Echigo Stout | Uehara Shuzou Co. Ltd. / Echigo Beer Pub

3.25/5  rDev -12.2%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25

In my beer vocabulary "drinkable" but lacking in "depth." There is nothing remarkable or noteworthy, but like others have said, more a porter than a stout. Nice roasted maltiness, no chocolate, licorice or coffee that I can detect. Would go well with sushi, I think. No conflicting flavors, but enough body flavor to contrast with the sushi without overwhelming it or, in the case of lagers, just washing it down.

★ 418 characters

3.88/5  rDev +4.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

330 ml bottle. Best before 2016-03-02.

A: Dark brown. Poured 2.5 fingers high of head.
S: Moderate roasted aroma.
T: Moderate chocolate. Moderate roasted flavor. Dry. Moderate bitterness.
M: Medium body. Creamy.
O: In my standard this is a (well made) porter. There are not much roasted coffee characters. In fact, I think it is similar to Fuller's London Porter, with slightly higher alcohol content.

★ 402 characters

3.03/5  rDev -18.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Echigo's Stout. 7% ABV

A: Black in the glass, with dark golden brown in the dimple. 3 fingers of dark tan head. Some slight lacing.

S: Smells over hopped. Also, something I can't quite put my finger on. I wanna think it's some kind of mold? Maybe they used rice and koji in the beer? It's hard to detect the typical stout scents around it.

T/MF: Oh, that's weird. More of the moldy flavor. It's like it's floating on top of a light roastiness. I really do think they incorporated some sake into this, because the odd flavor does remind me of that bland alcohol flavor in almost all sakes I've tried. It's fairly soft, but with a lighter body.

While I appreciate them doing something different, I don't think it works at all.

Poured from a 330mL bottle, into a Belgian tulip glass.

★ 785 characters

3.84/5  rDev +3.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.75

2015-10-17
330ml bottle brought back from NY by @mr-jj. Served in a pair of Georgetown samplers.

Pours black with a small head and medium carbonation. Smell is rich and chocolatey, some yeast and sweetness.

Taste is interesting, some doppelbock-like sweetness, strong chocolate richness, and a nice roasty character.

Mouthfeel is pretty thin and a little watery. Overall, this is a tasty beer. Not bad at all.

★ 413 characters

3.92/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

(Malty) entry opens with red/dark fruits, slightly grape-like even. Tootsie roll chocolate sweetness. Soft hints of dark chocolate. Slightly creamy at the 3/4 palate. Soft, mild bitterness that increases as the beer warms. Hops are woody, earthy, soil with very soft hop spiciness present. Pleasant hoppiness lingers on palate. Body is very thin for a stout. Carbonation is soft. 7% is hidden well. Very drinkable. A standard American stout, good non-the-less. Pricey at the local sushi joint, though.

★ 501 characters

3.89/5  rDev +5.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

Liked this beer write a bit. The biggest problems are that I got absolutely no head when I poured and the mouthfeel is truly lacking.

The color is a beautiful dark copper black, but again no head. The smell and taste both had a hint of bourbon though I don't think this is barrel aged. This hint is why I looked it so much. The mouthfeel is slightly syrupy up front but fades immediately. I really wish it stuck around longer.

★ 432 characters

3.74/5  rDev +1.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

Poured from a brown 11.2 oz. bottle. Has a black color with a 1/2 inch head. Smell is of chocolate, roasted malts. Taste is roasted malts, smoke, chocolate, a touch of sweetness. Feels medium bodied in the mouth and overall is a good quality beer.

★ 247 characters

3.76/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

Appearance - Pours near black with cola brown highlights where light can penetrate. The head is the color of cocoa powder and peaks at 2 fingers thick. Great retention leads to a thick layer of surface suds and a thick ring around the edge. Lacing coats the side of the glass in large spots and exhibits good stick.

Smell - Sweet malt with a roasted edge. Hints of chocolate and metallic earthiness.

