Swan Lake IPA

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

Serve in Shaker, Tulip

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My Bottom Line:
Striking rose water hoppiness streams through this lean India Pale Ale, as lightly biscuity malts are swept by a resinous bitterness aftertaste.

Further Personal Perceptions:
-A sheet of foam covers the misty amber-y golden.
-The slender body and polite bitterness (for an IPA) make for high drinkability.
-That floral hop profile might be forceful to some, but it sure is memorable and distinctive (tons of geraniol while not being brashly intense like a Citra bomb, for example).
-The symmetrical artificial gas impressions which this tap version carries don’t serve the mouthfeel too well.
-This is not trying to be West Coast-like even though the hop character is definitely at the forefront.

On tap at Eni-bru.

On tap at Green Bashamichi. Nice nose of hops, citrus, delicate spice. Smooth in the mouth, nice clean bitter finish. Very quaffable.

Tap in Craft Heads, Shibuya. Colour is touch hazy orange with foam white head. Nose is deep caramel with tropical fruit, mango and touch of citrous. Taste is bitter citrous kick of grapefruit and then the softer tones of tropical fruit mango. Very nicely balanced.

Tap at Popeye. Amber colour, cloudy and with not much head. Aroma is hoppy, but cat pee, bit pine. Taste is nice and bitter, and with quite a lot of grapefruit and a touch of orange. Nice texture, and pleasantly fizzy in the mouth. Bitter finish which soon fades. Nice.

Light hazy blond coloured beer with some light carbonation and a small white head. Hoppy, hopflower hinted aroma. Very hopbitter palate. Finish is bitter but balanced, sweet hop bitterness with even a light alcoholic hint. Not bad.

UPDATED: OCT 25, 2010 Draft at Popeyes and The Aldgate (Tokyo), a slight haze to the copper colour. Big citrus fruit and pine on the nose. Big tropical fruit flavour on a creamy palate. Not a whole lot of bitterness. The malt is quite biscuity.

Cask@ Popeyes, Oct 2009. Cloudy amber. Flat head and not too bubbly of course. Plenty of hops, chinook Zeus? He said. Chewy body. Agressive hop stickyness. Quite American but with a better body.

Light amber coloured beer with medium white head and no carbonation. Bit hoppy fruity aroma with a sweet touch. Full palate. Finish is hoppy bitte ending dry Bit too much hop in it.

Draught at Craft Heads, Shibuya. Cloudy amber - white head. Grape fruity, citric, peachy, fruity, toasted, peppery, light spicy, spicy hoppy, light caramel, light bitterness. Lovely.

Appearance: Hazy orange, good head. Aroma: Peppery Flavor: Good intense peppery, fruity orange malt and hops. Comment: Very well-done West Coast US style IPA. One can argue that this style is not particularly complex, but it is hard not to like the explosive flavors (this same issue seem to surround NZ Sauvignon Blanc).