Hakusekikan Vintage Ale

Formerly brewed at Hakusekikan Beer/Stone Iwamoto Co.
Style: Barley Wine
Ena-gun, Gifu, Japan

Serve in Snifter

send corrections   |   shelftag   |   edit barcodes   |   add pic

Clear chestnut brown, gentle beige cover, lasting and delicate. Hugely aromatic this one! Beefy honey and port wine notes with full on grape aromas and a touch of apples. Big munich malts onslaught with the nuttiness and toastiness that comes with it, but what sets it apart from beers of similar intentions is the strong vinous character. Neglectable hops throughout even though a mild herbal feel peaks toward mid-mouth. So there you have a complex and unique offering, but its advanced age has started to catch up. Oxidation offers coiny metallic notes in the finish while the hard water makes the whole evolution resting on a rather mineral base. It makes the mouth experience not as pleasant as the smelling, but what an aroma!

12 oz bottle shared. Brown pour with decent head. Very sweet and malty aromas. Dark fruits and molasses. Flavors were more dried fruit and touches of caramel and burnt sugar. Very good.

Bottle sampled at RBSG ’08. Pours with a dark brown body topped by a medium thick head with a good amount of lacing. it’s sweet and malty with a nice caramel, roasted coffee and light chocolate notes. Different fro a barleywine, but, nice. Full bodied, smooth and a touch dry.

12 oz. bottle, 2001 Vintage, courtesy of hogfodder. Pour is brown black with an off white head. Aroma is scotchy, peaty, earthy, burnt fruit sweetness and caramel. Taste is bright sweetness initially, with some citrus bitterness quickly behind. Smokiness throughout, including a nice long finish. Complex and really nice.

12-oz, ’01, thanks, Hogfodder! Hazy dark mahogany with slim gray rim. Big port, toffee, raisin, and oat nose. Light, almost watery body. Orange pith, port, toffee on the mid-palate. Long pithy finish.

UPDATED: OCT 19, 2007 Picked this little gem up at Sugaya. 2001 vintage. Pours dark brown with a minimal tan head. Sweet molasses, malts, roasted malts, chocolate, and milk. Body is a bit on the thin side, but nice. Beautiful flavor. Roasted malts, molasses and caramel, raisins, berries, and the lightest of milk chocolate. Finish is smooth, and roasted. An amazing brew. Definitly mellowed out over the years, hence the lack of any noticeable hops. I wish there was more of this one left out there, but I fear it’s all gone. Outstanding.

Thanks to Capa for this bottle. 2001 Pours a dark brown color with a tan head. Aroma is strong with caramel matls, roasted malts, floral hops, plums, raisons, molasses, and a little chocolate. Has definitely mellowed over the 6 years since it’s been brewed. Flavor is of roasted malts, molasses, plum, raisons, and a slight hint of coffee. Does have a slightly bitter finish with only a touch of alcohol warming. Truely an amazing brew. Probably my favorite of the Japanese brews.

The look: Brownish body with a tan ring of foam
The style: Fruity and hop-less barley wine
The stuff: Super nose, deep and complex of roasted almonds and herbs floating in caramel. Taste is intense caramel concentrate with complex fruity notes of berries, apples, cherries and why not some kiwis. Thrown in a few almonds and a little molasses and there you go. Not much hops presence (could be because the bottle was 6 years old). Superb beer. Hakusekick-ass Vintage Ale.
The how: Japanese themed tasting session at MartinT. Vintage 6 years old bottle from MartinT
In conclusion: Very very nice and fulfilling. Hope to one day find a fresher more hoppy bottle.

UPDATED: SEP 22, 2007 My Bottom Line:
The spectacular offspring of this masterful grain bill should succeed in dazzling the malt lover with its chocolatey plums, caramel raisins and noble vinosity, all in the most comfortably rich mouthfeel. Yes, this is another highly impressive Hakusekikan Barley Wine.

Further Personal Perceptions:
-A veil of foam stays atop the ruby brown.
-This one’s definitely not as vinous as the Super Vintage Ale; might be the same grain bill though, just not the same yeast.
-Cherry fruitiness even develops after a while.
-Alcohol only tickles the throat.
-At 6 years old, this one might be on top of the hill right now, if not slowly on its way down. So drink up!

Bottles from the 2001 vintage; thx Tim!

2001 Vintage. Could be the only year they made it. Apparently sold out in 2003, but can’t really say its retired as there is one beer store in Kawasaki (Sugaya) that has ample supply (that is until my next visit). The dark brown brew struck me like liquid lightening and I thought I went to heaven where everything smelled like molassess, brownies, plums, dark chocolate and grapes. When I took a sip of heaven and tasted port, brownies, dark chocolate, cherries and molassess, I knew I wasn’t dreaming. This is heaven. Then I was thrown back down to earth and only left with plums and very dark chocolate lingering in my mouth. It was REAL I TELL YOU, I WAS THERE. BELIEVE ME!!!!!