Taste - More sweet than roasty. Malty grain sweetness with lesser notes of milk chocolate. Hints of coffee roast and caramel. Low leafy bitterness hits toward the finish, giving the brew a bittersweet aftertaste.

Mouthfeel - Closer to medium in body with a moderate creamy texture and low carbonation. Bone dry finish.

Overall - Drinks more like a Euro Stout, like an Irish Dry, than an American Imperial. I'd recommend it just for the experience, but I'll likely pass on buying it again.

★ 892 characters

3.55/5  rDev -4.1%
look: 2.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

poured smoothly with very little head.
aroma had hints of caramel, malts and coffee. the taste on the tongue was very bubbly , but not over bearing. Definitely not a typical stout feel almost like a pilsner feel. The flavor was pleasant, not overpowering or over bitter but eventually smoothed out at the end.

★ 313 characters

3.78/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Poured a rich black with a thin tan cap of head that quickly receded. Not the best looking stout around, more head would be nice, though the chilled glass it was served to me in may be partly to blame. Scents of roast malt, black coffee, hints of dark chocolate and a very faint metallic aroma. A nice, traditional stout aroma. Taste begins with a large roast malt presence, mingled with dark cocoa powder and bittersweet chocolate with a slight sweetness underlying the roasted and bitter flavors. Roasted malt and bittersweet chocolate dominate the middle of the sip. Finish is heavy on roasted malt flavors, with some black coffee present as well. Aftertaste is rich roast malt. A good, solid stout flavor profile that hits the style notes quite nicely. Mouthfeel is medium bodied with moderate carbonation and a smooth, semi-dry feel. Quite drinkable and very nice. Overall this is a pretty good stout, fitting into the higher ABV classic stout or perhaps the export stout niche quite nicely. A good surprise from Japan.

★ 1,024 characters

3.98/5  rDev +7.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Echigo 'Stout' @ 7.0% , served from a 330 ml bottle purchased for $5.25

A-pour is almost black from bottle to glass with some ruby red peeking out along the glass edge , with a small tan head that is quickly dissapating leaving a minimal lace ring along the pint

S-sweet & boozey , hint of smoke

T-smokey , not that big of an imperial stout , more 'RIS' perhaps , lots of chocolate in a slight bitter finish

MF-ok/good carbonation , full bodied ,

Ov-ok beer , decent imperial stout

prost LampertLand

★ 506 characters

2.78/5  rDev -24.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 2 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 2

A bottle I purchased recently at the Buford Highway Farmers Market. Japan has long been known for their take on stouts, and I was looking forward to trying another example. At first look (and taste) this had all the makings of a very nice stout. Poured quite black with a decent head, but no gusher. Smelled nicely roasty with bitter chocolate and coffee notes. The initial taste had more of that quite nice bitter chocolate, a nice creaminess, a hint of coffee and licorice, some nice roasty notes....and then it went wrong. Mid-palate you get smoke and then at the finish band-aid. This beer, to my taste is infected, or conversely, badly made and contains off flavors that greatly detract from the experience. As far as I could tell, it didn't have a freshness date (although there is a code on the bottle that might be, but if so, I couldn't interpret what it was trying to tell me), and the taste wasn't old....it was of infection. Disappointing, especially as this wasn't cheap. Oh well.

★ 993 characters

3.59/5  rDev -3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours an opaque black with a foamy dark khaki head that settles to a film on top of the beer. Foamy swaths of lace form around the glass on the drink down. Smell is of dark roasted malt, cocoa, and cookie dough aromas. Taste is much the same with cocoa and char flavors on the finish. There is a mild amount of roasty bitterness on the palate with each sip. This beer has a lower level of carbonation with a slightly crisp mouthfeel. Overall, this is a pretty good beer that is tasty but smells a bit better in terms of stout characteristics.

★ 542 characters

4.2/5  rDev +13.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25

Bottle poured into a goblet.

A: Large head that took a while to calm down. Very dark black, a tiny bit of light in the bottom.

S: Sweet, milk chocolate, carmel, slight dark chocolate as well.

