Swan Lake Imperial Stout is a 10% imperial stout from Hyouko Yashiki No Mori, based in Niigata, Japan. It’s part of their winter lineup and can be found in both bottles and on tap across Japan. Not much else is known about Swan Lake Imperial Stout.
Swan Lake Imperial Stout Aroma and Taste
The funny thing about Swan Lake Imperial Stout is that we’ve tried other variants of it in the past, most notable the Swan Lake Barrel Aged Imperial Stout, which was rated as one of the, if not the, best beers that Swan Lake produce. So it was only natural to want to try this beer but it was actually much harder to find than the Barrel Aged version.
Swan Lake Imperial Stout poured out a pitch black colour with a large frothy tan-like head on top that faded to an oily slick and a few bubbles around the outside of the glass. There was a huge aroma of chocolate and coffee coming off the beer, along with some hints of black malts, but thankfully the acrid notes that are usually associated with black malt had been left in the brewery. Some roasted caramel came through once Swan Lake Imperial Stout had been given the time to warm up but it’s an imperial stout – very hard for me to give them some time.
The body to Swan Lake Imperial Stout was smooth and roasted, with chocolate and coffee, along with some caramel coming through too. The full-bodiedness of the beer carried the alcohol well and there was no discernible levels of heat from the 10% of alcohol – very dangerous but also very nice. The aftertaste was creamy and coffee-like which made Swan Lake Imperial Stout even more drinkable.
Swan Lake Imperial Stout The Bottom Line
If it wasn’t for the barrel aged version, Swan Lake Imperial Stout would be the best beer from Swan Lake. Right now, it’s a very close second.
Where to Buy Swan Lake Imperial Stout
Swan Lake Imperial Stout can be bought online at the following places:
