Hitachino Nest Espresso Stout

Brewed by Kiuchi Brewery
Style: Stout
Ibaraki, Japan

Serve in English pint, Shaker, Snifter

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Appearance: Oily, dark black-brown with a thick coffee-crema coloured head. Head lasts for a good amount of time, and leaves sticky lacing down the glass. Aroma: A shot of coffee straight up, followed by some dark chocolate, vanilla, and burnt caramel. Taste: The first thing that I could taste was a strong, almost creamy, bitterness that quickly dissipated into smooth burnt-caramel / brown-sugar and roasted malt. A very deep and complex palate, but without any of the usual lingering bitterness that espresso stouts often have. This is potentially the best espresso stout that I have tasted yet! Mouthfeel: Creamy and balanced, with carbonation that matches the style well. Possibly slightly thinner than an Imperial Stout should be, but only if you are thinking about it. Overall: This is probably the best espresso stout that I have tasted. Where most others leave a lingering sharpness or bitterness on the tongue, this one is very smooth and only traces of espresso remain after swallowing. Creamy and rich, like a good espresso should be, it is quite morish and is one that I will definitely repurchase and introduce to others.

A- deep brown with mahogany edges and a nice light tan head that is sustained. S- bakers chocolate, cocoa and espresso is prevalent with chalk, licorice, vegetable notes and toasted malts making a strong run. M- light palate and airy with a lot of water and virtually no carbonation. T- pretty smile. Heavy espresso and chalk, with some earth and chocolate to follow. Quick drop off in taste afterward. Mostly watery in the middle with some vegetable notes and toasted malts. Ending is once again a mild and pleasant chocolate that slowly fades. ---Rated via Beer Buddy for iPhone

Botella at "home" in Obatake mura, Yamaguchi. Black colour with a nice big creamy brown head leaving a good lacing. Pleasant aroma of roasted malt, chocolate, coffee, some dark fruit and bit vanilla. Good filling mouthfeel. Flavour is just so pleasant: lots of roasted malt with coffee and chocolate along with dark fruit and some vanilla, soft bitterness. Smooth like. I have been looking forward to taste this for some years. Not disappointed at all! Great brew!

A - Dark black-brown with a finger of frothy khaki-chocolate colored head. Fades normal. S - Roasted chocolate and caramel malts, molasses, roasted coffee, black licorice, touch of vanilla. T - Dark chocolate and caramel malts, roasted coffee, molasses, black licorice, a touch of vanilla and dark fruit. M - Medium-full bodied with moderate carbonation. Smooth with a sweet, roasted, and dry finish. D - Nice coffee stout. Good overall balance.

Aroma is bitter, roasted malt and heavy coffee. Appearance is a deep black, with a light brown half finger head. Taste is somewhat light, deep coffee and roasted malt, no hint of sweetness. Mouthfeel is watery, and a normal carbonation. Overall, I suppose this is what I should expect from a Japanese stout, but it was decent.

Aroma: Burnt / roasted coffee and malts. Appearance: Almost black, but clear. Only a light head on mine, but nice and creamy. Taste: Very strong coffee flavours, sour malt undertones, extremely accurate for a coffee influenced stout. Medium bitterness, not as strong as a regular imperial stout, but very suited to match the coffee flavours. Palate: Surprisingly smooth, carbonation and coffee tones work very well together. Aftertaste of coffee and off-milk. Overall: An extremely interesting beer, taken for its aim its a pleasure to drink. Recreates the coffee flavour very well. Suprisingly drinkable as well.

Pours a deep black with a collapsing cappucino head. Nice strong aroma of coffee dominates the nose, but some cream and spice also come through. The coffee is more restrained in the mouth but still definitely there, along with some dark caramel and a little pine, with a really pleasant chocolate aftertaste. It’s out there, but really good all the same.

Dark black with froffy head that dissipates quickly. Chocolate and coffee aromas with a hint of smoke. Initial flavours of dark chocolate malts lead into a progressive bitterness beginning with coffee working through to strong hop flavours, leaving the beer highly drinkable despite the 7.5% abv. The heavy bitterness doesn’t linger, instead returning to the mid level  bitter coffee flavour throughout the long aftertaste with a hint of the smoke detected on the aroma. Amazingly rich flavoured yet easy to drink version of a Russian imperial stout. 

Pours a very dark brown with little light allowed through and a fair tan ring around the glass. Aroma is strong espresso, cocoa, roasted malts, light vanilla, and some light dark fruity notes. Flavour is espresso, dark malts that give a good dry bitterness, a nice sweetness in there, slightly burnt, and cocoa.

Waaaaay too much coffee for me but I can see why many like this beer. One of the 4 or so good beers that Nest actually make.