Hitachino Nest Espresso Stout - Kiuchi Brewery

Gobzilla

California

3.9/5  rDev -1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: poured a dark brown in color with brown highlights and had a half finger of bubbly head leaving plenty of lacing sticking to the glass.

S: it did have some espresso character but had some roastiness, lacto milky notes with hints of vanilla, and mild dark fruits mostly raisins.

T: the dark fruits were more apparent on the taste alongside espresso, chocolate, vanilla accents but had roasty notes and a touch of lacto milky flavors.

M: the brew was medium in body with a good amount of carbonation which had a sweet, roasty, mild dark fruity, and milky finish.

D: definitely a decent stout that was quite tasty and I don't really like too many drinks with caffeine character.

Serving type: bottle

02-14-2011 18:42:45 | More by Gobzilla

broken22

California

4.65/5  rDev +18%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

I have been in search of a dark beer made by an Asian country. Now I know that technically Russia and India fit in that description but I am talking about Eastern Asia. I have had many beers from this region but non that were dark. Now there may be a ton out their as I never really went on the web and searched. My searching consisted of my frequent trips to sushi, Mitsuwa grocery stores, or one of the noodle houses. When I would check the beer I never saw any dark beers; so when I found these from a Japanese brewery I had to them. I can't wait.

So popping this thing open and pouring a glass; I still cannot believe what I'm seeing. A medium sized tan to mocha colored head forms at the top and never really dies down. For pouring out so dark I was surprised that there wasn't more of smell. I was getting worried that this might be a precursor to the flavor. I take my first sip and wow. This is one of the most coffee tasting beers I have had. The bitterness is well matched with the coffee. The flavor is great and I'm very satisfied. The mouth feel is relatively light considering its darkness. Once again making a fool out of my assumptions.

I really like this beer. I wish it was being sold in packs instead of singles. When I say singles I don't mean in the 22 variety that would be fine. I'm talking about the sad state of affairs when you can only pick it up in 12oz singles. This beer is very much like Japanese cuisine. Japanese food is always cooked in a way that lets the flavor shine instead of heavily seasoning to beat the food into submission, and this beer reflects that. I can pick up a 12oz bottle for $5.22. I know kind of a weird price?!

Serving type: bottle

02-14-2011 07:31:55 | More by broken22

babaracas

Florida

4.05/5  rDev +2.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours a slightly hazy very dark brown with dense two finger thick light brown head that slowly fades to a quarter inch leaving splotches of lace. Smell: nice robust coffee aroma, earthy, green, and slightly acidic. Caramel in the back. Taste: brown sugar, chocolate syrup, earthy and slightly citric hopping. More of a creamered coffee flavor here, the beans not contributing as much as in the nose. Supposedly based off an RIS recipe, so I guess this is the right style listing, but the body is not quite beefy enough. Not the best coffee stout, but a pretty nice beer.

Serving type: bottle

02-13-2011 05:19:20 | More by babaracas

100floods

California

3.7/5  rDev -6.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Picked up at City Beer after really liking Hitachino's White Ale.

Pours pure black with a mocha bronze head. Little retention going on. Definitely a good sign.

Roasted aromas. Faint notes of something slightly sweet. I'm guess a bit of raw chocolate with a little milk. Also some notes fo espresso beans, you can smell that distinctive acidity.

The first sip is akin to an a more roasted, less hoppier Old Rasputin. Crisp and roasted flavors are what really come through initially. Decent sized sips yield a full, creamy texture with some hopped roasted notes. Smaller sips present something slightly more silky. I think I'd like this to have more malt.

This beer is definitely heady in the right direction. While I think it's certainly a worthy beer, it lacks a lot for a coffee stout. It still makes for a good stout in general.

Serving type: bottle

02-11-2011 19:17:44 | More by 100floods

dgilks

Australia

4.28/5  rDev +8.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Dark black colour with a moderately-large creamy tan head. Decent head retention.

