Hotaka Alt

Brewed by Eiwa Confectionery Company
Style: Altbier
Hotaka, Japan

Serve in Kölsch/Altbier

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Everything that is wrong with jibiru. Made by a confectionary company?! This is a bland, pissy, hopless slightly caramel malt beer. In it’s defense it becomes more palatable as it warms, but it’s still a big, fat waste of time. 750 yen for 500ml is akin to highway robbery for a product of this caliber.

Bottle. Pours a light brown with no head. A sweet toffe-like nose. Some butterscotch (like the Kolsch), but a grainy dryness balances this out more.

Draught at the brewpub. Pretty, glowing amber-copper color with a fine head. Aroma of cherry, earthy caramel. Earthy caramel flavor, nice grassy, earthy hops, some fruit fruit—cherry. Tasty and dry overall. Tastes like an alt! Decent. A bit too gassy, and too gold, but good enough.

(Nov 05) A clear dark Amber, orange colored brew with a foamy tan head. Smells like a watered down peaty scotch. A bittersweet taste, some malty sweetness, slight smoke and a mild bitter follow. Like popping a penny in your mouth. Not bad but not very exciting. I think I found this at the same place larsga did!

Dark brown colour with a reddish hue. Tall white fluffy head that clings to the glass. Bready flour-like aroma. Sourish aroma, but there is a strong münchener malt aroma. Medicinal. Powdery texture. Dry finish.

Bottled. Dark red beer. Sweetish, rather grainy. A bit of acid, too. All right beer.

Shiny beige head. Deep hazy dark red body. Dry malty cinnamon aroma with papery notes. Dry deep dark malty medicinal taste, kind of acidic. Sharpish, spicy mouthfeel. Dry, chalky aftertaste. Decent. (0.5l bottle from the souvenir shop at the bus stop at the top of the the Skyline road between Matsumoto and Takayama.)