hops, lightly burnt brown sugar, alcohol and coffee, of course. Flavour of roasted malt, coffee, milk chocolate, hops, caramel, some sweetness and a roasty bitter finish. Alcohol’s there but not too much. Medium bodied. Creamy mouthfeel. Pretty good stuff, I quite liked it.
Bottle. Pours a dark brown body with a lighter brown head. Roasty coffee bitterness light espresso with sweet mineral chocolate and coffee. Nice etoh warming. decent beer.
Bottle to snifter. Deep brown with reddish edges. Brown sugar and vanilla nose. A little chocolate, lots of caramel and brown sugar sweetness. Little coffee or roasted flavors and nothing approaching espresso. Raisin, sweet malt in the finish. Medium mouthfeel. It’s like a big, really dark brown ale in some ways. Underwhelming for what it’s been deemed by its makers.
Bottle: Poured a dark brown with a creamy tan head. The aroma was sweet malt, dark chocolate and toasted coffee. The flavor was smooth. Reminded me of coffee with cream. Had some chocolate, roasted malts, and coffee flavors. An excellent porter from these guys!
Bottle thanks to Thaichile. Pours a dark brown with a small beige head. The aroma reminds me of very sweet German malts and some toasted notes. Very different than I expected. The flavor is also very complex; super sweet flavors of rich malts, some banana and nutty aspects, light coffee, a small milk coffee flavor and hops too. Very interesting flavor.Unusual and almost no notice of alcohol.
12 oz. bottle on 10/1/2008. Dark, clear mahogany body under a medium light brown head of dense foam, spotty lace. Coffee aroma is all over this, with some chocolate, vanilla, and dark fruit notes as well. Nicely balanced flavor starts off with a rich, sweet, roasted maltiness, followed by a nice soft bitterness that has some spicy and floral qualities. Medium to full body, fairly light carbonation, and a satisfying, creamy, and rich mouthfeel. A solid brew with many good qualities. Easy drinking, good flavor, a quality beer.
Bottle 12 fl oz
Appearance: Murky brown with medium light creamy head. 3+
Nose: Lighter mineral grassy front with sweet espresso on top (of brown sugar). Lighter aromas finish of sweet milk chocolate. 7-
Flavor/Palate : Richer, fuller character is shown than aroma presented. Sweet mocha with molasses , caramel and wet bitter hop. Soft bodied brew. Slightly underweight for Imperial Porter.13+