Moderate coffee aroma with notes of cinnamon and sweetness.

Sweetened black coffee. That's what I get here. Some nice sweet malts play with a dry, roasty coffee flavour which is rounded and very good.

Medium-full body with moderate carbonation. Good.

A solid beer, full of flavour and very, very tasty.

Serving type: bottle

02-07-2011 07:26:29 | More by dgilks

Guitarctica

Georgia

3.93/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 3 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

A - Dark opaque black with a half finger of dark brown head. Pours thick. No lacing on glass.

S - Smells like coffee sweetened with honey. Perhaps some molasses. Some raisins. The nose actually reminds me of rum raisin ice cream.

T - Wouldn't you know it, it tastes like espresso! I also get some honey roasted malts in there. The back end hits with hop bitterness.

M - Full bodied and pretty heavy. Finishes dry like black coffee without much lingering aftertaste except for some bitterness.

D - Although this is a very tasty beer, I couldn't drink more than one. It is such a filling beer! Even moreso than Sammy Smiths Oatmeal Stout. Not to mention the 7.5% alc.

Final thoughts: Very nice brew with complex flavors. Drinking any more than one would be pushing it for me. Would make a good after dinner beer i think. If you like espresso this will definitely not disappoint.

Serving type: bottle

02-05-2011 21:22:34 | More by Guitarctica

IRONRakkasan

California

4.22/5  rDev +7.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This beer stuck true to it's name. The brew was a thick syrup, black, and let no light pass. If I closed my eyes, I could have easily sworn to drinking a cold, lightly carbonated coffee.

As for the alcohol content, I hadn't looked at that part of the label until then. The coffee taste hid it's decent ABV extremely well.

One of my new faves in this genre. Try it!

Serving type: bottle

02-05-2011 17:59:36 | More by IRONRakkasan

dbossman

Nebraska

3.93/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: Quite black with a tiny hint of a red tint; nice one inch dark, mocha brown head; fantastic, nearly solid, lacing

S: Sweet chocolate malts; a touch of coffee/espresso but fairly subdued

T: Luckily much more complex flavors than the aromas indicate; roasted malts: chocolate and coffee with a hint of raisins and prune juice

F: Much more thin than I anticipate in a stout but still fairly creamy with a nice even mouth coating

D: A good stout--not as much espresso that I want in a beer of this style--but it's a nice beer nonetheless

Serving type: bottle

02-02-2011 17:47:37 | More by dbossman

BamaViper1

Alabama

3.9/5  rDev -1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured from the 12 oz. bottle into a pint glass.

This espresso stout pours dark brown forming a thick caramel-colored head. The head eventuall dissipate to a film, but it leaves beautiful lacing along the edge of the glass.

The nose of this Hitachino Nest is full of espresso and bitter dark chocolate.

The beer opens with the slightly bitter espresso. This fades into bitter dark chocolate notes within heavy malt. The finish is all chocolate with traces of almost burned coffee and earth. Long after the beer is gone, the mouth is left with hints of sweet milk chocolate.

This beer has a full-bodied mouthfeel. There is a lot of carbonation in each sip which becomes almost overwhelming when the beer moves around the mouth for an extended period of time. But in a straight sip, it's great. Almost nitro creamy.

There is nonreal alcohol presence and the flavors marry quite well, making this stout easily drinkable. After a couple the sweetness could get to be a little much, but still this is a fine stout.

Serving type: bottle

02-02-2011 07:50:27 | More by BamaViper1

bbb099

California

3.95/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 4

Shared with mjyoung.

A - An almost black dark brown, typical stout color. Mocha-colored head that dissipated relatively quickly.

S - Coffee aroma, lots of it. Maybe hints of roasted malt, but very little amount.

T - The best way to describe is that it's a cold, carbonated coffee drink. I did not taste much of anything else besides a little bit of malt on the backside.

M - Highly carbonated. Medium to light bodied. I enjoyed the flavor very much; unfortunately, I have to knock the scores down a little bit because the texture was a little watery for the style.