T: Starts nice and sweet, milk chocolate is present. Middle is slightly smoky. The smoky sweetness quickly turns to burnt chocolate and dark chocolate, with a slight coffee taste in the finish.

M: Quite creamy, no sign of the alcohol.

O: A solid stout. The overall smoothness and burnt chocolate finish stand out in this one.

★ 526 characters

2.88/5  rDev -22.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Purchased at some wholefoods-type store in central Hong Kong, muled back to Australia for sharing.

Pours a deep, dark reddish-brown colour. Head is beige, nice and frothy when poured, sinks to a thinnish film but leaves a decent sheet of lacing behind. Fairly decent, could be darker.

Smells a little bit roasty, quite sweet but largely dry, with hints of espresso, molasses and licorice. Slight grainy, almost adjuncty sweetness floats over the top, which is unfortunate; the roasty notes that are there should be more prominent.

Taste is unfortunately sweet, and a bit segmented and detached. Lots of flavours coming through individually without a good coherence. Sweet grain, carob, espresso and char, with some vanilla notes and aniseed and black pepper. Put in a logical order, these flavours may have played out to great effect, but it's confused, and finishes very astringently while the predominant flavour is that carob.

Not a lot of body to it; goes down with a smoothness but I really want more substance.

From the brewery that brought me Echigo Pilsener and rice lager, this is an improvement, but for a 6+% stout it's disappointing.

★ 1,150 characters

3.66/5  rDev -1.1%
look: 2.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A: Poured a dark red-brown, and clear (I know because it let enough light through to show me). The head was a half-finger of light brown foam; it might have been thicker if the waitress had been a little bit more aggressive with the pouring.

S: Heavily-toasted grain is the strongest aroma. I think I detect some tamarind or another fruit in the background as well.

T: Tangy burnt malts and sweet molasses are the first and foremost flavors. The taste becomes a little acrid with some late bitterness, but it doesn't linger long on the tongue. The flavors are enjoyable, but not complex.

M: Crisp, refreshing, and decently carbonated, but not as thick as I'd expect from a stout.

O: Is there such a thing as a "light imperial stout?" Although the flavors where there, the intensity was much closer to a middle-of-the-road porter. That's not to say it was bad -- it paired nicely with sushi without stealing the attention from the food. I'd order it again, but only at a Japanese restaurant; there are many better stouts to drink as stand-alones.

★ 1,049 characters

3/5  rDev -18.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

330 mL bottle tried 24 Nov 2011. Served in the 0.4 L Ulmer Munster snifter.

Very small tan head. Medium carbonation. Very dark brown in color with ruby highlights. Light aroma of molasses and ethanol. Starts with burnt dark malts. Some molasses. Bold but not particularly strong flavors. Medium body, warming ethanol. Molasses and burnt sugar dominate. Slightly acrid aftertaste.

Fairly average, on the lighter side for an imperial stout.

★ 441 characters

3.85/5  rDev +4.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Served in a bottle at Samurai Mama in Brooklyn, NY

A: Pours a very dark amber to black in color (almost black) with some reddish hints when held up to the light. The beer has a very thin light beige head that reduces to a very thin ring at the edges of the glass. Light lacing is observed.

S: Aroma is very light with some hints of dark roasted malts.

T: Starts with some dark roasted malts which is the dominant flavor and then there is some light bitterness in the finish.

M: Slightly heavier than medium bodied with moderate amounts of carbonation. Slightly dry in the finish.

O: One of the better Japanese stouts that I have ever tried and pairs very nicely with the earthy flavors of udon soup. Easy to drink and sessionable with the lower than average ABV for the style. Definitely enjoyable and worth a second try.

★ 826 characters

3.51/5  rDev -5.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Bottle at Samurai Mama, Brooklyn, NY

A: The beer is close to being jet black but has a very dark amber appearance when held up to the light. It poured with a few bubbles on the surface and a thin ring around the edge of the glass.
S: There are faint aromas of dark roasted malts in the nose.
T: The taste is very similar to the smell, but has stronger flavors of dark roasted malts.
M: It feels medium-bodied and a bit watery on the palate with a moderate amount of carbonation. There is a little dryness in the finish.
O: The beer is extremely easy to drink for the style and is a nice pairing with udon noodles.

