Kiuchi Espresso Stout
Brewed By: Kiuchi Brewery
Brewed In: Ibaraki, Japan
Type: Stout
ABV: 7.5%
What They Say: Near as I can tell, nothing. This might be a seasonal offering and, as such, is not currently on their website. But their website has no description of this beer and, if there’s one on the bottle itself, it’s in Japanese and I can’t read it.
Website: This is the English version of their webpage. There’s also a Japanese version that I didn’t bother with because unicode is for wusses (that’s some web developer humor for my boys out there). Regardless, it’s a serviceable website. I can’t say it’s particularly good or bad. You’d think they could register a domain for English speakers instead of having to go though the whole “choose the Japanese or English version” thing. Whatever, I guess.
Why I Picked It: Valentine’s Day gift. Yes, that’s how many of these I have in the can.
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Presentation: I love this brewery’s little owl character. It’s one of the more recognizable logos for those of us who wander aimlessly around beer stores. The label has a psychedelic spiral on the front surrounding the owl — very Magic Hat-y. Everything other than the front label is very plain black and white. Regardless, the little owl, because of it’s general awesomeness will almost always score Kiuchi a five. 5
Originality: While I do love stouts, I can’t call a stout using a morning caffeine product particularly original. Unless it’s a cappucino or macchiato stout. Which I don’t think I’ve seen. 2
Taste: The bitter espresso notes are a very obvious sidecar to the normal bittery stout flavor. It’s very much a common stout. The only real “spins” on stout are when you try to sweeten it up with vanilla or milk. When you strap some coffee or espresso or chocolate on it, it’s just a bitter stout with a little bit of extra bitter flavor. For me, I like the flavor of your basic stout, so I like this. If you were looking for something not stouty, probably not for you. 6
Body: It pours like you’d expect a stout to pour. Almost no head and a thick, black liquid you can’t see through. It’s a bit more carbonated than your general stout. Kiuchi claims to use a “sake brewing process” and maybe that’s to credit for it. I don’t know if the extra carbonation in a stout really works. Like, I don’t think I’ve ever really drank a stout and said “you know what this needs? Bubbles.” but I will say I did like the little spin on the formula. 6
Efficiency: I find stouts to be the most poundable beers this side of American ales. The lack of carbonation and the lack of any strong flavors until the aftertaste let you chug half-a-glass. When you start dropping “Imperial” ABVs in them, which this beer doesn’t quite reach at 7.5%, they start to get dangerously strong. The generally smooth body with good stout flavor together with a high-alcohol content make this beer incredibly efficient — conquered only by your usual Imperial offerings. Hurting it’s efficiency is the one 330 ML bottle for $3.50. I expect stuff like that in a bar — not in Whole Foods. 7
Versatility: A little less versatile than common stouts because of the bigger ABV. I’m not sure what I would volunteer this beer for. The single bottle offering combined with price and ABV makes this not good for a whole lot. Stouts are generally a little too bitter to cook with so nothing doing there. Not a lot to go on. It’s not so good you’d have to have someone try it and not so bad you’d never buy it. Let’s split the difference and kick it down a point for coming in single 12 oz bottles. 4
The Beer Snob Says: A perfectly acceptable stout, but not one to go out of your way for.
Final Grade: 30 (of 50) – OK Beer.
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