Gargery23 Black by beerStyle21 Inc.

Gargery23 Black is a limited edition 7% stout from BeerStyle Inc.. Never heard of them? Neither had we until a short drinking in Ebisubashi, in Ebisu. The owner knew we liked craft beer and pulled out this beer for us to try. It’s brewed using crystal malt as well as chocolate malt in the mashing in process and then aged for sixty days in the fermentation tanks. At the time of writing, I’ve only come across this in bottled form only.

A random beer appeared one night in Ebisu.

Gargery23 Black Aroma and Taste

Without having anything to go by on Gargery23 Black, let alone any information in Japanese besides the brewer’s homepage, Gargery23 Black was always going to be an unknown quantity. It seems that BeerStyle Inc. are in the same vein as 10ants brewing and Mikkeller, that is roaming brewers. They will pitch up at a brewery and make a recipe to be sold.

From a bottle, Gargery23 Black poured out a pitch black colour with a slightly off-white head of lively proportions. It had a deep roasted aroma to it with plenty of chocolate but the aromas never really developed. The beer listing on the homepage mentioned “lots of hops were added” but they were difficult to distinguish from the sweetness of the malts. A caramel aroma also came through in the end once it had warmed up though not as potent as the chocolate.

When Gargery23 Black was chilled, the chocolate flavour, along with a mild coffee taste, were mellow and soothing. The alcohol booziness was severely subdued though as the beer warmed up, it became stronger and astringent. It’s a shame as the initial flavours were promising and left a nice amount of sweetness on the aftertaste.

Gargery23 Black One Line Review

Gargery23 Black promised so much but failed to deliver. Another disappointing stout in Japan.

Where to Buy Gargery23 Black

We haven’t seen any online stores that sell Gargery23 Black; however, the are a list of places to drink Gargery beers located here.