North Island Stout by North Island Beer

North Island Beer is, as you may have guessed, a brewery from the northern island of Hokkaido. Specifically Sapporo. You’d expect beers from North of the Wall would be hearty, robust and good for winter swigging. And, well, you’d be right. North Island Stout is a stout though. And I am not a fan of the lactic cheesiness often found in stouts. Judgement is at hand!

Ranks high on the schnozzometer

North Island Stout Nose and Flavour

There were approximately 100% fewer explosions opening this particular stout than others (cough, *amaou*, cough cough), and although I am notoriously shitty at pouring stouts I didn’t have to wait an epoch for the head to diminish. There’s a faint head of chocolate and coffee on the schnozzometer (iPad tried to correct that word to “schnozzola”, what rubbish).

North Island Stout is mild and smooth, without the bitter bite back. I feel like I’m writing cigarette ad copy in the 1960s. In my notes I’ve written “drinkable”, but what the hell does that mean? (Full disclosure, I’m catching up on my backlog right now so I drank this beer a few months ago. I’m drinking Kirin right now like a fuckin’ pleb.)

Drinking this, there’s a good coffee flavour. Chocolate too, and although the lacto monster rears its Gorgonzola head initially, it doesn’t linger. Good riddance to bad cheese (that’s two cheese references in two reviews, nice going Robson.) There’s no uncomfortable heady buzz, but it’s not thin and watery either. It’s a good median.

North Island Stout One line review

Pleased with this. It’s nicely balanced, and has the requisite balls/ovaries to be worthy of the “stout” label. From my notes: “Snice!”

Where to Buy North Island Stout

North Island Stout can be bought from the North Island Brewery homepage here. It can also be bought as part of a six-pack or as a single bottle from CraftBeers here.