Tokyo*
BrewDog

Tokyo*Tokyo*
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From:
BrewDog
 
Scotland, United Kingdom
Style:
American Imperial Stout
Ranked #1,743
ABV:
16.5%
Score:
89
Ranked #12,033
Avg:
3.97 | pDev: 14.61%
Reviews:
293
Ratings:
802
Status:
Active
Rated:
Sep 10, 2023
Added:
Aug 29, 2009
Wants:
  95
Gots:
  261
The irony of existentialism, the parody of being and the inherent contradictions of post-modernism, all so delicately conveyed by the blocky, pixelated arcade action have all been painstakingly recreated in this bottles contents. This imperial stout is brewed with copious amounts of speciality malts, jasmine and cranberries. After fermentation we then dry-hop this killer stout with a bucketload of our favourite hops before carefully ageing the beer on French toasted oak chips. It is all about moderation. Everything in moderation, including moderation itself. What logically follows is that you must, from time, have excess. This beer is for those times.

90 IBU
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by jondeelee:
Photo of jondeelee
Reviewed by jondeelee from Massachusetts

4.79/5  rDev +20.7%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Note: This is a review of "Tokio" with a red asterisk--the 18.2% ABV version--as opposed to bottles with the "Tokyo" spelling, with a white asterisk, or sans asterisk altogether. The beer--subtitled an "intergalactic fantastic oak aged stout"--is noted on the label as having been brewed with cranberries and jasmine, then dry hopped and aged on French toasted oak chips.

Tokio begins with the kind of aroma that lets you know your tastebuds are in for an ass-kicking (as if the 18.2% ABV wasn't enough): huge sugary malts, bursting with crystallized sugars, fig and port aromas, oranges, brown sugars, molasses, candied dried fruits, cognac, and anise, and rosewater hops which add a heaping dose of pine and grapefruit.

On the tongue, the beer begins with a sugary-sweet lure of brown sugars, raisins, and figs, then takes a sudden plunge into the bitter and dark, bringing in paralyzing doses of, in order, black malt, espresso, tobacco, ash, whiskey, cognac, and vodka, as the brew lingers on the tongue, the flavors change, and the sugars die off to reveal the massive alcohol content. I'm not exactly sure where the cranberries and jasmine come into play, as my tongue is overwhelmed by these darker, more alcoholic flavors (perhaps they help temper them?), but the presence of the oak chip aging definitely adds overtones of wood and char. Even the hops, coming in at 90 IBUs, take a backseat to the malts, and are mostly noticeable late in the mouthful, especially in the long-lingering aftertaste, where they are accompanied by chocolate and black malts, with hints of whiskey. Mouthfeel is an alcoholic medium-heavy, and carbonation is medium-light.

Overall, I'm impressed by the craft of this beer, as it's difficult to imagine how so many flavors have been crammed into one bottle. The mix feels supersaturated, the ingredients fighting for attention, but simultaneously working in harmony. This is, however, a sipping beer, and definitely not for the faint of heart. The sheer levels of alcohol and flavor in this would, I suspect, make a guzzler quite sick, and I doubt the casual beer drinker would appreciate (much less like) what they're tasting. But if you're on the lookout for something impressive, daring, and cutting-edge, this is certainly a good place to start.
Jul 31, 2011
More User Ratings:
Photo of Weizenmensch
Reviewed by Weizenmensch from Japan

3.65/5  rDev -8.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
Wow. Tastes like every exotic flavour or aroma I've ever smelt or tasted, all in the one glass. 18.2% version brewed 9/8/21 and bought from a reputable stockist who stored it properly.

Out of the fridge for an hour at room temperature, on the cool side of lukewarm. Presents well, sticky lacing, of course head retention is poor though. Smell is highly alcoholic - reminds me of sweet potato shochu. Buckwheat notes. Pudding flavours - molasses, date, fig, licorice, cinnamon, plum, ashes. Unbalanced and OTT - BrewDog's specialty! Mouthfeel is oily and slippery in a good way.

Overall it exceeded flavour expectations, but there's no balance or outstanding qualities. A bit of a disappointment for the price. It's drinkable, but a paean to excess, per the description.
Sep 10, 2023
 
Rated: 4.1 by smi69 from New York

Jul 07, 2023
Photo of FLima
Reviewed by FLima from Brazil

4.24/5  rDev +6.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
I bought this 10 years ago in one of the few BrewDog bars in UK. 18.2 abv version, 21mar22 best before date.
Jet black color, practically with no head, which has a caramel color.
Delicious aroma with notes of strong cocoa, lots of licorice, oak, cranberries, rum, coffee and other red and dark fruits.
Flavor with notes of chocolate, a good deal of blackcurrants and red fruits, oak, licorice, honey, caramel, vanilla, cola, fig jam, rum and ending with citrusy and herbal hops. Dry, liquorous and bitter aftertaste. 90 IBUs are now not able to dominate its malty body. It is more of a companion here.
Full liquorous body with faint carbonation. Alcohol of 18,2% is now quite tamed.
Very complex Imperial Stout that runs on the syrup and fruity track. Beer to be aged, I saved it for ten years and still could keep going for much longer. Interesting that time has given old rum nuances to it.
Try this in both room temperature and cold.
Apr 17, 2022
 
Rated: 4.4 by DvdP from Netherlands

Nov 17, 2020
 
Rated: 3.9 by nwhittin from Indiana

Jun 27, 2020
Photo of stcules
Reviewed by stcules from Italy

4.22/5  rDev +6.3%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
18.2 ABV.
Black, a veil of foam quickly disappearing.
In the smell a lot of toasted malt, fruit in alcohol. The alcohol is present, but less than you can expect froma 18 ABV beer.
Whisky notes, wood, light smoked notes.
Smooth, dry fruits, artichoke, soy sauce. Bitter herbs. Bourbon, Raisins.
Chiocolate, liquorous, dry figs, dark fruit, charred.
A great beer.
Apr 10, 2020
 
Rated: 4.27 by imnodoctorbut from Texas

Dec 18, 2019
Photo of kitch
Reviewed by kitch from Hong Kong

3.33/5  rDev -16.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 2.75
A 330ml bottle with a best before date of 29th January 2026. Poured into a snifter glass.

Appearance: Black in colour with a thin brown head that dissipated fairly quickly and left only sparse lacing.

Aroma: Chocolate, coffee, licorice, dark malt, light char, oak, hints of dark fruit.

Taste: Sweet, caramel, syrupy, licorice, chocolate, dark fruit, raisin, prunes, cranberry and alcohol.

Mouthfeel: Syrupy, full bodied with soft carbonation.

Overall: As it warmed to a more Imperial Stout ‘ideal’ temperature, it actually became too sweet and syrupy for my liking. I actually enjoyed it more when the cold numbed and toned it down a bit. The combination of sweet and syrupy was just too much for me even just sipping, as there wasn’t enough roastiness to balance it.
Nov 27, 2019
Photo of SHODriver
Reviewed by SHODriver from North Carolina

4.25/5  rDev +7.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
A: Poured into a snifter to a black beer which is topped by a half finger of dark tan head which fades slowly to a collar around the edge of the glass with minimal lacing.
S: Smells of tart cranberries, oak, bitter dark chocolate, faded hops, and some roasted malts
T: Taste is slightly tart cranberries up front with some chocolate and oak, bitter roasted malts with some charred wood and burnt sugars. Tart cranberries are slightly forward but the other flavors are able to come through well. On the swallow there's more chocolate and oak, cranberries, warming alcohol, roasted malts, and dark roasted coffee.
M: This beer is fairly full in body with a slightly creamy body. Carbonation is low but adequate for the style while the beer has a drying finish.
O: Overall this is a pretty interesting beer. It's pretty good, but it's definitely a monster of a beer. Huge flavors and a crazy amount of complexity make this one a very pleasant drink. Worth a try if you can find it and like big beers.
Oct 17, 2019
 
Rated: 3.94 by FNMURRAY

Sep 26, 2019
Photo of siskiyoucellar
Reviewed by siskiyoucellar from Oregon

4.4/5  rDev +10.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
An exceptional beer experience. This one is about eight years old, so the review reflects that serious level of aging. Dark garnet brown in the glass, very little head. Aroma is boozy craziness, honey, candied fruit and biscuity malts coming through at the edges. Taste explodes onto the tongue with blasts of raisins, brandied cherrys, brown sugar and espresso. Feel is really near perfect, viscous yet crisp, sliding over the tongue. A real classic from Brewdog, who have a deep understanding of extreme beers.
Mar 19, 2019
Photo of Radcpa
Reviewed by Radcpa from Washington

