Recently, I visited The Loft at Iron Abbey; where if you are a beer fan you must visit. The Loft has a great selection and even has a cellared beer room. I walked into this room and was instantly in awe. I noticed around the top shelves in the room there were labels for the styles underneath like; Earthy and Dry. I focused on the dark beer selection. There is something for everyone in this room. Even outside the cellar you can create your own six pack with unique beers. I brought home a lot of different beers and some beers I have never even thought about.
Beer Cellar at Iron Abbey
Tonight's post is on one of the beers I brought home and cannot wait to try, hence the post. I am trying a Japanese beer tonight. I have seen brews from around the world, but the hard part is maybe not in the style I am looking for, until now. I found something that is right up my alley and something I am eager to learn about. I am trying a beer from Kiuchi Brewery. The beer is part of the Hitachino Nest beer, called Espresso Stout. Espresso Stout is a Japanese Dark Ale brewed with coffee beans. The Dark Ale has an alcohol by volume or ABV of 7% and an IBU or bitterness of 36. Hitachino Nest Beer Espresso Stout won a bronze at the 2015 Australian International Beer Awards. This Japanese Dark Ale style is a Russian Imperial Stout.
Hitachino Nest Beer
I thought that it would be interesting to know more about the Kiuchi Brewery. So time to learn about the Kiuchi Brewery and the Hitachino Nest Beers. The Kiuchi Brewery has been brewing for over 193 years. The brewery was established in 1823 by Kiuchi Gihei. The family was collecting rice from farmers as land taxes for the Mito Tokugawa family. He began the brewery with the idea of using the remaining rice stocks in the warehouse. At this time there was a political movement to reform the Tokugawa regime. Fujita Toko, an activist, advocated to build a new organizational government with reverence of the emperor and this thought led to the Meiji Restoration. The Meiji Restoration shifted the power of the government to the emperor and allowed Japan to shift toward modernization. First, the brewery primarily focused on Sake. In the 1950, Mikio Kiuchi inherited the brewery and took over during a period of prosperity. Sake had become popular during World War II and post World War II the demand kept on growing. Kiuchi Brewery focused on their craftsmanship and producing a quality product compared to their competitors. In 1996, after 173 years of producing Sake, the Kiuchi Brewery started the Hitachino Beer. The beer business would be known as Hitachino Nest Beer. Long road towards brewing beer, but with all the history behind brewing Sake and taking that towards beer can only help. Hitachino name is derived from the province in ancient Japan, which covers the area around the brewery. The area is famous for fertile soil that is perfect for brewing.
Let's dive on in to exploring the Espresso Stout. The stout has an black appearance with no light getting through. There is a brown or tan foam around the top of the glass. It is a small thin ring around the outside the glass. The foam gets thinner as you get towards the center of the glass, until there is none in the middle. The aroma is invigorating. I took a whiff to see what aroma I could pick up and it was delicious. I picked up on the roasted aroma right away. That was followed by a dark chocolate and an espresso notes. The dark chocolate pairs with the espresso aroma that builds towards a bitter finish aroma, like a black coffee. There is a minor fruit aroma that is noticeable, but I cannot put my mind on it. Overall the major note's for the aroma is bitter, roasty, and espresso. There is a slightly noticeable lacing around the edge of the glass.
I cannot wait to try this Espresso Stout after the aroma and I am curious to see if the taste follows the aroma. I took my first sip and was hit was a subtle sweetness. The sweetness is followed by the espresso and bitter notes that you would expect from an espresso. The espresso comes rushing in like a double shot espresso. After the coffee/espresso note there is a bitter note that plays on the tongue, almost like a black coffee. I think the interesting note from the taste is the finishing taste note. I believe it to finish with a roasted malt note that ends with a lingering bitter note. The lingering bitter note is the taste left on your tongue after your sip. First you get hit with a subtle sweetness, which is followed by espresso and bitter. The last notes you get hit with are the roasted notes and a linger bitterness. The body of Espresso Stout is a starts with smooth medium body and finishes with a dry fullness.
If you are a coffee fan, this brew should be right up your alley. If you like stouts again this brew should be right up you alley. Russian Imperial Stouts are tough for some to enjoy, but this Imperial Stout is delightful and brings out delicious flavors. The roast and bitterness notes are enjoyable. The espresso notes in this beer are noticeable and something to look forward too. I really enjoyed this brew because of the roasted bitter notes and the noticeable espresso flavor in the beer. It was not overly bitter like an IPA, but it gave you the bitter coffee taste. I thought this was an interesting brew for being my first Japanese beer. I think the passion and the years of experience come through in the beer. This brew was meticulously thought out and the proof is in the execution of the beer.
Check out the Kiuchi Brewery and Hitachino Beers:
http://www.kodawari.cc/?en_home.html
https://hitachino.cc/
https://www.instagram.com/hitachinonestbeer/
https://www.facebook.com/KiuchiBreweryEN/
Tweet @HitachinoHK
Hitachino Nest Espresso Stout
Let's dive on in to exploring the Espresso Stout. The stout has an black appearance with no light getting through. There is a brown or tan foam around the top of the glass. It is a small thin ring around the outside the glass. The foam gets thinner as you get towards the center of the glass, until there is none in the middle. The aroma is invigorating. I took a whiff to see what aroma I could pick up and it was delicious. I picked up on the roasted aroma right away. That was followed by a dark chocolate and an espresso notes. The dark chocolate pairs with the espresso aroma that builds towards a bitter finish aroma, like a black coffee. There is a minor fruit aroma that is noticeable, but I cannot put my mind on it. Overall the major note's for the aroma is bitter, roasty, and espresso. There is a slightly noticeable lacing around the edge of the glass.
Appearance to Espresso Stout
I cannot wait to try this Espresso Stout after the aroma and I am curious to see if the taste follows the aroma. I took my first sip and was hit was a subtle sweetness. The sweetness is followed by the espresso and bitter notes that you would expect from an espresso. The espresso comes rushing in like a double shot espresso. After the coffee/espresso note there is a bitter note that plays on the tongue, almost like a black coffee. I think the interesting note from the taste is the finishing taste note. I believe it to finish with a roasted malt note that ends with a lingering bitter note. The lingering bitter note is the taste left on your tongue after your sip. First you get hit with a subtle sweetness, which is followed by espresso and bitter. The last notes you get hit with are the roasted notes and a linger bitterness. The body of Espresso Stout is a starts with smooth medium body and finishes with a dry fullness.
Beer and Bottle of Espresso Stout
If you are a coffee fan, this brew should be right up your alley. If you like stouts again this brew should be right up you alley. Russian Imperial Stouts are tough for some to enjoy, but this Imperial Stout is delightful and brings out delicious flavors. The roast and bitterness notes are enjoyable. The espresso notes in this beer are noticeable and something to look forward too. I really enjoyed this brew because of the roasted bitter notes and the noticeable espresso flavor in the beer. It was not overly bitter like an IPA, but it gave you the bitter coffee taste. I thought this was an interesting brew for being my first Japanese beer. I think the passion and the years of experience come through in the beer. This brew was meticulously thought out and the proof is in the execution of the beer.
Check out the Kiuchi Brewery and Hitachino Beers:
http://www.kodawari.cc/?en_home.html
https://hitachino.cc/
https://www.instagram.com/hitachinonestbeer/
https://www.facebook.com/KiuchiBreweryEN/
Tweet @HitachinoHK
Nice. Love Iron Abbey.
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