Beer of the Weekend #300: Hitachino Nest Lacto Sweet Stout
Holy cow. I never realized John’s had so much winter/holiday beer available. Once I get my LV recommendation put away, I want to focus on the plethora of seasonal beers I have yet to try. I want to sample as many as I can before New Year’s. After that the whole seasonal/holiday appeal is gone.
This is the 300th edition of Beer of the Weekend. Since I did nothing special for either the centennial (Peter’s Brand Classics) and bicentennial (Anchor Porter) installments, I decided to sample something I have been eyeing for a long time: Hitachino Nest Lacto Sweet Stout, brewed by the Kiuchi Brewery of Naka, Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan.
Actually, I have been more interested in the brewery’s Espresso Stout, but John’s was sold out.
Based on the BA reviews, I fear HNLSS my not live up to the occasion. The member average rating is a C+, and The Bros gave it a C-. I asked the beer guru at John’s if it was worth the price (see below) and he assured me it was. We shall see.
Serving type: 330 ml bottle. No discernable freshness date.
Appearance: Straight pour into a pint glass. The color is just a few shades shy of opaque black; when I held it to a lamp, the light gave it a faint ruby tint. Two fingers of light tan head dissipated to leave a spotted lacing and ring around the edge.
Smell: Very sweet; the lactose really makes its presence known. Besides the lactose, there are scents of dark chocolate, milk chocolate, caramel, and dark fruit (probably plum and cherry syrup). As the beer continues to warm, a subtle roasted coffee character becomes evident, complimenting the sweetness.
Taste: The mouthfeel is thick and creamy, and the initial taste is a light mélange of flavors mirroring the scent. The sweetness of lactose, caramel, and milk chocolate is balanced by roasted characters from the coffee. Overall, the flavor is on the weak side, but it is still satisfying.
Drinkability: I like this stuff. True to style, it is not going to be sinister so I think it does its job. It is very smooth, offers a nice (though subdued) flavor experience, and is on the light side in terms of ABV. It is not, however, worth $5 a bottle.
Fun facts about HNLSS:
-Style: BA classifies it as “Milk/Sweet Stout.”
-Price: $4.99/bottle at John’s Grocery in Iowa City. Seriously — five bucks a bottle! At that price the brewery should throw in a Geiger counter.
-Serving temperature: Beers of the World recommends 50-54ºF.
-Alcohol content: The front label says, “4%alc./vol.,” but the back label says, “alcoholic content not in excess of 4% of volume.” BA pegs the ABV at 3.9 percent.
-Food pairings: Beers of the World recommends, “Shellfish and other seafood.”
-A little nerdiness from the back label:
Brewed with pale, crystal, caramel malt and authentic Lactose (milk sugar, 10% of grain bill) which is added about 10 min before end of boil.
-The Kiuchi Brewery has been in operation since 1823 and initially produced saké before first brewing beer in 1996.
The Quiet Man’s grade: B-.
This is the 300th edition of Beer of the Weekend. Since I did nothing special for either the centennial (Peter’s Brand Classics) and bicentennial (Anchor Porter) installments, I decided to sample something I have been eyeing for a long time: Hitachino Nest Lacto Sweet Stout, brewed by the Kiuchi Brewery of Naka, Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan.
Actually, I have been more interested in the brewery’s Espresso Stout, but John’s was sold out.
Based on the BA reviews, I fear HNLSS my not live up to the occasion. The member average rating is a C+, and The Bros gave it a C-. I asked the beer guru at John’s if it was worth the price (see below) and he assured me it was. We shall see.
Serving type: 330 ml bottle. No discernable freshness date.
Appearance: Straight pour into a pint glass. The color is just a few shades shy of opaque black; when I held it to a lamp, the light gave it a faint ruby tint. Two fingers of light tan head dissipated to leave a spotted lacing and ring around the edge.
Smell: Very sweet; the lactose really makes its presence known. Besides the lactose, there are scents of dark chocolate, milk chocolate, caramel, and dark fruit (probably plum and cherry syrup). As the beer continues to warm, a subtle roasted coffee character becomes evident, complimenting the sweetness.
Taste: The mouthfeel is thick and creamy, and the initial taste is a light mélange of flavors mirroring the scent. The sweetness of lactose, caramel, and milk chocolate is balanced by roasted characters from the coffee. Overall, the flavor is on the weak side, but it is still satisfying.
Drinkability: I like this stuff. True to style, it is not going to be sinister so I think it does its job. It is very smooth, offers a nice (though subdued) flavor experience, and is on the light side in terms of ABV. It is not, however, worth $5 a bottle.
Fun facts about HNLSS:
-Style: BA classifies it as “Milk/Sweet Stout.”
-Price: $4.99/bottle at John’s Grocery in Iowa City. Seriously — five bucks a bottle! At that price the brewery should throw in a Geiger counter.
-Serving temperature: Beers of the World recommends 50-54ºF.
-Alcohol content: The front label says, “4%alc./vol.,” but the back label says, “alcoholic content not in excess of 4% of volume.” BA pegs the ABV at 3.9 percent.
-Food pairings: Beers of the World recommends, “Shellfish and other seafood.”
-A little nerdiness from the back label:
Brewed with pale, crystal, caramel malt and authentic Lactose (milk sugar, 10% of grain bill) which is added about 10 min before end of boil.
-The Kiuchi Brewery has been in operation since 1823 and initially produced saké before first brewing beer in 1996.
The Quiet Man’s grade: B-.
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