Hokusetsu Shuzo Co. Reviews

KansaiBeerLvrs	3.9 Hokusetsu Nobu Junmai Daiginjo Sake Swan Lake Nobu Jinnai Daiginjo 15% Crystal clear with a huge fruity woodsy berry. Great velvety soft mouthfeel and full body. The taste is very fruity and a bit chuwy rice. Top knotch. 3.9 ---Rated via Beer Buddy for iPhone Monday, December 31, 2018
KyotoLefty	4 Hokusetsu Nobu Junmai Daiginjo Sake Bottle shared by KBL. Huge floral, fruit nose right after opening, berries, citrus, pepper, spicy apple. Spicy and fruity with big ginjo-ka. Finishes dry. Nice rice richness too though. Velvety and silky. Great stuff. Often Niigata sakes are too one-dimensional and dry, but while this one finishes very dry, it still have a full, rich body. Monday, December 31, 2018
Cantabrian	3.5 Hokusetsu Junmai Sake Taster at Cocolo shop in Niigata. I can’t say that this is a memorable one. After a few tasters you’re not as good in detecting subtlenesses - perhaps I should rate while still drunk. maybe I would be more creative, at least. This was smooth, mild and dry. Piss poor rating. Saturday, April 1, 2017
GreatDane1632	3.1 Nobu Special Reserve Rated based on notes from 24 May 2012 -- 500mL bottle poured into a pint glass. Well crafted beer, that is very enjoyable to drink. Saturday, May 16, 2015
TimE	3 Nobu Special Reserve Medium golden color with malty caramel nose. Hops are very subtle. Very malty body with caramel with hops very subdued. Tuesday, April 21, 2015
KyotoLefty	3.4 Hokusetsu Junmai Sake Taster at PPonshu-kan. Fruity nose, rice, citrus. Light citrus fruit sweetness, then gets dry, with an alcohol burn. Rather light and clean, decent acidity. Nice fruity and spicy dry sake. Sunday, June 22, 2014
KyotoLefty	3.9 Hokusetsu Junmai Daiginjo Sake Tasting glass at Ponshu-kan. Dry, fruity, mineral nose. Orange, melon, pepper, koji. Very spicy flavor, quite sweet, minerally, some sulfter, orange, melon. Light and tasty. Dry finish. Sunday, June 22, 2014
Oakes	3.6 Hokusetsu Nigori Had at Nobu, Cape Town. Cloudy, milky. Slightly alcoholic, dry, woody character for a nigori, with a touch of complexity. Not bad. Good, not sweet like usual. Thursday, December 20, 2012
taphandle	3.3 Nobu Special Reserve Clear, light brown, good carbonation. Aroma has some toasted bread to it but the flavor is what’s interesting - it’s dark spices wrapped in with a bit of citrus twang. The finish fades with malt and more spices. I think this is probably the best Japanese beer I’ve ever had. It may rank low in it’s category, but it’s worth seeking out and giving a try. Sunday, August 28, 2011
chibuck	2.9 Nobu Special Reserve This beer is brewed exclusively for Nobu Restaurant so its very hard to find. I drank it at the Nobu in Las Vegas. It pours a medium gold with a white head that doesn’t last long and no lacing. The smell is very unique, it is hoppy with accents of butter and a couple other things I could never put my foot on. It tastes light throught nothing really ever hits you, some grass and hops. Nobu food is great, beer not really, but its cool to drink something so rare. Wednesday, March 23, 2011
adrian910ss	3.4 Nobu Special Reserve Bottle at Nobu in NYC. Pours a cloudy light coppery orange with a medium sized off white head. Aroma of fruit, malty notes and bread dough. Taste is much the same as the aroma. Friday, September 24, 2010
beerfest5	4.4 Hokusetsu Nobu Junmai Daiginjo Sake with my very very limited knowledge of sake, even I would know that this is absolutely delicious. served at the nobu in the shore club, miami beach, this is a very traditional, light, and effervescent sake that is not overpowering, it is meant to go extremely well with sushi and let the dish bring out the flavor of the sake, not the other way around. very enjoyable. Friday, June 11, 2010
beerfest5	2.6 Nobu Special Reserve better than most japanese pale lagers, a little more of a distinctive taste. had this one at the nobu in miami beach. went well with the suishi as a light colored and bodied beer. a one and done. Friday, June 11, 2010
jkwalking05	2.1 Nobu Special Reserve Gold in color with a small white head. Aroma is of corn and grain as is the taste. Wednesday, May 5, 2010
bu11zeye	2 Nobu Special Reserve (11.2oz bottle, courtesy of blutt59) Pours a hazy pale yellow body with a small white head. Aroma of light citrus, herbs, dough, and grass. Flavor of herbs, grass, and grain with a somewhat dry finish. Wednesday, February 10, 2010
KyotoLefty	2.1 Hokusetsu Sado no Onigoroshi Sake 300 ml bottle, more than 2 years old (fond out after I got it home). Light and think looking. Aroma of citrus fruit, pepper and spices, lots of rubbing alcohol. flavor thin, hot, some fruit and sweetness, gumballs. Rough and harsh, very strong. Drank it but didn’t enjoy it much. Sunday, December 20, 2009
SphinxTX	3 Nobu Special Reserve Bottle thanks to Blutt59. Pours a murky gold with white head. Aroma is very malty with strong, sweet fruit. Flavor has a nice malty sharpness, some faint fruit and a bit grainy. Mouth feel is kinda watery but decent. Overall, it is an interesting beer to me and I kinda liked it, easy drinking as well. Sunday, December 6, 2009
travita	2.6 Nobu Special Reserve Bottle thanks to blutt59. The look is clear, golden in color, with a light white head. The smell is corn, grains, sweet, and floral. The taste is malts, light roasty, grains. Wednesday, November 25, 2009
