Kirin Stout

Brewed by Kirin Brewery Company
Style: Stout
Tokyo, Japan

Can, 230yen, from a Family Mart in a back alley in Kyoto: Dark brown color, light roasty note but a dry a fluffy sweet tail. The flavor is light with a cocoa and marshmallow sweetness and a thin roasty tail. Certainly NOT the epitome of beers as it claims to be, but it’s decent drinking vs. what’s normally in convenience stores here.

Bottle at McLoughlin’s Kyoto. Clear almost black (red glow) - offwhite head. High licorice, english licorice, burned, herbal, dry english licorice, dry nutty walnut, light vineous.

Small dark brown head. Almost completely opaque black body, dark brown at edges. Sweet perfumed licorice aroma. Sweet earthy licorice taste with mint notes. Dryish throughout. Dry minty burnt aftertaste. Quite nice. (0.334l bottle.)

Black colour with a nice head. Light aroma of malt and roastedness. Flavour of malt and hints of roastednees.

330 ml bottle. Pitch black body with a foamy head. Light smoked aroma with some fruit. Flavor is light burnt, some coffee, some chocolate and a bit of nuts. The alcohol is not to distinctive but gives the body a bit watery impression. Some hint of acid in the relatively short aftertaste. Not a bad beer at all, but somehow a bit inharmonious.

$5 bottle from Takanaya. Pours black with little head, except some medium bubble wisps around the sides. Mouth fell is a little overcarbonated and a little sour finish. A little skunk when you first pour the beer, despite the dark color and brown bottle. The sour/bitter/tannin finish covers your tongue for a long time after tasting. I don’t like being the lowest rating by a wide margin (typical=3.3), but I can’t bring myself to raising it up.

Slightly aged bottle. Lovely, shiny black with a bubbly, high, tan head. Aroma of chocolate, coffee, and a bit of soy sauce. Creamy and smooth. flavor of chocolate and cafe au lait, with a well-managed bitterness, and berries. Very smooth, creamy mouth. Well done beer. Their best by miles.

Yes, folks, the label calls this stuff the "epitome of beers". I was expecting a Guinness clone, but my first hint otherwise was the motor oil-dark pour and thick, tan head. Coffee aroma, good...unfortunately, it all sort of unravels in the flavor. Medium bodied; some cherries, coffee, and minimal caramel-chocolate make it interesting. However, a bitter, lactic note that lasted well into the finish killed it for me. I’ll probably try another bottle, just in case.