Ise Kadoya - Brown Ale

Ise Kadoya - Brown Ale - Mie Prefecture - 5% - 500 ml bottle:
Taste: Vanilla, caramel, some spice, roasted malts, hops allow some bitterness to linger behind.
Smell: Syrup, sweet malts.
Look: Lighter shade of brown, poured w/ a foamy head, spots of lace leftover.
Verdict: Not as powerful as the Brownstone or Brooklyn Brown, but instead a more gentle flavor, allowing its flavors to come-through. This is a classic brown taste with a subtle mix of other flavors. Very enjoyable, but just a tad too light-bodied.

Uramura Kaki (Oyster) Stout - by Ise Kadoya

Ise Kadoya - Uramura Kaki (Oyster) Stout - Mie Prefecture - 6% - 500 ml bottle:
Taste: A sense of mildness from the oysters, coffee, chocolate, sharp-sour notes, vanilla character, milky.
Smell: Coffee & chocolate aroma.
Look: A dark coco-brown, nice oily shine, thin to no head, nor lacing.
Verdict: This was a very enjoyable experience - my first time with an oyster-stout! A medium-bodied beer at most, it held good carbonation for a stout, providing a smooth texture. Complex yet easy to drink.

Sayonara Tokyo :(

All good times come to an end...

...life is full of ups & downs...

...and sometimes we must heed the call...

...sayonara Tokyo, I'll miss you...

...but life goes on...

...and I will always have a piece of you in my heart.

Beniaka - by Coedo

Coedo - Beniaka (Premium Lager) - Saitama Prefecture - 7% - 333 ml bottle:
Taste: A sweet taste of raisins, other dried fruits, is medium bodied, not sharp- nor dry, but rather has a taste not too dissimilar to shochu (of the potato variant), and is crisp.
Smell: Aroma is sweet as well, whiffs of alcohol, grain and malt.
Look: A nice looking red/orange gives way to a small slightly stained head, leaves no lace nor hardly a bubble.
Verdict: This was a very enjoyable beer, one of the more unique tasting beers here, and had a lovely taste of potato alcohol, such as the shochu I mentioned. Definitely a great take on the premium lager style, and again, the use of potatoes in this brew is unique and delicious.

Bayern Meister - Edel Weisse

Bayern Meister - Edel Weisse - Shizuoka Prefecture - 5.5% - 330 ml bottle:
Taste: Getting wheat, citrus, banana, spices, cloves and hay; a medium to light-bodied affair, finishing doughy with rounded mouthfeel.
Smell: A sweet & spicy aroma albeit slightly musty - that is coriander & citrus, w/ cloves, yeast, and banana.
Look: Pours a cloudy dark yellow / opaque gold colour with a sticky white foam.
Verdict: In brief - a refreshing standrad weizen, nothing new going on here, but that's not a bad thing. Pleasant and enjoyable.

Instant Ramens

The following are instant-ramens I had on occasions when I was too lazy to go out but had that hankering for a good slurp (& clearly they are superior to the dehydrated nonsense we sell here in the States):

1)

2)

3)

4)

5)

Aso Farmland - Porter

Aso Farmland - Porter - Kumamoto Prefecture - 4.5% - 330 ml bottle:
Taste: Roasted grains, malt, cocoa, coffee, a hint of dark brown sugar, and some light woody smokiness; decently carbonated, a medium bodied beer that finishes dry.
Smell: Slightly sweet roasted malt aroma with a hint of fruitiness and hops.
Look: Dark brownish-black color, thick off-white head, and spots of lace.
Verdict: I don't have much to say about this one except that it met my expectations by being a balanced porter. Neither too smoky, sour or sweet - I guess you could offer this as a good entry-level porter -- me, however, I like my porters with a little more umph!