Swan Lake Amber Swan Ale

Brewed by Hyouko Yashiki No Mori Brewery (Swan Lake)
Style: Amber Ale
Sasakamimura, Kitakanbara-gun, Niigata-ken, Japan

Serve in English pint, Shaker

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UPDATED: FEB 27, 2013
Draught (5%) @ Bakushu Club Popeye, Tokyo. Rated on 05.09.2011
Light aroma is sweetish, fruity and hoppy with some vanilla. Flavour is hoppy, slightly sweet, fruity but a bit stale. Also some berries. Slightly watery palate, hops linger in the aftertaste. Decent. 6-3-7-2-15=3.3

Cask @ The Aldgate as ”Swan Lake Algate Ale” (sic). Rated on 16.09.2011
Fresh and hoppy aroma with slightly sweet, caramel‐like malt. Flavour has sweetish toffee with some caramel. Hoppy finish. Feels like amber ale. 7-4-7-3-14=3.5

Deep mahogany amber color with grapefruits, citrusy, hoppy nose. Very hoppy for the style, but you won’t hear me complain. The mouth starts incredibly hoppy then glides into sweet maltiness, still definitely hop accented. West Coast all the way. Grapefruit citrusy, mouth definitely cascade. Slightly dry hoppy finish. Note: This beer is known as the Aldgate Amber at the Aldgate pub in Shibuya.

Draft at Ushi Tora (Tokyo). A clear dark amber. A lot of caramel on the nose. Sweet caramel in the mouth - very smooth palate. Just a tickle of hops which works just right.

Bottled. Amber almost red ale with a big off-white head and a bit of lace. Flowery hops in the nose. Nicely balanced taste with initial sweetness then toast, citrus, and a bit of caramel. The hop taste lingers nicely. Eminently drinkable.

UPDATED: JAN 14, 2009 Wow...sold as a bricks###t house. Lots of malts finding their way to the top, with a pleasant smooth finish

Draught at Popeyes. Pours reddish orange with a medium tan head. Aroma was sweet malt, citrus hops, and refreshing/tropical fruit. Had a crisp hoppy flavor. Citrus, sweet fruit, and bitter. Very refreshing. Medium body. I greatly enjoyed this beer and I plan on drinking more of it.

Yen 1150 on tap at Ushi Tora. Full flavoured and plenty of fruits make this a nice deviation from the standard pedestrian style often seen in amber ales. Good layer of fizz too. Really bordering on pale ale in style given the fruit expression. Lovely beer.
Earlier Rating: 6/16/2011 Total Score: 3.7
Fantastic house brew. Excellent effort with wonderful toffee malts, subtle yet meaningful grassy hops and some unexpected lift from some low key fizz. Some very attractive fruit sweetness kicks in late. Yen 900 for a UK pint at the Algate.

Cask at Bakushu Club Popeye. Pours a deep amber no head. Mild malts, earthy hop tones, cask in flavors and aromas. Really good hoped amber.

On tap 01.22.09 at Popeye’s, Tokyo. Clear amber orange, off white head. Aroma is caramel and hops. Flavor is citrus hops, grass, caramel. Bitter and crisp, more like a pale ale than an amber ale.

Keg at pub Edo. Clear amber brown color with small beige head. Aroma is malty, bit of fruit, spicy kick. Taste, malty sweetness, lots of spice, maybe ginger, and spikiness. Finish is fading spice and a touch of bitterness. Not bad.