Ise Kadoya Stout
Isekado Brewery

Poured from a recent bottle into the test glass
A - Dark brown ale color, thin off white cap quickly dissipates
S - cocoa powder, some burnt sugar, light toast malts
T - dark malts, some chocolate , not much else
M- Thin, almost sadly thin, a nice dry finish is it’s saving grace
O - Not a great offering, glad to have tried it

 

Rather than come in black, this one is definitively brown, but it creates an almost full inch of lighter brown head.. Aroma dropped some roast, smoke, fire, woodsiness.

Taste, wow, did they blend this with Newcastle brown ale? Just too thin. The roast and char seem to overdo the malt bill. This seems to lack from basic amount of two row and chocolate malt. Too thin, watery, and then at times smokey and brown malt to give it a good semblance of being a stout. I don't have to have them mega thick, I like Irish Dry Stout, but this just was too thin even by thin stout standards.

Enjoyed it but I was in a good mood on my visit to their restaurant in ise.

 

 

 

I picked up this 1pint .9oz brown bottle at the Binny's store in Bloomningdale, IL. No freshness date.

Watch out when you pour this beer. With just a few ounces entering the glass the entire mug filled up with creamy brown foam. It goes down fairly quick though and leaves behind a dark brown liquid brew. For as much of a head that it made, the lacing was disappointing. There is very little of it.

If you're expecting a big roasted malt smell that is so typical of English stouts, you won't find it here. Instead all you get is a weak sour smell and a touch of chocolate.

The flavor does have a bit of roasted malt to it, but not much. It has mostly a watered down coffee flavor with something sour in it rather than any kind of bitterness.

Very thin mouthfeel for a stout with low carbonation. Fairly dry and smooth, but I think the smoothness is due more to the lack of carbonation than any creaminess in the beer.

I won't be buying this one again.

 

 

A very dark, opaque brown body with an immense, thick tan head. Strong lacing in the glass.

An interesting scent of sweetness and bitterness right off. Anise, black licorice, and bitter chocolate. A slight sourness...

Taste has some roasted malt qualities with a of burnt toast, but giving way to a somewhat strange astringency and lactic sourness. There is a fair bitterness towards the end, but that quickly gives way to the sour overtones.

Pretty light body for a stout.

I can't really seeing this as being an English stout. Appearance is there, but the lactic sourness over-rides all the good qualities I would look for in a classic stout style. Lactic sourness seems to be the overarching and dominant characteristic to this stout in smell and taste, and really detracts from what might have been an otherwise nice beer.

 

 

Look: Pitch black with maybe just a trace of brown around the edges. Insane 2 inch head even on an easy pour which tells me this beer is way over carbonated the head has good retention but it was 2 damn inches

Smell: Sour cherries upfront with just a hint of chocolate in the background but the damn sour cherry note is overpowering and off putting

Taste: Upfront is a unique yeast note that is just not very good at all that is then followed up by that sour cherry note and some roasted malt and coffee

Mouthfeel: Way too thin for a stout and way too much carbonation and some what chalky

Overall: Just an awful beer

A: Poured from a bottle to a pint glass. Had a dark brown color and a thick texture. There was an inch of creamy, tan-colored, long-lasting head. Pretty good lacing.

S: A very muted aroma of malt and a little coffee.

T: Tasted of some malt, a little coffee and a tinge of chocolate. Not exactly a dynamic flavor (though the English Stout isn't known for its complexity), but pleasant enough.

M: A good amount of carbonation with a dry finish. Medium-bodied.

O: This is a decent enough stout, but not exactly a great one.

Poured from a pint bottle into me Deschutes tulip...

A - Pours almost black, with a 1 finger brown head.

S - Smells of roasted malts, toffee, and a little molasses.

T - Slightly tart, good roastyness. Almost leaves a coffee aftertaste. There's not that much to the taste sadly.

M - Has a light mouthfeel, slightly watery. For a stout, I was expecting heavier and bigger.

O - Not my ideal stout at all. This actually drinks more like a porter. That's exactally what this drinks like, not a stout.

Poured from the bottle a dark cola color with a massive and rocky beige head leaving behind lots of lacing.

The aroma has a light berry and tropical fruit tartness along with a hint of caramel maltiness.

Tastes of coffee and light berry with a smoky finish.

Thin mouthfeel with a light carbonation.

Not a great stout but definitely an interesting one.

Poured from a 16.9 oz. bottle into a pint glass. Received in the Birthday BIF from ShogoKawada; thanks Phil.

a - Pours a black color with two fingers plus of tan head and moderate carbonation evident. Head lasts for several minutes and leaves no lacing.

s - Smells a bit sour. Some roasted malts and light coffee, but the weird sourness makes the smell unappealing.;

t - Taste is a bit lacking overall. Tastes VERY watered down, and of light coffee and roasted malts. Light sourness like the nose, but not nearly as offensive. A definite step up from the nose, but still not never good.

m - Light body for a stout and moderate carbonation. A watery feel to it.

d - Overall, this is not a great beer. Something seemed very off from the smell but judging by other reviews, I believe this is how the beer is supposed to smell. The taste is very watered down, and the mouthfeel is very light for a stout. Would not seek out again.

Wow, that's a really slender bottle! From a 500 ml size, on to the beer:

We're looking at an ink black colored beer, though a little shine of red hue is found at the bottom of the glass. The thick tanned head on top is attractive, even more so with good head retention. The aroma is extremely odd; I'm getting sour cherry and only a touch of musty brownie chocolate. There's nothing stout about it.

Huh? Why is this slightly sour? And why does this taste devoid of any malt or hops? Even the sour flavor is low in intensity, making for one of the most bland and boring beers I've ever tasted. Possible infection? I sure don't know, usually you can tell on the pour; if you pour a dash and get a glass full of foam, warning! I didn't get that sympton here. To add insult to injury, the mouthfeel, while light bodied and slightly creamy, seems like there's nothing in the body. I'm reminded of filling, tasteless rice cakes in this case.

Let's just get to the point, how do you say "awful" in Japanese?

500ml sleek Euro-bottle, text mostly in Japanese.

This beer pours a pretty solid black, with some thin cola edges, and two fingers of dense foamy beige head, which leaves a smattering of wavecrest lace around the glass in its wake. It smells of powdered chocolate, roasted malt, and bitter floral hops. The taste is burnt, acerbic, woody malt, a bit of coffee and chocolate, very dry on both counts, and bitter earthy hops, noticeable only in their piling on to the dryness party. The carbonation is moderate, if just a bit too evident at times, the body well-weighted, smooth, and a tad creamy. It finishes clean and still quite dry.

A decent enough dry stout, with that hint of mirror-world indeterminate flavour shift that I've come to expect from the recent arrival of Asian craft brews.