Kuri Kuro (Dark Chestnut Ale)
Hideji Beer

Kuri Kuro (Dark Chestnut Ale)Kuri Kuro (Dark Chestnut Ale)
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From:
Hideji Beer
 
Japan
Style:
American Imperial Stout
Ranked #1,388
ABV:
9%
Score:
91
Ranked #6,576
Avg:
4.12 | pDev: 9.22%
Reviews:
19
Ratings:
60
Status:
Active
Rated:
Monday at 11:55 PM
Added:
May 13, 2015
Wants:
  6
Gots:
  2
This beer was originally developed for export to the North American market. It is a brew based on our “Hideji Stout.” It uses Miyazaki-grown chestnuts, and features a flavor rich in nuts, herbs and sweet chestnuts along with an aroma of espresso and brown sugar from roasted barley.

The chestnut is the most ancient fruit in Japan. Charred chestnuts have been found in and around archaeological sites of the Jomon Period (10,000 - 200 B.C.) settlements. Japanese chestnuts are widely used in preparing Japanese cuisine, and a special dish made of chestnut is served as a New Years tradition.

25 IBU
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Ratings by shigg85:
Photo of shigg85
Rated by shigg85 from Japan

4.25/5  rDev +3.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Jun 15, 2018
More User Ratings:
Photo of ZebulonXZogg
Reviewed by ZebulonXZogg from Illinois

3.96/5  rDev -3.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
Thin dark brown pour, khaki head fades quickly. Snot locker gets a "nutty" aroma, with hints of chocolate. Taste buds say nuts, chocolate, burnt sugar and some coffee. Body is thin, lacks carbonation. This definitely exceeded my expectations.
Monday at 11:55 PM
 
Rated: 4.49 by LXIXME from New Mexico

Aug 08, 2023
Photo of naikwot
Rated by naikwot

2.29/5  rDev -44.4%
look: 3 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2
Vanilla, coffee & chocolate - I don't sense any chestnut... if I wasn't aware, I wouldn't know it was made with it.
Jul 07, 2022
 
Rated: 4.6 by Beecham from California

Apr 19, 2022
 
Rated: 4.17 by WillieThreebiers from Connecticut

Mar 10, 2022
 
Rated: 4.22 by Chuckdiesel24 from Illinois

Oct 22, 2021
Photo of Teika_Takahashi
Reviewed by Teika_Takahashi from California

3.39/5  rDev -17.7%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 2 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5
Look: Super dark brown like really black coffee/coca cola. Small foamy head that disappears.
Smell: Hazelnut coffee creamer, vanilla, caramel, smells like a rich stout beer and barley tea.
Taste: The alcohol taste is very strong, kinda overpowering. Background notes of roasted chestnuts, a little black coffee.
Feel: Creamy, smooth, not much carbonation. Really good mouth feel.
Overall: Honestly, this beer ain't for me chief. It smells AMAZING, but the alcohol taste, at least for me, kinda overpowers all the subtle flavors and I can't stomach more than a couple of sips. UnPog POOPY
Mar 27, 2021
 
Rated: 3.96 by Birdlegs from Washington

Jan 03, 2021
 
Rated: 4.21 by Humanusfermentum from Virginia

Dec 22, 2020
Photo of REVZEB
Reviewed by REVZEB from Illinois

3.89/5  rDev -5.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
Black pour with no head, very flat. Smell does have chestnut but I am getting more bittersweet chocolate, light vanilla, and marzipan. Taste has the chestnut come out of its shell, good roasted malt to pair with the chocolate, soil, vanilla, and floral accents. Feel is flat and thin though, booze is well hidden though, very smooth. A fun beer to try but don't need to have again
Nov 19, 2020
Photo of BerryKumquat
Rated by BerryKumquat from California

3.98/5  rDev -3.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
L: Dark black.
S: Sweet darkneess.
T: A sweet awkward syrup taste.
F: Syrup as a beer.
O: Not an interesting beer.. Ok and workable.
Oct 16, 2020
Photo of ChainGangGuy
Reviewed by ChainGangGuy from Georgia

4.03/5  rDev -2.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
11.2 ounce bottle - $6.99 at Total Wine & More in Kennesaw, Georgia.

