Hitachino Nest Espresso Stout is the union of an imperial stout with coffee which produces a very interesting and tasty beer. It is produced by one of Japan’s first craft breweries, Kiuchi Brewery, who has been brewing beer in Naka-shi, Japan since 1996.

I had this bottle around for several months and I was waiting for the right moment to decide to open it. When I read and reported that California Assemby Bill 1958 is in committee and might outlaw beer that contains coffee, I thought it was just the right moment to not only open my bottle of Espresso Stout but also encourage you to crack open a bottle of coffee infused craft beer.

Date Reviewed. March 12, 2010

Where I Found It. City Beer Store in San Francisco, CA.

Serving Type. Bottle into an imperial pint glass.

Appearance. Hitachino Espresso Stout has a dark black color but when you pour it out you can see that the beer is crystal clear. The head has a spot on espresso crema color. In fact, had I poured of this beer into a shot glass (and let the head settle a little) it would look exactly like a shot of espresso. The head of this beer is foamy, frothy, and quite nearly permanent. It took a very long time for the head to settle and left plenty of lacing on the side of the glass. It is quite the sight.

Smell. This beer has a chocolate, coffee, and mocha aroma. The chocolate aspect of the aroma is almost like chocolate syrup which further reminds me a a sweet dark chocolate mocha. The smell also has a nice espresso roast quality to it. There is also a hint of a fruity smell like pears.

Taste. The flavor of Hitachino Nest Espresso Stout really lives up to its name but is not quite as interesting as the smell and appearance. Don’t get me wrong, this is still a very tasty beer and there is no denying the coffee flavors. The bitterness of the hops and roasted malt combined with the coffee make this beer taste like a shot of espresso with a touch of dark brown sugar added to it. Add the silky texture to the mix and it is almost like an espresso con panna but not quite as sweet. There is an earthy spiciness to this beer like cola and anise or maybe just a touch of each. Finally, this beer is also a bit boozy, which might be expected at 7.5%, and slightly yeasty.

Mouthfeel. This beer is full bodied and moderately carbonated. Despite the foamy and frothy head, this beer is by no means over carbonated. It is just shy of a syrupy texture.

Drinkability. The bitterness of the roasted malt and/or coffee in Hitachino Nest Espresso Stout is a little distracting to the overall taste. Combine that bitter coffee flavor with 7.5% alcohol by volume and this is not a session beer but definitely a unique brew that very enjoyable.

Rating. My ratings below are on a five point scale with five being the best score.

• Appearance (20%): 4.5
• Smell (20%): 4.5
• Taste (40%): 3.5
• Mouthfeel (10%): 4.0
• Drinkability (10%): 3.5
• Overall: 3.95
  

Information

• Style: Imperial stout
• Brewery: Kiuchi Brewery
• Alcohol by volume: 7.5%
• Beer Advocate rating: 4.04 (as of March 11, 2010)

Other Reviews

• Frosty Goodness – Hitachino Nest Espresso Stout. Coffee + Beer = Sink.
• Thom’s Beer Blog – Hitachino Nest Espresso Stout
• Good Beer and Country Boys – Hitachino Nest Beer Espresso Stout
• Enkidu Brew - Hitachino Nest Espresso Stout
• Beer Geek Heaven – Hitachino Nest Espresso Stout
• Beer Advocate - Hitachino Nest Espresso Stout
• 97 Bottles – Hitachino Nest Espresso Stout
• Draft Mag – Hitachino Nest Espresso Stout
• The Full Pint – Review – Hitachino Nest Espresso Stout

I had been casually searching for this beer ever since July and in November 2008 I discovered City Beer Store in San Francisco, CA and that they carried several of the Hitachino Nest beers. One of those beers that I picked up was the Real Ginger Brew.

Unfortunately, there is no information on the Kiuchi Brewery website about this beer. It is a very unique beer and it would by nice to know a little background information about it.

It looks like this beer is bottle conditioned so I might try to harvest some of the yeast the next time that I try one of the Hitachino Nest beers.

Where I Found It. City Beer Store in San Francisco, CA.

Serving Type. Poured a 330ml bottle into a glass.

Appearance. This beer has a foamy but not frothy yellow-white head and does not leave much foam on the glass. A small layer of head remains on top. This beer is hazy, which might be expected of an herb/spice beer, and has an amber or dark honey color.

Smell. Real Ginger Brew has a ginger aroma like that of ginger ale or ginger beer, which is a sweet smooth ginger smell. In fact the smell is almost indistinguishable from ginger ale or ginger beer. The bouquet is spicy with a bit of cloves and is enhanced by the ginger while accompanied by a light fruitiness. The hops are not pronounced and the malt only seems to be a vehicle to deliver the sweet ginger-ale-like smell. There is also a slight bready or yeast aroma present. I enjoy the ginger aroma but the yeast detracts from it a little bit.

Taste. The most pronounced taste of this beer is sweet malty ginger. It is almost as if this is a ginger beer made with malt, instead of cane sugar, and contains alcohol. It actually contains 7% alcohol but the astringent alcohol flavor is masked completely by the other flavors. Backing the ginger beer flavor is a sweet maltiness that is complemented with a touch of smooth hop bitterness. As you drink more of this brew the spiciness of the ginger builds but not so much that is it overpowering. All of these aspects combine to produce a crisp and refreshing flavor.

Mouthfeel. Real Ginger Brew is well carbonated, which adds to the comparison to ginger ale, and is a medium-light bodied beer. The taste of the ginger lingers just for a bit and fades nicely.

Drinkability. This beer is strong in alcohol content and strong in ginger flavor. On one hand it is crisp and refreshing like a ginger ale but also like a ginger ale I rarely want more than one. I would drink this again but I would not want more than one at a time. All in all it is an enjoyable beer.

Rating. My ratings below are on a five point scale with five being the best score.

• Appearance (20%): 3.5
• Smell (20%): 3.5
• Taste (40%): 3.5
• Mouthfeel (10%): 3.5
• Drinkability (10%): 3.0
• Overall: 3.45

Caption on the Bottle

The following caption is found on the back of the beer bottles of Real Ginger Brew:

Fresh ginger roots aded to the brewkettle create and intriguing balance of ginger-spicy, sweet-malty and hoppy-dry flavors and aromas.

Information

• Style: Herb Spice Ale
• Brewery: Kiuchi Brewery
• Alcohol by volume: 7.0%
• Other ingredients: ginger
• Bottle conditioned
• Beer Advocate rating: 3.69 (as of April 1, 2009)

Other Reviews

• 97 Bottles – Hitachino Nest Real Ginger Brew by Kiuchi Brwery
• Freshly Squeezed Jew – Beer Review 5: Hitachino Nest Real Ginger Brew
• Chicagoist – Chicagoist’s “Beer of the Week”: Hitachino Nest Ginger Brew
• BrewedGirl – Hitachino Nest Real Ginger Brew
• Beer & Nosh – Cardamon Cauliflower Soup with Hitachino Ginger Beer
• Thom’s Beer Blog – 364. Hitachino Nest Real Ginger Ale
• New York Brew – Hitachino Nest Real Ginger Brew
• LivingSocial – Hitachino Nest Real Ginger Brew
• Beers, Beers, Beers – Hitachino Nest Real Ginger Ale
• Beer Advocate – Hitachino Nest Real Gingerr Brew
• Rate Beer – Hitachino Nest Real Ginger Ale