Gassan Alt

330 mL capped bottle, thanks IslandHaole! Deep red-mahogany with a thin, white small bubbled head. Sweet fruitiness in the aroma, combining well with a sour bitterness, blackberries, and astringent malt. Grassy bitterness fills the palate with a light sugary sweetness. The sourness fills the mouth and chlorophyll bitterness balances the maltiness nicely. Tasty, indeed.

Bottle. Light brown and transluscent, sickly looking off-white head...naaah, sickly is too harsh a word and it’s not bad enough to earn a demerit from the standard 4. I didn’t like this much after the first few sips, but it really started to grow on me a bit as it warmed up. Dan gives a very good description, it’s a hodgepodge of malty altish type flavors. Very earthy and nourishing...I might even like to drink this warm on a cold night. A little bit of lemon in the finish which seems out-of-place with the rest of the flavors. Not too bad.

It was quite a journey to find this beer! I’d never heard of the brewery before and found one of their beers, (the Pilsner if memory serves me right) at a roadside rest stop in the central eastern prefecture of Yamagata. After quizzing the lady at the counter, she graciously called the brewery and gave me directions. Unfortuantely, they were closing in about 20 minutes and I was 45 mins. away. She made a few calls and found a shop that had several of their beers and off into the cold night I went, venturing down roads few "gaijin" (foriegners) had ever travelled. I found the shop, and this is one of the treasures I bought. And now, on with the rating.... A clear dark Amber color with a medium tan head. Rich loamy, earthy, caramel, malty smell. Sweet, malty, meaty, and a bit of industrial smoke and a touch of cocoa. A light fruity hop follow. Very German tasting. Fuel for an hour and a half drive on unfamiliar roads at night, $3.00, Toll fees to get back on schedule $7.00, drinking a beer no other ratebeerian has tried yet, Priceless!