★ 615 characters

3.07/5  rDev -17%
look: 4 | smell: 2 | taste: 3 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

Can brought back from Hong Kong by @LaitueGonflable.

Pours a pleasantly dark, but relatively translucent red-black colour, with a nice fine head of mocha brown. Some lacing sits clearly around the edges of the glass. Body is quite liquid, surprisingly, keeping it fluid and dynamic. Not bad.

Nose is dim and slightly roasted, with a twinge of sweetness, and a rattling dark grain character, like the last coffee bean stuck in the grinder. There's also a hint of unpleasantness to it, something a little like rubbish heaped in a back alley, or leftover rice meal. It rather puts me off the taste.

Taste is thick with molasses and burnt coffee, giving a sweet, husky, crispened flavour, which works nicely against the smooth, slightly creamy and foamy mouthfeel. Very little sweetness, but the feel somewhat makes up for that. Finish is actually quite long, again helped by the feel, leaving some bitter grounds flavours on the back. The feel is really quite exceptionally good. While the flavours aren't as complete and full as they could be, there's very little to fault in how it feels in the mouth.

Looks good, smells quite unpleasant, tastes fine (well, OK at least) and feels sublime. A beer of contrasts. Thankyou.

★ 1,223 characters

3.53/5  rDev -4.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured a deep dark chocolate brown with a sticky 1/2 finger deep tannish colored head that left pretty quickly.Somewhat sweet aromas with caramel dipped fruit and chocolate notes mainly sticking out,roast is there but not real strong.Lighter bodied for the style with dark fruit and unsweetened but not really bitter chocolate flavors,roast creeps as I drank more.More of a sweeter version of the style in my mind,a little light but not all that bad,but for the price I could do better.

★ 486 characters

3.8/5  rDev +2.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Bought a bottle of this from Tanakaya in Mejiro, Tokyo. Poured it into a Baird pint glass. Had a nice dark hue to it with a caramel head that left a cute lacing around the glass. Wonderful scents of caramel, nuts, and hops coming off the top of this, making it a pleasure to drink for all the senses. The taste was spot-on for a dinner of beef or as a dessert beer. However, the mouthfeel was a bit off for me for two reasons: a bit too thin for a stout, and it is a very carbonated beer resulting in excess gas. Overall, this is a tasty beer, but if I were to buy an Echigo brew again, I might prefer their rauch over this stout.

★ 630 characters

3.68/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a 33cl bottle into a snifter. This pours a pitch black color with a large mocha colored head. The smells are a little of coco, dark roasted malts and alcohol. The feel is medium to thick. The taste is okay, not quite a RIS but still good, dark roasted malts, coco and a bit of hop bite.

★ 298 characters

3.58/5  rDev -3.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Japanese Premium Import Echigo Stout, by Echigo Beer Co., ltd., of Niigata, Japan. Purchased here in Seattle at Uwajimaya.

330mL longneck poured into pint glass. Beer is nearly pitch black, with just a hint of red, and a thin brown head. Aroma betrays alcohol and roasty malt -- was this oaked?

The barley blackened by roasting. Surprising level of carbonation, and a heavy but watery rather than creamy mouthfeel. Strong, but not as much alcohol on the palate as in the nose. Pretty good and deep if not particularly complex.

★ 528 characters

3.32/5  rDev -10.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3

A - Fizzy light brown head. Completely dark, jet black color.

S - Light smell of roasted malt, nothing much.

T - Soft, sweet taste of molasses. Ends on a slightly bitter cocoa notes, but somewhat weak.

M - High amount of carbonation. Medium to light bodied.

O - A very light and mellow tasting imperial stout. Probably not worth the $4 for the bottle I got from the Japanese grocery store.

★ 393 characters