Hitachino Nest Espresso Stout

Brewed by Kiuchi Brewery
Style: Stout
Ibaraki, Japan

Serve in English pint

Black with a decent brown head. some lacing going on. Robust coffee and dark roasted malts on the nose, plus a little soy sauce. Has the taste of very dark roasted malts, sweet dark fruit and coffee. Bitter after taste mainly from the dark roasted malts, but also from some fresh hops as well. Very smooth and silky texture, kinda seductive really. This is a well balanced, not overly coffee flavored stout, but not one of my favorite stouts.

330ml bottle poured into a snifter. Bottle stamped E.8.12 which I’m guessing either means it was brewed in December, 2008 or it is best by August, 2012. I’m hoping for the latter. Appearance is pitch black like used motor oil with a tiny dark tan head that quickly fades to a ring around the glass. Smells quite strongly of espresso and roasted malt with a touch of caramel. Taste is sweet caramel, coffee, an roasted malt. Much like a caramel mocha. Lots of bitterness from the malt and coffee. There is an earthy quality to this, kind of woody, that is chicory-like in nature. Mouthfeel is silky and smoothe but quite full-bodied. Overall this is an excellent beer. The coffee is nicely balanced and I really like the earthy quality. One that I would like to have again.

Pours quite viscous looking, dark khaki head, dissolves to a very thin cap. But black as sin. Alcohol legs on the glass, looks great. Smell is lots of dark fruit, date and deep red berries or something to that effect. There’s some very dark chocolate. A lot of very rich and dark aromas coming through, but surprisingly no coffee to note. Right away in the taste I notice the mouthfeel is much fuller than any normal stout i’ve had. Its silky and velvety and thick, very much like an imp rather than regular stout. The sweetness is really great too, its creamy, like a rich caramel with a strong vanilla character, but there’s some rich chocolate in there too. Very little bitterness present, but the sweetness is extremely well executed. Its not cloying like a date is, though the smell is there, but its still predominately sweet. Its definitely roasty too, which helps to even that out, but once again, all things considered, I’m really not getting any espresso in the beer. Granted I just cleansed my palate with espresso beans prior to poppin this beer, but still, I do that before every beer. No alcohol burn or warmth, just a nice tinge in the flavour. later on, theres a very noticeable mocha character. like straight up mocha - chocolate and coffee. And the coffee/roasty bitterness is now more noticeable in the finish, which is a good thing, helps the complexity of the beer.

12 oz bottle, split with a friend. Pours a thick black color, nearly opaque. Foamy tan head with good lacing. Aroma was strongly coffee and malt. Flavor was coffee, roasted malt, and some chocolate. Had a very nice sour backside as well. Overall, this was an excellent beer, and I’d definitely get it again.

pours jet black, minimal head, quickly dissipating head, ringed retention, small CO2, some sticky-some runny lacing, opaque. Abundant roasted espresso beans on the nose, wow. Fresh roasted coffee 101. Smooth gentle roasted coffee up front, mellowed malts in the mids and a long 6/10 deep coffee bitter finish. Somewhat fruity. The transitions and elegant and the mouthfeel is extremely silky. Virtually no sour aftertaste. Medium complexity, high depth, long length, great carry, good body. Excellent choice for coffee lovers. Overall a solid beer but I can’t say it’s extremely complex.

pours pitch black with a nice dark beige head, some retention and lacing. roasted smokiness, figs, raisins - foreign stout feeling. espresso, bitter coffee, resin, grassiness, med long finish, medium body - oily.

Bottled. A black beer with a gorgeous beige coloured head. Subtle coffee in the nose with lactic notes. The coffee is more noticeable in the mouth where there are the typical stout veggy notes. It needs more roast. It’s reasonable but pretty unexceptional.

Dark brown with a medium brown head. Coffee and roasted tones. Malt, fruit, coffee and chocolate. Medium to full body with a nice, balanced bitter finish.