Hakusekikan Brown Ale

Brewed by Hakusekikan Beer/Stone Iwamoto Co.
Style: Brown Ale
Ena-gun, Gifu, Japan

Vintage 1999, draught at Popeyes. Pours very dark brown with a dark tan head. the aroma on this beer is outstanding. Roasted malts, dark fermented fruit, sherry, sweet, and alcohol. Very smooth, full mouth, lightly carbonated. Flavor is roasted malt, dark fruit, wine, and alcohol. The alcohol is rather well hidden but it does finish nicely warm. This was the best beer of the night. Outfrickenstanding.

My Bottom Line:
The symbiotic relationship of hazelnuts, honey, black grapes and creamy caramel showcased in this Brown Barley Wine (I made that up) knows how to boggle the senses and soothe the soul all at once.

Further Personal Perceptions:
-A ring of foam crowns the cloudy purplish brown gown.
-There is lots of sweet fruitiness, but yet it is not distinct.
-The nose is astounding on this one!
-The very low carbonation increases the drinkability factor, even though the body is quite rich.
-Chocolate winds its way through the caramel and floral honey tones.
-Please bottle this one, Niwa-san!

1999 vintage, enjoyed on tap a few times at Popeye’s.

[on tap at Ushi-Tora] Bouquet of fresh apricots and dried apricots, with more dried fruit to boot, nicely complimented with a litte aromatic alcohol. Opaque, hazy purple-brown with a bubbly ring. Chocolate-raspberry-vanilla-oak-hazlenut flavour--combine that with the dried fruity aroma and this beer is very intriguing. The most interesting and heavenly beer that I’ve had in a while! Some alcohol notes come out in the flavour too. Very low bitterness, medium body, very low carbonation, clean finish yet fruity.

Tap. Opaque dark brown, thin head with big bubbles. Rich, "awee alcohol" aroma. Strongly malt-forward. Like a barleywine remix on a brown ale. Powerful alcohol, brandylike. Lasting mouthfeel, thick, nice. Some apples, strong dark malts, chocolate, caramel. Complex.

Draught at Eni-bru. Aged 11 months. Almost black, no head to speak of. Aroma of sherry, fruits, rich malt. Very winey. Rich flavor of chocolate, toffee, sherry. Rich, aged, flavorful. Great stuff. Very winelike. More barley wine than brown ale.

Despite being somewhat stylistically challenged, it is an incredible beer. The nose is pungent and gives off a winey chocolatiness that reminds me much more of a dopplebock, than a brown ale. This is reassured by plums and raisins dancing in the background. The mouth is lightly fruity with dark fruit, plums, chocolate and good esters. The finish is strong with plums and brown sugar and tinge of alcohol (after all this is an 8% beer!). This beer has great depth and should be recognized for that.

Tap @ Popeye’s: Dark brown, vanilla color, light head and lacing. Nose of bright grape and fruit, chewy malt and candy, some clean vanilla bean notes. The flavor is hoppy, strong, sweet, decent fruit tail. Some creamy fruit in the tail. Huge but beautiful.

On tap at Popeye, Tokyo. Dark brown with limited head. Vinous fruit with plums and alcohol aroma. Dry rich chocolate and dark fruit, yet very dry. Rich and full-bodied. More like a wonderful abt / quadruppel.