Asahi Stout
Asahi Breweries Ltd

 

Overall taste is really good and fresh.
not too strong and it is intensely aromatic and flavorful

The aroma is quite bold and pleasant—lots of rich molasses, some sourness, dried fruit, a subtle metallic quality, and a caramel undertone. Pours a large, bubbly, deep tan head with good retention; the body is black and opaque; leaves Swiss cheese lacing. The flavor is smoky, roasty, and tar-like; the 8% alcohol is quite noticeable; there is also molasses, black cherry, a sharp woodiness, and earthy bitterness. It has a medium body with an almost oily texture, low carbonation, and a dry, syrupy finish.

This is certainly an intriguing number from an otherwise unremarkable brewery. It is intensely aromatic and flavorful, but unconventionally so, which left me somewhat flabbergasted at first. I must say however that I find it strangely appealing in its dark and sophisticated nature. The alcohol is a bit much for my tastes personally, but I otherwise enjoyed this one considerably.

 

 

A: Pitch black, beautiful brown head that settles into a perimeter lacing.

S: Roasted malt and molasses.

T: Pretty much like the nose and generally quite nice--dark roasted malts and molasses (brown sugar?). I don't care for the sickly sweet aftertaste...reminds me of some of the Baltic porters that are too sweet for my liking.

M: Smooth and effervescent.

I bought this in Japan, so it was fresher than some of the bottles reviewed here. It's nice that Asahi is once again promoting their stout and their black beer because their ubiquitous "ultra dry" pilsner is thoroughly average.

Pour an opaque ebony that would be opaque thanks to filtration if one had a brighter lamp. The 1cm mocha head dissipates quickly, and their is no lacing to speak of. Though the carbonation is so great it continues to fizz for quite a while.

The smell is sweet with a mineral note, like blackstrap molasses.

The taste is great, and would get the highest score if it were just a bit more assertive. A wonderful deep, roasted coffee/caramel taste with a touch of hop bitterness.

The mouth feel is fine, with a tickle of carbonation on the tip of the tongue, a thick, substantial swallow, and a warming acohol feeling on the back of the tongue.

A truly fine stout that should be better known, but even most residents of Japan never encounter this one.

A - This starts with 1 finger of dark creamy chocolate milk head. There is almost no lacing. The beer bubbles even after a while after the pour is done. And the beer is dark brown almost opaque, but with lots of macro-filtered clarity. It comes in bottle that unlike the asahi silver bottles is brown-labeled. The current BA picture is a bit off.

S - Chocolate malt sweetness and roasted malt bitterness. No yeast. The malt gives this great smell, but this loses a few points for a burnt BBQ grill covered in pond scum smell. Definitely some off flavors made it into this batch.

T - There is a crystalline granular sweetness that almost has a minty cool taste, this is probably the alcohol. This goes away quickly into a roasted malt and mild hop after tastes that hangs around bit longer than it's welcome. "Oh whoops!" I stepped in something. There's that swamp muck taste again. Off flavors aside, overall the balance is good for a one hop one malt beer.

M - Smooth with body, but not enough of either one. They got close but didn't quite nail it on mouth feel.

D - This is a good beer with strong body and different flavors. It's a solid stout and is much much better than it's main domestic macro competitors like Sapporo and Kirin. But this beer lacks character. It's getting there, but needs more.

A- Dark amber color. Slight lacing, but head tapers down from 1-finger too fast.

S- Roasted malt, rye bread.

T- Initial taste is of roasted malt, then brief bittering hops, and finally, a very pleasant, creamy anise and peat aftertaste remains.

M- Medium-thick, creamy texture in spite of the lack of any head.

D- This stout truly stands out against its competitors in the Japanese macrobrew market. Hops are too weak for a nice, balanced stout. However, lack of bittering hop and low alcohol make it easy to drink. I especially appreciated the lovely, creamy anise/peat aftertaste that beckons me to take another gulp.

for my 100th review, i am entering a recent review from notes. asahi stout. this review is keeping the style in mind, but ultimately it's a review for a japanese macro. and a damn good one.

asahi makes a stout? and it's 8% abv?! pours into my guinness pint glass a solid black with a beige head that dies down immediately to a tiny, thin, swirly layer on top. almost zero lacing. i have to admit, i'm so skeptical all the way through the pour and smell, i keep expecting this to be simply black super dry. but the smell has a lot going for it. dark, ripe fruits and coffee. almost a creaminess in the smell, like a hint of vanilla. i'm surprised and impressed. as it warms, this brew smells even more potent, making it incredibly hard to believe this is made by asahi.

taste is just missing something. Not bad, but a bit of a let down after the good job it did with the nose. perhaps too bitter, it's not what you expect from a stout. medium to thin mouthfeel, just doesn't have that delicious mouthfeel of a good stout. it is, however, highly drinkable. i prefer echigo stout, a better balanced, and overall better beer. but this is much cheaper, and with a higher abv than guinness. i will definitely get this again. recommended!

A - Pour black body with tight brown head.
S - Very rich molasses and tamari aroma,
T - Slightly sweet charred malt aroma. More acidic than bitter. Molasses, old coffee, and cheap cocoa. Light on the bitterness.
M - Very smooth mf. Hides its 8% abv beautifully.
D - A very smooth and nice stout.

Sampled on tap at Popeye in Tokyo.

This "stout" poured black as soy sauce, with creamy, light brown foam that settled relatively rapidly. The smell was very faint roasted malt. The taste was slightly sweet, though light on flavor. There were hints of caramel, cocoa, and hops. The mouthfeel was smooth and relatively clean, with medium body and low carbonation feel. There was a lingering sweet aftertaste. This was an OK beer, though not very typically "stout like".