Hakim Stout

Brewed by Harar Beer Factory
Style: Foreign Stout
Harar, Ethiopia

Bottle->juice/water glass: Pours a dark brown (not black) body, topped by a medium tan-ish head. Medium body, syrupy mouthfeel, but an enjoyable beer nonetheless. Nothing particularly great about it, but decent overall.

Bottle at The Office in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. You know how Hollywood movies can be really hoaky and unbelievable? Like when Sylvester Stallone rips the bullet out of his abdomen, pours gunpowder in the hole, lights it on fire, and walks away fine? Well, to swallow that sort of thing, you need what’s called "suspension of disbelief." Put your skepticism on hold, and just enjoy the moment. Try that with this beer. OK, it’s not a stout. Yes, it’s a bit on the sweet side. But compare it to any beer in any developing country on earth, especially in Africa, and you will find they are almost all incredibly boring lagers. This one is at least different. Yes, you can see through it, and the head disappears quicker than my IRA did. But it has some complexity to it. It starts out with caramel and molasses, then a bit of cocoa, then a faintly bitter burnt coffee finish. I can think of no better way to celebrate the end of Ramadan. Eid mubarak!!

330 mL into pint glass. Had this at Dukem Ethiopian restaurant in DC. Pours a cloudy light brown like unfiltered apple cider with a decent tan head that sticks around for a little. Aroma is caramel malt, soy sauce, apple cider, and sake. Taste is same as above plus molasses and brown sugar and a good amount of dirty earthiness. This reminds me a lot of Hitachino Nest Beers. Not a stout whatsoever but still very good.

Had this a couple weeks ago at an Ethiopian place. Paleish pour for a stout, not quite black, filtered. Frizzly coke-style head. Milky and lactic with light, sugary molasses notes. Weak body, doesn’t seem like 6% at all. Very "tropical"/Caribbean style stout, shares little in common with its Western, UK, or Baltic relatives. Not terrible.

Sampled from a 12 oz brown bottle this beer poured a dark red-brown color with a large brown head. The aroma was sweet, tangy and fruity with noted molasses and a touch of roasty malts. The flavor was bitter, tangy and roasty with light coffee, fruit and molasses. The finish was short. Not a stout at all but pretty tasty anyway.

Had very little hopes for this brew I read all the other reviews of it, a friend mocked and ridiculed me for buying it, it wasn’t looking good from the start for this little stubby bottle from Africa. The first problem I noticed with this stout is the fact I can see light pass through it when its still in the dark brown bottle, and when I poured it in my glass it looked more like Dr. Pepper then a stout dark brown/red, it had a fairly average looking head that lasted for a couple of sips. Smell took me by surprise; it was not bad in my opinion chocolaty, earthy, and of spiced fruit. It felt very thin and watery, but I have had worse feeling stout then this. The taste had a lot of coffee in it, with bitter chocolate and high quality dirt, the after taste was of bakers’ chocolate. The only really bad thing about this beer was the fact it didn’t resemble a stout what’s so ever if I didn’t know that’s what it was I would not have guessed it by looking. I expected this beer to be swill but I think it was a stout that’s just a bit bellow average."

Wrong...all wrong. Tiny ammount of head was gone quicker than i could put this stuff out of its misery. Tried to con druken beer clones into drinking most of it - the remaining bottle will rot until there is nothing left in the fridge i’m sure. Fake sweet chocolate stink and taste with low end malts. Beer smelt exactly as it tasted. Red/brown colour and quite see through - if the bottle didnt say ’Stout’ I never wouldve known. Terrible beer but not terrible in an aching stomach way, that is, unless you had more than one. Hardly worth the 5 cents I’ll get back from the bottle depot

Hazed umber color with a moderate, tan head, Sweet arimas of grain and fruit. Bits of caramel and brown sugar as well. Interesting flavors of brown sugar and caramel. Toasted grain and some floral hops as well. A heavy amber.