Hitachino Nest Lacto Sweet Stout

Brewed by Kiuchi Brewery
Style: Sweet Stout
Ibaraki, Japan

Sweet roasted nose, dark brown color, low tight head. Light sweet malt flavor with a tight roasted bitterness, sour-milk sour end. Medium body. Has some good moments but overall not so thrilling.

A very dark opaque brown. Small beige head. Roasty, slight coffee scent. Mild floral hops. Light roasted malts with a sweet front, lactic acid tang in the middle with a tangy follow. Not one of their top offerings. An average stout.

I would categorize this beer as a sweet stout or a milk stout. There is not a lot of roastiness to it, but there is a pleasing sweet milk sugar (lactose) flavor to it up-front. Like a number of Hitachino beers, I got some cedar notes (like being in a humidor). I thought this beer was highly drinkable for a sweet stout, even more drinkable than a number of dry stouts (like Guinness). Color was dark, but not inky black like some other stouts. Aroma was a bit like condensed milk. I would recommend this stout if you’re looking for something different the next time you’re at your local sushi bar or Japanese restaurant.

Black body with a medium beige head. Boring light beer with a watery body. Milk chocolate with some liquorice flavours quickly dissipates into nothingness. Not much to say about this one other than it doesn’t deserve to bear the same name as the proud Japanese beers that are the New Year Celebration Ale and Japanese Classic Ale. It should do the honourable thing and commit Ara-Kiri.

A dark stout with a towering light tan head, diminishing rapidly. The nose is unexciting, if not bad. A little bit of roast and chocolate as well as cardboard. A little sweet, but kind of sourish, with some carrot? Flat in the mouth, without a whole lot of body, isn’t that supposed to come along with milk stouts? Sweet, but not too sweet with light roast and decent chocolate. There’s a slightly unpleasant sharpness about this towards the end, almost like a carbonation bitterness, a la seltzer. The finish is a bit creamy with some lingering sweetness and, dare I say it, carrot in the finish. This is a strange beer. Perhaps it hasn’t traveled well?

Very dark black beer with a creamy light brown head. Sweet chocolatey aroma, milk chocolate, caramel and blackberry as well. A bit of herbal character as well (root beer) with a bit of light licorice. The flavour is almost non-existant though. Tart, coffeeish flavour. Very watery palate and low bitterness. Some astringency and a whole raft of other reasons why I don’t want to drink this.

Light sweet malt, not much aroma though. Biggest head I’ve ever seen! Hard to pour because of how fast it rises up. Black body with brown head. Medium palate. Light coffee taste with some sweet malt. Just alright in the flavor department.

Got some sweet chocolate in the aroma.Pours black with a very large tan head.Lots of sweet chocolate in the flavor.Mouthfeel is a little thin with a chocolate finish.