4.27/5  rDev +7.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Dark brown appearance with slight head. Aroma is a dark fruit raisin. Taste is also a dark fruit raisin and perhaps cherry without any hint of alcohol aftertaste.
Feb 14, 2019
Photo of doktorhops
Reviewed by doktorhops from Australia

4.05/5  rDev +2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5
Hello Tokyo*! This big boy from them-dogs-that-brew is a 16.5% ABV behemoth of an American Imperial Stout with some intriguing ingredients listed on the label: cranberry, jasmine, vanilla – are we really going to taste these components in a 16.5% Imp-Stout? Well, I’m game to give it a try – if only to tell you about it (see what I’m willing to do for my readers? Extra mile and all that). Well, let’s ‘ave at it!

Poured from a 330ml bottle into a Duvel tulip.

A: She looks pretty black, like the deepest darkest depths of the Mariana trench (which makes me feel like seafood pizza for some reason) and a ring of tan bubbles on the surface – murky and ominous AF. 8/10.

S: Fruity, funky and roasty with aromas of: roasted espresso coffee, red coffee cherries, raisin, cranberry, prune, woody tones and a touch of vanilla in the background – bit of a fruitcake-heavy aroma for an Imp-Stout (throw in a dash of ™mite for a bit of that yeast spread goodness). Heavy stuff, I’m steeling myself for that first sip – it’s been a while since I’ve touched a beer this strong. 8/10.

T: Pretty f__ken smooth given the ABV! Flavour profile begins soft and sweet with a jammy fruitcake (raisin, cranberry and prune), mid-palate roasted espresso coffee, light floral hint (jasmine you old dog), oak tones, vanilla, dash of ™mite and a nice even-keeled bittersweet finish. Right on the money with that bitter/sweet balance too. This is a real BrewDog corker – did not expect the ABV profile to be this smooth (that said I’ve had this beer in the stash for about a year – it’s hardly fresh and had plenty time to mellow out). 8/10.

M: No real surprises here – just a typically viscous-bodied Imp-Stout™, all heavy and oily-like, it’s good not great, maybe a teeny-tiny bit thin (just a touch!). 7/10.

D: By far the softest 16.5% brew I’ve encountered, props to BrewDog – they clearly know how to stash nana's booze in the fruitcake. I’m curious as to their bigger brews (oh I don’t know, just The End Of History! However I’m not keen on drinking beer from a taxidermied stoat, I’m weird like that – can watch people having heart surgery but I find animal cruelty unsettling). Dis good Tokyo*. 9/10.

Food match: It sips like a fine wine but handles like an Old Ale, game meats or cigars.

*Not sure why BrewDog added the asterisk next to Tokyo*, it’s grammatically confusing to say the least – let me apologise on behalf of those canny Scottish BrewDogz: soz peeps.
Jan 22, 2019
 
Rated: 3.99 by Simon212 from Canada (ON)

Oct 22, 2018
 
Rated: 4.41 by le00metalero from Canada (QC)

Sep 19, 2018
Photo of Avitra
Reviewed by Avitra from California

4.04/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
It's the finish that kills this beer, although not enough to make it not drinkable.
The first thing you notice is the milky smell. It's really nice and comforting, like a good Cafe au Lait in a Parisian corner.

Than the taste comes, which is nice, and milky and has a lot of coffee and vanilla and booze.
Speaking of booze, it's very evident in your head, but not as much in the flavor, the flavor is still rich and velvety and really nice. The main problem is with the finish which is just an unpleasant bitterness, although the more you drink, the more of the nice boozy sweetness comes in, which is actually nice.
Overall this is a very nicely balanced stout. Not too stouty, but really a lot more balanced than that, with a good vanilla, licorice mothfeel and a lot of depth.

Good beer.
Jul 29, 2018
 
Rated: 4.25 by Dutchcraftbeergeek from Netherlands

Jul 28, 2018
 
Rated: 4.75 by sraufstok from Slovenia

Jun 21, 2018
 
Rated: 4.13 by Negrelly from Brazil

Jun 14, 2018
Tokyo* from BrewDog
Beer rating: 89 out of 100 with 802 ratings