Hitachino Nest Espresso Stout

Brewed by Kiuchi Brewery
Style: Stout
Ibaraki, Japan

black liquid with a deep brown head that lingers nicely. heavy aroma of burnt coffee extract, along with roasted malts and some caramelized sugar. flavors is well-balanced between the roast and sweetness - i wanted to check my glass for coffee grounds at the end. enjoyable beer.

Bottle. Black pour with a tan head. Aroma of light coffee, chocolate, fudge, and roasted malt. Flavors of dry chocolate, coffee, and roasted malt. Medium body, roasty with a roasty /bittersweet finish.

Bottle. Pours rather dark with a small tan head. This certainly smells like a cup of joe. Roasty coffee predominantly in the nose with a backdrop of malts. Mouthfeel seems a little thinner than I’d like, but it’s not problematic. The coffee flavor here is certainly strong, but I get residual, milky sweetness as well. No other roast seems to be imparted on my palate other than the distinct coffee flavor, which really doesn’t remind me much of espresso. I’d say Expedition stout tastes more like espresso than this does. This beer has more of a lighter roasted coffee bean feel to it, with more sharp acidity and less smoke and less caramelized qualities. I’m a little biased on beers like this since I enjoy a good cup of java so much. This is not subtle in its use of coffee, but it works pretty darn well. I could stand a stronger, smokier, ashier feel, but this is pretty good.

Great looking beer, smells fantastic as well. Coffee aroma very apparent, almost too apparent and stands out among the dark malt flavors. A bit overdone for my taste, but the coffee by 1/2 and this would be superb. Body, mouthfeel, almost everything else is nicely done.

A thick, stiff foamy head is slow to build and slow to die away. Lumpy and tan. The aroma is distinctly roasty, but it’s not obviously a coffee beer. The coffee is balanced and blends well with the rest of the beer instead of standing out and being featured. This also avoids the ashy flavors that many coffee stouts suffer from. Dry and tasty. I dig it.

Bottle, jet black with a light brown ring left around the glass. Rich dark cacao bars and coffee in the nose, very nice. Dark, rich earth, soil, espresso, dark chocolate/non-pareils, some caramel and hint of mint (or perceived mint). Moderately sweet. Full, round and creamy body with lively, fine-beaded carbonation. Very nice beer.

pours on the lighter side of black with a creamy cocoa head. aroma reminds me of still wet coffee grounds with some chocolate, wood and astringent malts. there’s definitely coffee in the flavor profile but it is kept under control (unlike most coffee beers)so the rest of the characteristics can be sensed...wood, creamy chocolate,caramel and ashiness. it’s low in sweetness which is a plus. the finish is acidic/bitter with a lingering taste of mediocre coffee. creamy mouth feel. medium to full bodied. 8/4/9/4/18=4.3

on tap at papago...$6.00!!! wow!. it’s equally good in all aspects. the aroma seems to be amped a bit and the mouth feel is insane. super rich and creamy but some how it goes down so easily. 8/4/9/4/18=4.3

Bottle. Head is initially average sized, frothy, brown, mostly lasting. Body is opaque black (flashlight tested), bottle conditioned. Aroma is moderately malty (coffee, roasted grain, husks), with a strong note of celery, light note of chalk. Flavor is moderately sweet, lightly to moderately acidic, lightly to moderately bitter. Finish is lightly sweet, lightly to moderately acidic, moderately bitter, slightly husky. Medium body, creamy texture, lively/soft carbonation, lightly alcoholic. Big aroma of cold, stale coffee grounds and celery...highly vegetal. Ok balance but a shade too tart for my tastes, and somewhat husky finish. Great appearance and mouthfeel, though. I usually like HN brews, as well as coffee stouts (though not coffee itself), but man, this was undrinkable. I actually *hope* it’s an off bottle.