Best After: JAN 2020.

Appearance: Pours a very dark brown body with a quarter inch of steadily dissipating tanned fizz.

Smell: A malty-scented roasty barley dark breadiness given sweetish, light albeit well-integrated accents of dark treacle, vanilla, coffee and chocolate against a backdrop of cooked nuts. There's a little sniff of alcohol there, though it seems appropriate; it just feels right.

Taste: Black bread, flourishes of dark sugars, instant coffee and vanilla, with a meager scattering of chocolate chips. This leads into a caramel-coated, earthy nuttiness, fruity esters and a peppery alcohol element. Finishes a bit sweetish though with a lingering chestnut quality and mild perceived bitterness, be it a product of the roasted grains, chestnuts, alcohol or some combination of the three.

Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied. Medium carbonation. It's faintly sticky and smooth, but the body feels somewhat lighter than anticipated. This isn't a quibble, more of a compliment, really, as a parade of contemporary gloopy, oozing stouts can throw one's perceptions off.

Overall: Not a bad lil' beer.
Aug 10, 2020
 
Rated: 4.49 by jmbeerdude91 from Arizona

Apr 11, 2020
 
Rated: 4.17 by bigpoppa67 from Wisconsin

Feb 08, 2020
 
Rated: 4.15 by BlueSpader from Washington

Nov 17, 2019
Photo of superspak
Reviewed by superspak from North Carolina

4.15/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
330 ml bottle into tulip glass, 2019 vintage. Pours opaque dark brown/black color with a 1 finger fairly dense and fluffy khaki head with solid retention, that reduces to a thin ring of lace that lingers. Light spotty soapy lacing clings on the glass, with a light amount of streaming carbonation. Aromas of big milk chocolate, cocoa, chestnuts, caramel, brown sugar, toffee, vanilla, cream, toasted biscuit, and dark/brown bread; with lighter notes of coconut, coffee, licorice, molasses, dark fruit, smoke, wood, herbal, grass, pepper, and yeast/roast/toasted earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of dark/roast/bready malts, chestnuts, and light earthy hop/fruity yeast notes; with big strength. Taste of big milk chocolate, cocoa, chestnuts, caramel, brown sugar, toffee, vanilla, cream, toasted biscuit, and dark/brown bread; with lighter notes of coconut, coffee, licorice, molasses, dark fruit, smoke, wood, herbal, grass, pepper, and yeast/roast/toasted earthiness. Very mild herbal, woody, grassy, spicy, roasted bitterness on the finish. Lingering notes of milk chocolate, cocoa, chestnuts, caramel, brown sugar, toffee, vanilla, cream, toasted biscuit, dark/brown bread, coconut, coffee, licorice, molasses, dark fruit, smoke, wood, herbal, grass, pepper, and yeast/roast/toasted earthiness on the finish for a while. Awesome complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/roast/bready malts, chestnuts, and light earthy hop/fruity yeast flavors; with a solid roast/hop bitter/sweet balance; and no cloying/acrid/astringent flavors after the finish. Lightly increasing dryness from lingering bitterness. Light-medium carbonation and medium-full body; with a very smooth, creamy/silky/velvety, and lightly sticky/chalky mouthfeel that is fantastic. Minimal warming alcohol for 9%. Overall this is an outstanding flavored imperial stout. All around awesome complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/roast/bready malts, chestnuts, and light earthy hop/fruity yeast flavors; very smooth and dangerously easy to drink for the big ABV, with the mildly bitter/drying finish; amazingly soft/silky feel. Fantastic balance of super rich malt complexity and chestnut flavors; with mild earthy hops and fruity yeast. Not overly sweet/heavy from lingering dryness. A highly enjoyable offering, and outstanding style example.
Oct 19, 2019
 
Rated: 4.21 by Sky_Wee

Oct 08, 2019
 
Rated: 4.25 by paulish from New York

Oct 05, 2019
 
Rated: 4.21 by Furlinator from California

Sep 29, 2019
Kuri Kuro (Dark Chestnut Ale) from Hideji Beer
Beer rating: 91 out of 100 with 60 ratings