mar	2.8 Nobu Special Reserve bottle thanks to blutt59. gold with a white head. syrup, sweet malts and not much else for the aromas. decent on teh palate with a syrupy sweet malt flavor. Sunday, November 22, 2009
Cavie	2.7 Nobu Special Reserve Bottle courtesy of blutt59. Clear gold pour. Smell is light grainy aroma. Taste is dry and sweet that reminds me of picking rice back in old country. Sunday, November 8, 2009
BMan1113VR	1.1 Nobu Special Reserve Bottle thanks to blutt59. Labeled as an "ale" for Texas...awesome... Pours with a golden body and a fading white head. Aroma of sourness, lemon, acid, tires, and something else that I cannot read from my notes, but I don’t think it was "great!". Taste is grass, and bitter with orange peel. Fizzy and dry. Friday, November 6, 2009
blutt59	2.8 Nobu Special Reserve bottle, clear yellow color with tight foam, grainy sour lemon and wheat flavors, finish is lacking Friday, November 6, 2009
altonbrownd	3.5 Hokusetsu Nobu YK50 Daiginjo Sake Chilled at Nobu London. Nice and cool. Water body. Sweet and fruity nose. Some fruit in the taste. Went very well with the sushi and the house beers. Thursday, August 20, 2009
altonbrownd	3 Nobu Special Reserve Enjoyed two of these at Nobu London for GBP6 each. A glowing amber body with rocky head. Buttery and malty nose. Taste also of malts. Very smooth and creamy. Finish very subtle. Wonderful alongside the best sushi I’ve ever had. Monday, June 22, 2009
jeremytoni	2.8 Nobu Special Reserve From a bottle poured a golden color with a good amount of head. Nice light malty flavor with no real finish. Thursday, October 30, 2008
RollinHard	2.9 Nobu Special Reserve Pours gold with a moderate white head. Aroma is pretty faint, but absent of skunk with some sourdough bread, corn kernals, and breadcrust. Tastes pretty flavorful with a good toast flavor and earthy grassy pilsner malt. Finishes grassy and subtly bitter with a drying effect that’s pretty welcome after the bread flavors. Medium-light bodied and certainly packing more flavor than any industro-lager out there. Pretty good but overpriced as hell! Thursday, August 21, 2008
WeeHeavySD	2.7 Nobu Special Reserve 12oz bottle @ Nobu San Diego, great food, beer not so good. Poured gold with a 2 finger bright white head. Nose was dead. Taste was eh. Sunday, June 22, 2008
pintsize	1.9 Nobu Special Reserve 11-18-07 bottle. Skunky musty metallic smell with a taste that is just about the same. Clear yellow urine colored. I would rather drink a Bud Light - sue me! Sunday, December 16, 2007
jgb9348	2.7 Nobu Special Reserve Deep copper coloured body with a dense tannish coloured head. Aroma of rice, roasted malt, nuts and some toffee and light caramalised sugars. Medium-bodied; Strong malty flavour up front with some figs and nuts following soon behind. Aftertaste shows a light sweetness, a very faint hop flavour and very little else. Overall, not a horrible beer by any means, but nothing entirely special. Better than most japanese beers, but not a bad choice at the restaurant. I sampled this 500 mL bottle purchased from Nobu (downtown) in New York, New York on 09-December-2007, for $12. Tuesday, December 11, 2007
lb4lb	2.4 Nobu Special Reserve Pours a medium attractive gold. Small white head. Smell is pleasant sweet honey like malt. Taste is similar honey like sweetness, followed by a finish of noticeable tart hop bitterness. A bit sweet at times, but for a pale lager, this isn’t too bad. Not as good as it warms up, but if had cold this is pretty decent. Monday, November 19, 2007
Beerlando	3.7 Hokusetsu Nobu YK50 Daiginjo Sake Rated 7/25/07. Ordered with dinner at Nobu in Las Vegas, NV. Served chilled. Crystal clear appearance. Looks like water. Aroma was floral, fruity, and very appealing. I couldn’t pinpoint the specific fruit content until I tasted it several times. As I did, lychee, pear, and a faint bit of apple revealed themselves. The palate was soft up front, but the sweet fruitiness gives way to a mildly sharp, smokey finish. Nice sake that paired equally well with my Kobe beef appetizer and my sushi entre. Nice Daiginjo. Thursday, July 26, 2007
bitter	2.9 Nobu Special Reserve i saw this on the menu at nobu last week. however it is called nobu special reserve STOUT. which was even more interesting because this isnt what any of us would consider a stout. first off the color is a light amber golden color, definately not the dark color you would associate with a stout. little to no nose of metallic rustiness. mouth was dominant in crisp malt character and more sweetness that pushes rice characters. i guess this is the only place in the world you can get this brew....but its not a stout by american standards...maybe the japanese think it is?? Monday, March 20, 2006
JoeMcPhee	3 Nobu Special Reserve Although this brewer is primarily known for their sake, they do make this one brew exclusively for the Nobu restaurants in New York and Tokyo. 500 ml bottle. Pale golden with a light red tint and a white head. Sweet caramel and pale malts with a noble hop spiciness. Flavour has a light fruitiness in addition to the sweet malt and hop spiciness. Crisp, clean, finish. A touch of tapioca like sweetness as well. Tuesday, May 17, 2005