2.1 AROMA 4/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 4/10 PALATE 2/5 OVERALL 8/20
Tried this when it first appeared in Tokyo and Yokohama. It is not a finished product but I do admire their pluck. It has a lot of taste but it not quite balanced, a tarry taste. i was hoping for more roasted grains and malts but this was not at all well defined.
3.3 AROMA 6/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 14/20
UPDATED: SEP 14, 2011 33,4 cl bottle @ hotel room, Hiroshima. bottled on 03/2011, BBE 02/2012
Sweet, syrupy-malty aroma with some roastiness. Some hints of chlorine. Very malty, sweet and syrup-like taste with roastiness. Feels a bit like rye pudding. Hides the abv well. An ok stout, but too malty and sweet.
3.7 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 15/20
(bottle - 330 ml) Courtesy of KyotoLefty. Dark black pour with a fluffy tan head. Aroma is very sweet and malty with some hints of roasted coffee and whiskey. Flavor is smooth and roasted at the beginning with a smooth and slightly chocolaty middle. Finishes warm and roasty with a mild and sweet malt finish. Didn’t realize the alcohol was this high.
3.8 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 14/20
Bottled at RBJG park session. Nearly black, beige creamy head. With lots of chocolate, notes of salt and plums and solid full sized body it certainly takes me by surprise. Mild, yet warming with alcohol hidden in caramel and tar. Lingering cocoa bitterness. Why aren’t all Asahi beers this good?
3.6 AROMA 6/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 15/20
From a bottle a few days past its "drink by" date.
Black with a tall tan head. Appetizing.
Sweet, fruity aroma, cherry, something sour, some metal, chocolate. Sweet-and-sour flavor with raisins, coffee, bitter chocolate, lots of burnt malt. Has a bit of a wild-yeast, sour flavor as well. Complex, but I think this bottle is showing its age. I’ll go for the draught for the re-rating. Nice stuff from this big brewer. Wish all their beers were this good.
2.5 AROMA 4/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 5/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 10/20
Muted smell of slight roasted malted milk balls. Oily mouthfeel and light/med bodies, but there is some interesting flavours here. Rummy raisin, cherry coke, chocolate covered berries, and a certain kind of Bailey’s creaminess. Considering this comes from one of Japan’s big boys, this is not a bad brew.
3.4 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 14/20
My Bottom Line:
Candied berries and roastiness align right before they leave room for a lightly bitter and softly tart finish to create even more interest. A well-done Foreign Stout from a macrobrewery? Pinch me.
Further Personal Perceptions:
-A ring of foam looks into the brown-sleeved black.
-The baccate fruitiness recalls blackberries and cherries.
-Roasted malts leave some bitterness for the end, which is somewhat marred by a lightly mineral personality.
-Caramel and chocolate team up to provide a sweet base on which the fruitiness can dally.
On tap at Popeye’s.
3.2 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 6/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 12/20
Poured deep ruby/brown with a nice tan head. Aroma is roasted malts, whiskey, caramel, and chocolate. Body is a little thin for my tastes. Deeply roasted flavor. Sweet, coffee, bitter sweet chocolate, and a bit of alcohol though the 8% is pretty well hidden. the whiskey is noticeable in the finish along with a nice bitter end. I’m impressed, and would drink this again.
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