D - Good drinkability. Not a complex beer, but worth a try just because it's so unique.

Serving type: bottle

02-02-2011 07:11:09 | More by bbb099

hickmancase

California

4.05/5  rDev +2.8%
look: 5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

Bottle from my first trip to Bruery Provisions with my buddy Rick.

A: Dark. Dark, three finger, espresso bubble colored head. Thicker than most stouts.

S: Coffee

T: Carbonated cold espresso. If it was an espresso it would be too weak, but for a beer... Damn! Delicious!

M: Thick. Perfect carbonation.

D: Made me hyper not buzzed. Excellent! But 5.49 for a 12 ouncer?

Similar to other coffee stouts.

8/10

Serving type: bottle

02-01-2011 23:50:13 | More by hickmancase

mjyoung

California

3.68/5  rDev -6.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Split w/ bbb099

A: A dark dark brown color with a murky alcohol tinge. The head dissipated extremely quickly leaving behind little lacing.

S: VERY strong coffee notes, with a hint of roasted malt underlying it.

T: It really does taste like carbonated coffee that's been chilled and spiked. It's mostly a sweet coffee, but you can get the malt below it as well. A fairly simple flavor, but you can get slight roasted notes and a slight hint of fruit as well. I was expecting a bit more roast...

M: It's a little bit more thin than I was expecting. The carbonation is spot on, and aside from the body it sits decently well on the palate.

D: It's pretty good, but the thin body and the lack of complex flavors knocks it down a bit in my book. I would definitely drink again, but it's not necessarily top-shelf.

Serving type: bottle

01-31-2011 03:44:57 | More by mjyoung

AwYeh

California

4.28/5  rDev +8.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

11.2oz bottle poured into snifter; thanks John (JM03)!

A: Dark, dark brown/black with one finger of foamy dark brown head, which subsides slowly to form chocolate milk lacing all around the glass.

S: Lots of coffee, as one might expect, alongside dark chocolate and roasted malts.

T: Very pleasant, sweet "quality" coffee flavor with more balancing dark chocolate. Roasted malts provide a solid backbone.

M: Prickly carbonation, smooth and milky.

D: Extremely high for the style; this is a rare beer where I wish I had a bomber all to myself rather than being able to try another new beer after it.

Serving type: bottle

01-25-2011 05:46:52 | More by AwYeh

snogglethorpe

Japan

4.4/5  rDev +11.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Thiiick, oily, black as night, and pretty much completely opaque (really -- holding it up to the light in a glass, nothing gets through)... this truly does look like motor-oil when you're pouring it [I'd heard that said about some stouts, but had never seen it before...]! Dark tan thick head.

Smell is of chocolate, with a faiiiint hint of beer.

Taste... thick, very roasty, very chocolatey, some resemblance to coffee, but really this stuff is like bitter liquid chocolate. I'd say it sits _right_ in that sweet spot between chocolate and coffee that just makes people swoon... It's definitely quite bitter, but a _nice_ bitter, exactly right. It's not sweet.

The alcohol is very well hidden, and it's extremely drinkable, like liquid desert, despite its lack of sweetness, the bitterness is just very well placed. The mouthfeel is thick and oily, which ads to the illusion that one is drinking chocolate.

Wow, I'm not generally a fan of the Hitachino Nest Beer line (generally not bad, but not really that good either), but this is really really good!

This is probably the first stout I've had that I really, really, liked.

[Note: this bottle had a special Valentine's-day label "Happy Valentine's day!" (with hearts), and is a very nice contrast to the usual slew of excessively sweet chocolate beers that seem to show up around Valentine's day in Japan. Go for it, Hitachino!]

Serving type: bottle

01-23-2011 03:38:19 | More by snogglethorpe

joecast

Australia

4.58/5  rDev +16.2%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Wow, seriously thick dark pour. Big foamy dark tan head. Heaps of lacing and stability. Low carbonation, pitch black. Excellent.

