Kujukuri Ocean Beer Stout is a 7% unfiltered stout from Kankiku Shuzo.
Kujukuri beers are curiously prevalent in my local area, I suppose because I live near the sea. I’m not sure how easy they are for Rob to pick up, but I have about four different places in my town where I can buy them. They’re not even that special, either. And Kujukuri itself doesn’t even have a train station. Or any highway connections. Do they just throw the bottles in the sea and hope the Pacific current washes them up on the Shonan shore?
I did some research on this beer’s hometown, as you can see. The odd name- translating as “Ninety-nine ri“- refers to the length of the beach. “Ri” is an old unit of measurement equating to about 600 metres, and the beach is 66 kilometres long. It’s also known as “Little Hawaii” which is almost as ridiculous as Enoshima being the “Miami Beach of Japan”. Like I mentioned, it’s not connected to any major artery, so seems like a pretty chill place to visit as it takes some effort to get there. Also there’s a sardine museum. Sardine museum.
Kujukuri Ocean Beer Stout Aroma and Taste
Kujukuri Ocean Beer Stout pours out energetically, with a big beige head and a pitch black body. The head settled down to the usual centimetre of foam. I was glad to note that my iPhone light couldn’t penetrate its inky depths- a good sign of a thick stout. I’m always let down when I can see the light through the beer. I love a beer with a bit of meat on it.
The nose is sweet and caramel-ish, as well as smoky and bitter from the roast malts, obviously. Tasting it, there’s a dryness to the beer straight away. I’m also getting a lot of dried fruit from it, prunes or raisins. It doesn’t taste like a 7% stout. The aftertaste is of toasted coconut, as well.
As it approaches room temperature it gains that odd cheesy whiff that I just don’t understand about some stouts. I can’t find “cheesy taste in stouts” anywhere online, by the way. It seems to just be in my weird mouth.
Kujukuri Ocean Beer Stout: The Bottom Line
This beer hasn’t got a good score on Ratebeer, and of course the best way to find if something is good is to see what a whole bunch of random strangers thought about it. Personally, I enjoyed it, and as it’s unfiltered you can put it in a cupboard and get some interesting funk going on it in a year or so. It isn’t a must-have, but it’s a fine beach or park beer.
Where to Buy Kujukuri Ocean Beer Stout
Kujukuri Ocean Beer Stout can be bought online at the following places:
