Hitachino Nest Espresso Stout

courtesy of rollinhard. black pour with a thin dark caramel colored head. very malty chocolate and wood scent. very thick, yet smooth and a huge coffee aftertaste. i’m quite impressed.

Pours with a frothy, initially two-finger thick, chocolate cream colored head. The beer is quite black and opaque in color. The aroma has huge, dark roast, espresso aromatics to it. Noticed aromas of burnt berry notes, charcoal, dark chocolate, burnt toast and a middle that is made up of sweet, malty chocolate candy like notes. At times the aroma can be quite rich and satisfying, but at others the roast character is a bit overwhelming and tends to make this seem a bit thin, sharp and burnt.

Very thick bodied and sweet, this is much more of a meal than I was expecting. Through the middle the thick, sweet, malt flavors do a good job of balancing the roast & espresso notes. The burnt malt and espresso malt notes are found in the long finish were they slightly dry out the up front sweetness, but there is also a distinct, lingering note that tastes like burnt blueberries. The sweet notes accent a rich chocolate middle, sweet coffee cream flavors and a blackened toffee flavor. The body of this thing really is quite creamy, rich, thick and viscous; I can’t remember a beer of this strength that is as thick as this brew.

An interesting beer, while the flavor was quite sweet, it was much more in balance than the aroma was. The huge, dark malt sweetness was needed to balance out the aggressive roast grain and espresso notes. The aroma is a bit too dominated by the roast aromatics. Actually based on the aroma I was expecting the flavor to be overly burnt and acidic, quite happily this is not. The most interesting thing about this beer is that lingering, fruit flavor in the far finish that is a mix of blueberries and tropical fruit. More than likely this last is from the espresso beans.

Purchased: <a href=http://www.ratebeer.com/Places/ShowPlace.asp?PlaceID=698>Plaza Liquors, Tucson AZ

Pours a dark brownish black with a thick creamy brown head. Aroma of espresso coffee grounds, chocolate and malt. Has a decent mouthfeel with a really nice bittesweet coffee and chocolate taste. This is really good and well balanced. I was pleasantly surprised to see a beer like this coming out of Japan.

Bottle. Pours a very opaque ebony with a nice dark tan head. The aroma is a medium, roasty espresso. It’s a nice defining aroma, but not too strong. But I like bold, intense aromas. The flavour is bold in coffee and has more subtle notes of cocoa. There are also strong hints of milkiness that lends to a nice, creamy mouth-feel. Andyhite mentioned it tasted like a "frappabeer." I’d been trying to think of a good description to use and I think "frappabeer" sums up the thick texture, creaminess, and coffee flavours quite well. It’s very desert-like and quite enjoyable.

Dark rich pour with a finger thick beautiful tan head. Roasted malt and chocolate on the nose with a definite sharp bitter coffee aroma. The taste is great. Nice bitter chocolate and coffee but the bitterness blends perfectly with the malt.

Very coffeeish and coffee ground stout.Coffee grinds and some chocolate, with above average mouthfeel. Decent stout, and not reminding me of the typical American made one, which is a good change of pace.

bottle. foamy almond head, big deep space body. aromas of freshly almost burned espresso beans, dark, roasted malts. it tastes like a frappabeer. 1 point for creativeness and, in my head, originality. another few for it being a tasty beverage, and having a fresh goumet coffee finish that just coats the palate. i will retaste this mighty fine ale...and when did the japanese learn how to make quality beer that isn’t sapporo?

The aroma was strong espresso coffee with a smoky and roasty presence. The aroma contained dark chocolate and a light estery presence. Deep, dark, and mysterious! The beer poured into the chalice clear black with a low brown head which lasted very well to lace the glass. The flavor was espresso coffee with a light bit of tartness and a strong acidic dark grain presence with a light flavor of caramel.. Dark chocolate was notable as was some fruitiness and enough bittering to keep any malt in check. The finish was dry with lasting espresso coffee long into the aftertaste. The body was medium-full with a moderate level of carbonation. Dang if this wasn’t a great espresso stout! 11.2 ounce bottle.