Who the heck wants to pay $5.40 for a 33cl? Not me, that’s for sure. So finding this one on sale worked out juuust fine. Lots of friends have recommended this beer so I was pretty excited to try it. I’ve been impressed with Hitachino Nest’s stuff in the past. Their ginger beer is exactly as advertised and the espresso stout is one of the finest.
Appearance: Deep orange, almost red. Decent clarity, a bit hazy. Thin khaki head blanketing the top. Great retention.
Aroma: Sweet malt, wood, notes of ginger, faint aromas of melon rind. Wood aromas are cedar like. Ever so slight funk. No hops. This beer smells amazing.
Flavor: Sweet malts aren’t as sweet as I expect. Wood flavors are much more apparent. Despite the complex aromas, the flavor just doesn’t deliver; everything seems muted. Funk is almost completely absent. Finish is surprisingly bitter and very dry. Sake flavors come through slightly in the aftertaste.
Mouthfeel: Medium mouthfeel, medium-high carbonation. Alcohol(8%?) is slightly warming. Bitterness sets the sides of my tongue tingling. Leaves my mouth feeling slick, almost oily.
Overall impression: Pretty good beer. I really wish the flavor stood up to the awesome aroma. Quite happy to have tried this but the high price is quite prohibitive. People have mentioned that the quality of these bottles tends to be uneven so maye this will need to be revisited.
