Hitachino Nest Espresso Stout

(Bottle, Monk’s Café, Wallingatan, Stockholm) Pitch black colour with frothy, brown head. Roasted, malty nose with distinct notes of freshly ground, heavily roasted coffee and dark bitter chocolate. Roasted, malty taste with strong black coffee, cocoa powder, hints of dark fruit and prunes, and a dry finish with a generous coffee bitterness. Medium body with smooth, creamy mouthfeel. Dry. Maybe a bit one dimensional, but a lovely beer with and impressive coffee character.

330ml Bottle: Aroma of espresso, slight tart fruit, chocolate, cream, light roasted malts, and hints of berries and vanilla. Poured pitch black in color with a small brown head that lasted throughout. Opaque. Sparkling. Flavor is lightly sweet and light to medium bitter. Tastes of espresso, bitter chocolate, roasted malts, slight sugar, and some cream. Medium to full body. Very chalky texture. Average carbonation. Lightly bitter, chocolate coffee, and slight sugar finish is chalky and lightly dry.

Bottled at Monks Café, Wallingatan, Stockholm. Pours out in an opaque black colour with a rich bubbly beige foam. Rich and almost in your face espresso aroma with notes of dark chocolate. Medium to full-bodied with notes o cocoa, espresso and nuts. Compact yet elegant airy mouthfeel. Long aftertaste of dark coffee, almonds, brown sugar and salt.

Bottle at Monks Wallingatan, Stockholm. Pours black with a rather big and dark brown head. Smells of coffe, chocolate and sometihing burnt or smokey like a whiskey barrel aged beer. The aroma develops and changes over time as the beer gets warmer. Smoothest imperial stout Ive ever tasted! Tastes of coffe, rosted malt and some acid like in a very dark chocolate.

Bottle. Look: Black, big and thick beige head. Smell: Complex. Coffee, chocolate, someting bourbon-like (and smokey). Taste: Lots of coffee, some strange sharp flavor, (acid) dark chocolate, nutty. Lacks of real power/character. Overall: Full bodied, thick and incredible smooth. Well made and unusual stout.

From bottle at Wachi, Kyoto. Almost black with a creamy, persistent, light brown head. Strongly roasted aroma. Tastes like an over- roasted espresso, like a wake-up call, but hiding its strength nicely. Body could be fuller. Still an impressive specimen.

Pours a dark brown color, with a medium-small tan head. Aroma is coffee and roasted malts. The flavor is certainly a nice, balanced coffee flavor, that isn’t too overpowering, but serves up a nice powerful kick that any coffee and beer lover would enjoy.

Black with a half-inch tan head. Aroma of coffee and sharp, roasted malt. Flavor is much the same with a very starchy, ricey thing going on. Didn’t care for it.