Kirin Heartland

Brewed by Kirin Brewery Company
Style: Pale Lager
Tokyo, Japan

Clear golden. Grassy hoppy with a mild maltiness. Good mouthfeel. Mild flaviour, grassy hops, some maltiness, light sweetness.

bottled. golden, some vanilla malt and hay in the aroma, not as overfizzy as other kirin beers, quite crisp and inoffensive with almost-adequate bitterness

Small white head quickly disappears. Pale yellow body with some carbonation. Light buttery grassy hop aroma. Taste is light and grassy hops with very soft mouthfeel. Some butter also detectable. Dry chalky aftertaste. Not bad, but a bit boring. (0.33l bottle.)

Somewhat skunky lager with some sweetness to it. Good with pizza. In a big 500ml green bottle with no label. Has a corn flavor to it.

Tried at Copa in Machida, Japan. Better than the average (Miller Lite) pale ale. Full 2-finger head. Too mild of an aroma to sense, so I gave it a 2. Mild flavor, a little sweetness and a little corn. I liked it, even though it looks like Bud, but probably won’t order again, because I’ve rated it, and I prefer more flavorful beers. As Michael Jackson said "If I wanted a light refreshing drink, sparkling water will do just fine."

On tap at Wachi in Kyoto. Deep gold with a very fine head. Rather faint aroma of sweetish malts and hops. Nice but too faint and not complex. Good cereal flavor, malts and biscuits, slightly buttery. Decent enough hops. Crisp but creamy, with medium body. Pleasant enough. Much better on tap than in the bottle.

Med golden color, fruity nose, light body with some unidentifiable, but flavourful, fruity hops. The mouth is slightly tart with some green apples and lemon zest. The finish is moderately dry. Good on tap

Bottle. Clear yellow, white head. Wheat, skunk, grass aroma. Flavor is malt and grass.