John here with another beer. So for this beer I'm delving back in time. Welcome to December 2014, I'm living in Central London and I have access to a wide and varied bottle selection. Mostly due to places like Uto Beer, Brewdog, Craft Beer Co, Kings Arms and Mother Kelly's. With a huge array on offer, this bottle caught my eye for two reasons:
- It has an owl on the label.
- It's a stout.
So lets welcome my first Japanese beer to the blog: Hitachino Nest Espresso Stout.
Details
Name: Espresso Stout
Style: Stout
Brewery: Kiuchi Brewery (link)
Country: Ibaraki, Japan
Price: Long forgotten was bought and drank in the UK.
ABV: 7.5%
Commercial Fluff:
"Caramel, roasted, black and chocolate malts provide an explosion of coffee like flavors. The strong espresso character comes from the addition of espresso beans to the boil. Notes of vanilla, dark fruit , cocao and chocolate. The very unusual character of Hitachino Nest Espresso Stout stems from the fact that Kiuchi Brewery is using the recipe of a Russian Imperial Stout as base. Pitch black color, big brown head. Aromas of chocolate, roasted bitterness, black currants, dark fruits."
Own Opinion
Sight: Pours a nice almost black colour. When held to the light it has a mahogany edging. It's head is a creamy light brown head.
Aroma: Classic coffee stout aromas. So coffee, chocolate, roasted malts.
Taste: Chocolate straight off the bat. This merges with a bit of vanilla, before making way for the coffee. It's a pretty dry stout that finishes with a bitter coffee tang.
Would I buy it again? Yes. But I doubt I will find it in Ontario :(
So has any of my readers had this beer? Or maybe one of the others they produce. If you have I would love to hear from you so drop me a comment.