Nikko Beer

Bottled (BB 07/2009). Golden color, small white head. Skunky hops, light citrusy perfume and apple in the nose. Sweetish corn malts, same perfumic citrus than in the nose and Saaz(?) hops in the flavor. Fresh bottle would probably be quite ok pale lager, this a bit old one was slightly "too exotic".

Bottled (thanks omhper!). Golden colour, mediumsized white head which vanishes quite quickly. Aroma is grainy, a bit grassy and strange skunky notes. Also some ricelike sweetness. Flavour is quite much the same.

My Bottom Line:
Toasted malts all the way once again for this Nikko lager, but unlike their Amber, this one is subdued and storyless, trying too much to emulate the green-bottled macros.

Further Personal Perceptions:
-A veil of foam straddles the straw blond transparency.
-The soft carbonation and decent maltiness create a sufficiently pleasant mouthfeel.
-The total lack of hoppiness is disappointing.
-This is still clean and well-brewed, just not for the pleasure-seeking crowd.

Bottle; thx Tim!

Golden color. Big frothy white head. Cornmeal, toasted malts, sour nose. Mainstream corn beer with little body. No thanks again.

I rated this beer in comparison to other Japanese beers (thats all I’ve had for the past while). It had a very wide range of flavors, while still maintaining the simple, crispness that most beers of Japan have. It was also fairly hoppy, which was quite a surprise.

Tried from bottle in Nikko, 26/09/2005, a lovely area about 1.5 hours north of Tokyo. This beer was a most welcome divergence from other non-offensive Japanese macro-brews. Real grassy tones to it with a good balanced fruity taste. For me it is more in the style of a Pilsner, similar to a DAB. Beer suits the cooler climate and earthy nature of the area.

Cloudy yellow. Smooth with a light orangish taste. Sister brought this back from Japan for me. Pleasently surprised.

Bottled. Slightly hazy golden coloured. Aroma of green apples. Some plastic notes, but in the nice way. Fruity and light. Slightly thin.