Shiga Kogen African Pale Ale

Brewed by Tamamura-Honten
Style: American Pale Ale
Yamanouchi, Shimotakai district, Nagano prefecture, Japan

Serve in Lager glass, Shaker, Tulip

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My Bottom Line:
This APA’s gorgeous hop profile spans from citrus to leaves to flowers, sculpting a starkly-hopped but very refreshing example of style.

Further Personal Perceptions:
-A sheet of foam covers the cloudy blond.
-The finish is resinous with a lingering citrus presence.
-Malts offer straw, but mostly support the relentless hop waves.
-Carbonation is soft and feels natural.
-Given to me blind, I would have guessed this came from a Vermont brewer (Alchemist, Hill Farmstead, Lawson’s Finest, etc.).

On tap at their Teppa Room, and at Shinshu Osake Mura (Tokyo).

Bottle at Shinshu Osake Mura. RBJG#2 Pours a hazy golden with a small white head. Medium bitterness with a light sweetness. Quite hoppy with aromas of pine and resin. Medium bodied. Medium carbonation. Dry finish.

Draught at Craft Heads, Shibuya. Clear fresh citrus hoppy. Light malty. Light flowery. Zesty notes. Nice light toasted notes. Very nice and pleasant.

Randon insertion of a continent into a beer name, with no obvious connection. Hazy golden color, thick white head., solid lacing. Aroma of fruity citrus. Taste is bitter lemon.

Tap at Popeye, Tokyo. Opaque yellow colour with a small quickly vanishing head. Weak citric hop aroma with malt and wheat. Flavour is mild hops, citrus, orange, fruits.

Aroma: Ruby grapefruit, floral, wheat and grain, yeast Palate: Good mouth feel Flavor: Ruby grapefruit, floral, light lemon, yeast. Moderate lingering bitterness.

Draught at Tadg’s Kyoto and Bungalo Kyoto for confirmation. Pleasant but weak aroma. Inescapable bite at the front. Really pleasant experience and an ideal first beer of the night. It wears on you as a drinking session goes forth.

Tap at Popeye. Very pale blond not much head at all. Aroma very fruity, orange, tropical, hoppy. Not massive smell but quite nice. Taste initially lots of tropical fruit, further down, spiky citrus bitter, grapefruit, orange, some pineapple after bitterness fades. Biscuity malt. Very nice lemon flavour towards end. Spritzy but not gassy. Initially felt a bit thin, but full of body and flavour after a few dips. Nice.

light golden color. Lots of tropical fruit and brimming with hops. Not much backbone. A fun, light refreshing pale ale that doesn’t take Itself too serious. Really enjoyed this beer. Hope to see it again.

POW - the aroma leaps pout of the bottle! Excellent hop salad nose. Very pungent. Average looking. Lots of citrus rind, some lemon and tropical fruit. A bit oliy. As with most of these low alochol hop bombs the body isn’t really up for it, so it does get that slight dishwasher fluid taste i get from these kind of beers. Still very good.