Coffee aroma at the forefront. Dark chocolate and roast.pillows of sweet maltiness arise as it warms.

Big malt, roast and bitterness. Mixes well keeping this big beer interesting. Complex yet accessible. Smooth and balanced. Just enough sweetness in the finish to ward off palate fatigue.

Wonderful mouthfeel. Smooth without being too heavy and filling. One can easily become two. Nice.

Serving type: bottle

01-17-2011 09:16:56 | More by joecast

SteveO1231

Connecticut

3.7/5  rDev -6.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

12 oz. Nubby. Pours jet black with a fluffy tan head. Lots of carbonation. Huge espresso aroma, it literally smells like a glass full of fresh coffee grounds, toasty, burnt popcorn, and roared malts. The brew has an exceptionally fluffy mouthfeel, aost creamy. Full bodied. Some light sweetness, burnt sugars, a hint of saki, and semi dark chocolate. I'm getting a dry bitter finish seems to be more from the coffee than roasted malts. Some roasted malt flavors come out more as I sip. Sweetness shows a but more ad well. The brew has a bit of a fruity aftertaste that I can't quit put my finger on. I enjoyed this as my first Japanese RIS.

Cheers!

Serving type: bottle

01-15-2011 20:57:52 | More by SteveO1231

Patrick999

Florida

4.33/5  rDev +9.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured into an imperial pint glass, nice thick cascading foam. More of an opaque extremely dark brown than a "black" looking body.

Aroma touches all the bases. Smoky caramel and an acrid coffee note, yup, smells like an espresso.

Tastes follows aroma, with a big hint of caramel sweetness up front, quickly washed away by some pretty damned bitter coffee.

Oily, slick mouthfeel.

To those who love coffee stouts, this isn't breaking any new ground - but it is very well-executed, enjoyable, easy to drink. Coming from Japan, not an inexpensive 12-ouncer, but I'll buy again, especially considering I don't get Peche Mortel down here. As with most of the Hitachino Nest beers, well done.

Serving type: bottle

01-05-2011 23:38:58 | More by Patrick999

July2Nov

Hawaii

4.13/5  rDev +4.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance: Nice Frothy brownish foamy head. Dark like a stout should be.

Smell: Deep roasted coffee smell that is very noticeable. If you love espresso, the nose alone wold have you panting to get at this.

Taste & Mouthfeel: Bold and creamy. Has a thick feel to it with a deep and rich coffee flavor. Has a slight metallic taste, but nothing that is crazy to detract from the beer experience. A bit chalky and chewy on the end tip of the beer. This is a very good coffee stout and one that I would drink again.

Drinkability: Hitachino ceases to amaze me. This Japanese brewery always produces excellent beers that run far away from what you normally consider the classic Japanese beer category. All I have to say is, "More please".

Serving type: bottle

01-05-2011 01:49:01 | More by July2Nov

juju7

Australia

3.6/5  rDev -8.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Brilliant looking beer. Two fingers of head all the way to the end. Definite espresso presence backed up with some cereal and even a touch of hop aroma. Coffee, coffee and coffee. A little astringent with the hop bitterness but a good beer if you like this kind of thing.

Serving type: bottle

12-27-2010 10:34:20 | More by juju7

Teleweizen2

New Jersey

4.13/5  rDev +4.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A - pours an inky black with a dense 3 finger milk chocolate colored head. Leaves gobs of lacing on the glass. Great retention.

S - the smell isn't so much coffee as the name implies but a decadent dark chocolate. Not complex but very enticing.

T - tastes like a carbonate alcoholic chocolate coffee concoction. Nicely balanced. Chocolate sweetness coats the tounge followed by some roasty malt coffee style bitterness which lasts long after the finish.

M - creamy. Like a milk shake. Smooth. Full bodied. High carb helps to smooth it out.

D - I could drink this throughout winter time. Just awesome.

