Chateau Kamiya Pilsener

Brewed by Chateau Kamiya
Style: Pilsener
Ushiku-shi, Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan

Serve in Flute, Footed Pilsner

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I found this to be the least engaging of the CK beers. Very malty in a german vein, without a big enough hop dose to balance it. I like my pils big and hop bold or soft and smooth in the czech style. This really needs a bit of tweaking IMHO.

Bottle, mail order from the brewery. Deep golden color with a tall, fine head. Clear. Relatively rich, fragrant aroma of malt and hops; fruity, a bit buttery, very good hops. Hop-centered flavor. Malt is no slouch, but the hops are very good and the malt is simple and clean in the background. A bit fruity as well, with just a touch of citrus. Dry finish of malt and hops, not very bitter and very clean, though not “dry” and tasteless. Light, crisp beer with decent flavor and great balance. Very good overall, though not amazingly interesting. Aroma is better than taste.

330 mL ‘pull’ cap bottle…straight from Japan via Santa’s (IslandHaole) USPS box, Cheers!: clear shinning straw, with an incessant mass of streaming bubbles throughout the body…feeding a thin bleached white head. Fresh, Sweet-Tart, white grape juice and candy sugar aroma…wow – refreshing, unique…I like it! Sourish flavours tingle the palate…there is an interesting sweetness that mixes with this bitterness…but in the end lingers a freshness. I really dig the way the fresh and sour flavours play. Well done.

As my much more learned colleagues have mentioned, this is a hazy golden color, but just a slight haze. To me, it has the aroma of one of those handmade honey soaps you'd find at Body Shop or some ritzy shop, or a scented candle. Has an interesting sweet flavors with some tart to balance, as well as the mild hops my European friends mention. I've yet to taste the Helles from this brewer but this is their best of the three I've tried.

The aroma is fresh malty with notes of straws. The color is an unclear light yellow and it has a fine but collapsing head. The flavor is malty sweet with a very dry hoppy end.

Hazy light coloured with a silver shine. Medium bodied. Flavour of rice and wheat.

Hazy light color. Fresh, flowery aroma (lotus, lily), a bit sweet; then a delicate hop. Delicate Witbier (it's a Pilsener brewed with wheat), with a residual sweetness and a good hopping. A nice surprise.
Thanks to Jens (Ungstrup), Jacob (Lövenlund) and all the Danish crew for these rare beers!