The Espresso Stout is a coffee beer that uses the recipe of a Russian Imperial Stout as its base. As per Kiuchi Brewery’s commercial description, “Caramel, roasted, black and chocolate malts provide an explosion of coffee like flavors. The strong espresso character comes from the addition of espresso beans to the boil. Notes of vanilla, dark fruit, cocao and chocolate”. This beer has a 7.5% ABV and appears to be seasonally brewed in the winter; however, I never seem to have a problem finding a bottle when I want one at my local craft beer stores. The malts used are black, roasted malt, chocolate malt, pale malt and caramel malt. It is brewed with Saphir and Northern Brewers hops. This is another beer that I absolutely love, and it seems like my first beer reviews are beers I enjoy the most, so bear with me! For this review, I used my trusty tulip glass. There doesn’t seem to be a wrong glassware type for this beer, with recommendations including pint glass, snifter or oversized wine glass.

A – Pours a deep black color with a three-finger mocha-tan head with generous, persistent lacing

A – A pleasant aroma of roasted malts, some chocolate malts and coffee. There is a nice espresso roast quality, and there are hints of chocolate, which tend to me more like a chocolate syrup than a cocoa aroma. Admittedly, the aroma is not as strong as some other coffee stouts I’ve had, but, for this beer, it is spot on.

T – The taste starts out a bit mellow at first, with the sweetness and richness of roasted coffee and chocolate flavors. The maltiness is definitely front and center at the start of this beer, as is the big coffee flavor from the start. This is followed by a strong espresso bitterness, that lingers on the tastebuds for a while. There are underlying hints of vanilla, chicory and smokiness. Make no mistake, though, the coffee and espresso flavors dominates.

M – A nice mouth feel, but a bit on the thinner side. Medium-bodied and smooth, with just the right amount of carbonation, starting with some nice creaminess and some dryness on the finish. Perfect for this beer.

D- Therein lies the problem with this beer. For me, it is almost too drinkable. Everything works for this beer. Wonderful appearance combined with a nicely complementary aroma. This is followed by a great taste with an almost perfect mouthful. You would never know that this beer is 7.5% ABV. Plus, there is a nice range of changing flavor profiles as the beer warms up when drinking. Rich and bold, complex, and, as stated before, a very drinkable beer.

Comments – Let me just say up front that I am biased because I love coffee beers. And this beer doesn’t disappoint! To my palate, this is a very drinkable beer, with a wonderful profile of flavors tied together by the dominance of the coffee character. To me, there is almost a perfect fusion of the appearance, aroma, taste and mouthful. Wonderfully balanced, nice medium body, and very potable. The alcohol in this beer is masked well. I love this beer! Its not my favorite coffee beer (which is Brasserie Diel du Ciel’s Peche Mortel), but I would highly recommend this beer. As a bonus, I find it very affordable, costing under $5.00 for an 11.2 oz bottle.