Serving type: bottle

12-18-2010 23:56:29 | More by Teleweizen2

goalmaster2

Ohio

4.22/5  rDev +7.1%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

during a cold snow storm this beer hit the spot with its boldness and complex flavors that converged to bring out coffee in this stout. i would not drink this beer when the temp is above 50 degrees, but in cold weather it seems to warm you inside.

the color was jet black with a nice copper head that held for 5 min it smelled of chocolate and coffee and those flavors were present during the drink. it reminded me of Brooklyn black chocolate stout
but much, much more drinkable.

i could drink 1-2 of these in the course of the night but anymore then that may overwhelm the pallet.

i would recommend this beer to friends and think it is worth a try to all who enjoy any type of coffee flavor in their brew.

Serving type: bottle

12-14-2010 03:04:49 | More by goalmaster2

joemcgrath27

Alberta (Canada)

4.13/5  rDev +4.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - bubbly solid black, tall sticky mocha head that retained well
S - coffee and dark chocolate, sweet and smoky
T - bitter espresso with subtle dark chocolate and smoky malt, a very light syrupy sweetness, very rich
M - smooth chewy and slightly oily with a coffee bitterness
D - very smooth and easy drinking, a well balanced combo of two of my favourite beverages

Serving type: bottle

12-12-2010 02:47:30 | More by joemcgrath27

PicoPapa

Connecticut

4/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

11.2oz bottle. E 09 11 on the back of the label. Pours a brackish, dark brown with a good sized frothy head. Medium amount of lacing. Nice aroma of espresso but it also smells like coffee beans and cappuccino a bit. Some roasted malts and chocolate as well. Basically just a big aroma of a coffee shop and chocolate. Taste is a great blend of espresso and chocolate flavors. Not a harsh flavor of espresso but a nice sweet espresso taste. This is a very nice beer for people who enjoy coffee brews. Very well made and nicely balanced. I will be looking for some more of this beer but sadly it is pricey.

Serving type: bottle

12-07-2010 18:55:27 | More by PicoPapa

circlenine

Connecticut

2.15/5  rDev -45.4%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

Poured out of an 11.2 oz. bottle into a chalice.

A: This beer poured a nice dark brown, nearly black color with a decently thick light brown/tan head that lingered, slowly dissipating into the brew.

S: There was a slight at best coffee/espresso aroma to this brew.

T: No flavor or depth to the beer. The taste was extremely bitter and was gone immediately upon swallowing.

M: Although there was a nice head on the beer, drinking it gave the sense that very little carbonation was present.

D: At first, I found the lack of flavor annoying, but I persevered. As I continued through half the glass the bitterness was overpowering, leaving an almost metallic taste in my mouth - as if I had been licking stainless steel. I finished the bottle, but it was extremely difficult.

Note: I am left to wonder how long this beer sat around at the liquor store before I picked her up. It seemed too awful to be fresh. Unfortunately, I am not sure if I can bring myself to purchase another as if it is a fresh/lack thereof issue, I will have no way of knowing where the others on the shelf fall on the freshness scale.

Serving type: bottle

12-01-2010 05:46:05 | More by circlenine

afksports

New York

3.83/5  rDev -2.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Another notch in the belt of the JapanQuest! Kiuchi is far and away my favorite brewery on that part of the globe, and this Espresso Stout is a testament to their skill. I can't say it's perfect; doing a coffee stout in an American style is pretty much setting yourself up for failure when compared with others, but this one is darn drinkable.

It pours a dark brown hue and has minimal head that goes away fairly quickly. Swirling it around makes for some nice trails. The smell is of coffee - well, perhaps espresso - and another usual suspect - malty dark chocolate. Tastes that way too, with a tiny hint of fruits and tartness.

Its typical mouthfeel and average alcohol content of 7.5% does the style, but doesn't do it exceptionally. I'd be happy with this as long as there weren't better options, but I won't be lining up for this red owl.

Serving type: bottle

11-28-2010 04:54:42 | More by afksports