Shiga Kogen 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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Shiga Kgen beers are produced by a sake brewer in Nagano, Japan who just started making beer within the past 4-6 years. Apparently, they grow their own hops and have a knack for releasing quality brews year round. Their pale ale is one of the best in Japan. Smooth, malty character with a nice medium-bodied mouthfeel. Nice lingering bitter finish exemplifies the perfect balance. Superb in every way.

UPDATED: MAY 20, 2013 Aroma: floral, citrus, peach, apricot, orange, light pineapple, some earthiness and grain. Flavor: starts with orange peach, and apricot, followed by grainy malt with the underlying bitterness coming out on the mid-palate. Finishes with lingering fruit, grain and a growing bitterness. Comment: great interplay of fruit and bittering that lasts nearly 30 seconds. A medley of Fresh fruit salad on the nose. A superb pale ale that shows off the malt. Dry hopped real ale version at Eni-bru Aroma: light orange Flavor: orange and grapefruit with light bitterness. Comment: light-medium body with very smooth mouthfeel. 37pts.

Tap at Popeye. Clear light amber colour, little head. Aroma is lightly hoppy, bit of grain. Taste is nicely bitter, light citrus hints, slightly spicy maltiness. Very easy drinking. Solid.

Orange/ amber hue, medium white head. Nose is floral and citrous hop aroma. Bit of pine. Taste is citrous, bit of grapefruit, and then giving way to a nice sweet malt finish. Good interpretation of an American pale ale.

Bottle from Yamaoka. Handsome dark golden brown, delicious aromas of hops, some caramel. Rich and satisfying without being the slightest bit overdone in any way. Remarkable balance, if a little lacking in complexity. Not quite as incredible as their IPA, but still a beer of very high quality.

This was the 2008 "Fresh hop" version with aroma hops that they grew themselves added. Bottle from Yamaoka. Dark copper with almost no head. Fruity, very hoppy aroma with lots of citrus, some pepper, caramel. Fruity, very hoppy flavor. Caramel in the back ground. Much more hop aroma than the regular version, and on the whole, that much nicer. A good PA made better.

330 ml bottle. Dark amber colour. Hazy. Tall off-white fluffy head. Rich apricoty malts. Crisp malt aromas. Nutty. Distinct piney hop flavour. Grassy and floral. Grapefruity. Flavours are very rich with nice nutty malts. Rather complex malt bill for a pale ale. More malts than hops in the flavour. Finishes dry with a grassy hop finish.

Bottled, shared by the Nippon fraction of OMH. Dark golden with a small white foam. Crisp and dry aroma of flowers, orange-peels and grass. Medium to light-bodied with dryish notes of grapefruit and orange-peels with sweeter undertones of cookies. Crispy and hoppy finish of wet grass and orange-peels.

thanks TimE! / bright, citric, slightly earthy and spicy, bready aroma; hazy orange-brown body, small lingering white head; spicy, orange-citrus-lemon, earthy flavor; nice malt-hop mixture; good beer!

Medium offwhite head. Hazy orange body. Deep firm caramelly malty aroma with notes of straw and hops. Dry medicinal straw and hops malt taste with light mango hop notes. Caramelly. Dry medicinal aftertaste. Very nice! Definitely US-inspired. (0.33l bottle from the bus station in Matsumoto.)