3.6 AROMA 6/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 15/20Just found this gem in my trip to Tokyo today. Nice color, deep gold, light amber with a foamy off-white head. Toasty malts and grapefruit in the nose.
A sweet cookie dough malt with piney hops, nice! Smooth feel, not too much carbonation, for a Japanese made canned beer, this is quite good!
3.2 AROMA 6/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 12/20
Aroma is not strong, but pleasingly hoppy and fruity, mainly citrus with a hint of pomme. It pours a hazy amber with a minimal ivory head. Hoppy flavor has an underpinning of sour citrus, Mandarin orange plus a little grapefruit, a bit of tinniness that may be from the can - give it a break. Texture is smooth, decently thick, fairly fizzy. If not the best IPA I have ever had, an acceptable and palatable one. Maybe this tastes better on-tap.
3.4 AROMA 6/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 6/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 15/20
Can->pilsner. Pours orange/copper with lite white head. Bitter floral hops. Quite light in all respects - appearance, aroma, flavor, palate. That said, this is a very drinkable session IPA that goes great with sushi.
3.5 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 15/20
My Bottom Line:
This India Pale Ale’s leafy hops carry citrus undertones and plenty of bitterness which are accompanied by slick honeyed malts.
Further Personal Perceptions:
-A sheet of foam covers the clear bronzed golden.
-The bitterness is surprisingly of higher impact than the hop aroma.
-The mouthfeel is lean (not exactly dry, but not sweet either) and drinkability very high.
-Carbonation is prickly, but not harshly so.
-The citrusy undertones are orange-like at times.
Can.
2.2 AROMA 6/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 3/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 6/20
35 cl can thanks to Ingo! Sampled on April 8, 2013. Marked (BB?) 13.05, purchased late December 2012.
Clear golden color, off-white head. Sweet, herbal, hoppy scent. Fruity, grainy, harsh taste. Dry harsh finish. Medium mouthfeel, medium high dry harsh bitterness.
3.1 AROMA 6/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 6/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 12/20
Can (33 cl), courtesy of Ingo. Clear deep golden, medium white head. Breasy malt aroma, some piney and orangey hops. Medium bodied, medium carbonation. Dry with medium to high bitterness.
3.5 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 6/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 14/20
11.8oz can, shared by caterwaul. Sticker on can reads 2/21/12. Amber color. Totally hazy, with lots of fine particles in the body. Thin off-white bubbly head. Good retention, good lace. Medium-plus body. Very smooth, light carbonation, kind of dry in the finish, but creamy overall. Mostly sweet taste, light bitter... But, for how old this is... It’s really drinking fine, especially compared to how an American IPA of the same age would taste. Caramel malt, but also some nice yeasty bready thickness to it, with a good lightly piney, light herbal, floral, sort of perfumey hop character that still prevails. Unusual IPA, but still very satisfying. Lightest of chalkiness, not bothersome though, adds some good texture and body. Light spiciness. Cool IPA. Only other Japanese IPA I’ve had is Hitachino. I think I prefer this one, although they are totally different. Hitachino was much more malty, being cedar-aged. This one is more floral and even fresher and brighter, despite it having sat for a year
3.3 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 12/20
Can. Hazy golden color, medium white head. Aroma of biscuit, caramel. Taste is similar.
3.7 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 14/20
This is relatively light IPA. It pours golden with very little head. This is an easy drinking beer that is good for big gulps.
3.5 AROMA 6/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 14/20
Pours bright gold with little head. Aroma is slightly funky malt, slightly floral. Taste is a touch of candy/caramel leading into long hoppy resinousness... I like this beer and think it should rate higher. A great on-paper example of IPA.
2.8 AROMA 5/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 6/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 11/20
Copper ale, clear as crystal, with no head to brag about. No cloudiness of a good IPA. Not only it looks like a bitter, but it smells like a bitter. It would be sickening sweet if it was not for a resinous touch to that nose. The flavour is more hoppy, with citrus a a touch of grapes, and there is a certain revelation of more of a floral hoppiness, still quite bitter in the end, which pretty much saves it from damnation.
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