Hakodate Alt

Brewed by Hakodate Beer
Style: Altbier
Hakodate, Japan

Serve in Kölsch/Altbier

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On tap at the brewpub. Clear amber with a small creamy tan head. Slightly fruity aroma. Fruit and buttery toffee appear richer in the mouth. Dry finish. Solid enough, though not exactly over~exciting.

On tap at the brewery, 2007. Light amber/copper color. Lighter than usual for the style. Fine, foamy head. Slightly cloudy. Amber, lightly roasted malt aroma, with a bit of nuts and fruit. A bit sweet, a touch of butter. Less complex than the best ones from Dusseldorf. Flavor: buttery, fruity, mellow and round. Sweet, with traces of bubblegum. Not much hopping; a bit too sweet. Malt is not really complex: fruits and sweetness predominate. Can’t really call it a good alt. Not a really bad beer, but different. Too fruity and sweet, though it does have the malty background of an alt. OK, but I am not moved.

My Bottom Line:
This serviceable Altbier provides polite peachy caramel to play with a few wooden hops, but in the end, even though it’s clean and drinkable, it remains Hakodate Beer’s less convincing recipe.

Further Personal Perceptions:
-A veil of foam skirts the hazy amber.
-Body is lean to light, still fine for the style.
-The wooden hop finish is well positioned.
-Citrusy fruitiness aids drinkability.
-If it were as malty as their Ale, we’d be in business.

On tap at the brewery restaurant.