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.

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.

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!

Morioka Weizen - by Baeren

Baeren - Morioka Wezien - Iwate Prefecture - 5.5% - 330 ml bottle:
Taste: Wheat, yeast and banana make up a light-to-medium body, citrus- orange provides a sharp finish, mildly spicy notes give this weizen just enough pazzaz to make it interesting.
Smell: Banana at the front, wheat & yeast.
Look: Cloudy- unfiltered with sediments in suspension, big frothy head, some patches of lace. Verdict: After having some delicious Baerens' and happily proclaiming them the best makers of German brews here in JP, I had this weizen. While it was good and very classic, there was nothing that really made this stand out from the pack. All-in-all a refreshing weizen, but would pick up a Coedo Shiro over this one if the choice was presented.

Shiga Kogen - Porter

Shiga Kogen - Porter - Nagano Prefecture - 5.5% - 330 ml bottle:
Taste: Medium-bodied and somewhat dry, flavors of nuts, watered-down coffee, cocoa-powder and a subtle smokiness. Nice lively mouthfeel which leans a tad more hoppy than creamy.
Smell: Deep aroma of roasted malts, mochaccino, traces of smoke and molasses.
Look: Pours out in a dark brown colour with a small beige head.
Verdict: While a good porter for sure- and probably tied with the best I've had here- this is shy of being an excellent beer. Porters to me are a very tricky beer, I like them to be a full-medium bodied experience and complex - which this light/medium bodied beer just misses out on being. Recommended none-the-less.

Kyara - by Coedo

Coedo - Kyara (Vienna Lager) - Saitama Prefecture - 5% - 333 ml bottle:
Taste: Nicely malty- sweet & roasted, caramel, biscuits and grains, hops provide a balanced bitterness to the rich malts.
Smell: Aroma holds roasted malts, grain and sweet grass accents, some hops.
Look: Pours a clear deep golden orange with a healthy white head.Verdict: Kyara is a nice vienna - providing the rich malt flavor with enough hops to balance while being unobtrusive. Coedo has a nice selection of lagers for sure, and none of them disappoint.

Sun Lager - by Hideji

Hideji - Sun Lager - Miyazaki Prefecture - 4.5% - 330 ml bottle:
Taste: Sweet malts, citrus- orange & lemon, sharp, apparently hoppy too.
Smell: Orange with slight whiffs of sourness.
Look: Hazy orange/yellow, poured with a small head, leaving no lace.Verdict: This is a refreshing and easy to swallow beer, as a good pilsner should be. Winner of the pilsner Gold medal in the Japan Asia Beer Cup 2009 -- I can't argue against that.

Aperitif De La Nuit Blanche - by Niigata

Niigata - Aperitif De La Nuit Blanche - Niigata Prefecture - 4.5% - 350 ml bottle:
Taste: This is a sharp somewhat acidic beer, notes of banana, peach, vanilla, malt, and not really hoppy at all.
Smell: Aroma of banana, faintly fruity in general.
Look: A semi-opaque yellow, poured with a nice head, nicely carbonated, no lace.
Verdict: Well this is definitely different, its almost in-between a lager and a weizen. But it's a rather mild, weak bodied beer - there is definitely "something" missing... hops for starters, but ultimately other things as well. Calling this one a dud.

Shiga Kogen - House IPA

Shiga Kogen - House IPA - Nagano Prefecture - 8% - 330 ml bottle:
Taste: Both sweet and hoppy to a balanced perfection, raisins, fruity- mandarin, floral, and pine are the big players here; medium bodied and resiny.
Smell: Sweet fruity aroma with pine.
Look: Hazy deep orange copper, small head and just a little lacing.Verdict: This is a great IPA, love the high ABV without ever realizing it! Another victory for Tamamura-Honten!

Shikkoku - by Coedo

Coedo - Shikkoku (Schwarzbier Lager) - Saitama Prefecture - 5% - 333 ml bottle:
Taste: It's all about the roasted malts here, the sour-level is held in-check - a very nice balance, hops are apparent and balanced as well, slightly smokey giving hints of wood, meat, coffee and chocolate.
Smell: Earth, hay, and a slight coffee scent.
Look: Dark brown to the point of looking like a porter, poured with head and leaving rings of lace.Verdict: This is a very good dark lager, providing a subtle but complex taste, very enjoyable, very German!

Single Malt Du Soleil Couchant - by Niigata

Niigata - Single Malt Du Soleil Couchant (Belgian Strong Ale) - Niigata Prefecture - 7% - 350 ml bottle:
Taste: Sweet roasted malts, chocolate, sour cherry, raisins, vinous, and also some brandy or cognac character, complex to say the least; full bodied with a dry finish.
Smell: Sweet & sour scents.
Look: An unclear dark red-brown, pouring with a stained head, no lacing.
Verdict: While this started off a little too tangy for me at first, it began to grow on me as I took more sips. Of interesting note is that Niigata recommends aging this beer up to 2 years, stating that after a 6 month period the hops will become more defined, while waiting an additional 6 months more will balance the malts to the hops. Unfortunately for me I drank this beer only a month or so after it was born.

Ursus Winter Beer - by Baeren

Baeren - Ursus Winter Beer - Iwate Prefecture - 7% - 330 ml bottle:
Taste: Quality wheat flavors, citrus- lemon/orange, banana, creamy, slightly sour, pepper corn.
Smell: Wheat notes, earth, and tapioca pudding.
Look: Earthy muddled brown, unfiltered and opaque, thick off-white head, come carbonation, patches of lace.
Verdict: Ursus has a great balance, and holds a complex flavor for a weizen-style beer. This was a pleasure to drink on such a cold day; I'm becoming a believer in Baeren with each beer of theirs I drink.

Fujizakura Kogen - Rauch Bock

Fujizakura Kogen - Rauch Bock - Yamanashi Prefecture - 7% - 500 ml bottle:
Taste: Smokey, roasted/smoked malts, some sweetness, some hops, black pepper, black liquorish, burning wood (ash).
Smell: Sweet notes dominate, smokey as well.
Look: A very dark brown, big tan head, little to no lace, carbonated.
Verdict: Like the Rauch Beer this is a truely smokey beer brewed in a rare fashion. Most of all I appreciate the work put into this beer, it is very unique indeed. I feel like I should be eating a pile of BBQ while drinking this and kinda feel guilty that I'm not.

Shiga Kogen - Pale Ale

Shiga Kogen - Pale Ale - Nagano Prefecture - 5.5% - 330 ml bottle:
Taste: A fruity, hoppy flavor, caramel in the back ground; smooth, malty character with a nice medium-bodied mouthfeel; nicely balanced taste right through with a lingering bitter finish; crisp and drinkable.
Smell: Hoppy aroma, fruity, pine, earth, some citrus, along with some sweet malt.
Look: Lovely yellowish orange colour- somewhere between pale amber and deep golden; poured with a foamy head and some lingering lace.
Verdict: This is the quintessential session ale- at 5.5% and with its perfectly balanced flavor, it is due for repetitive visits in one sitting. If you ever felt the need to shy away from the intensity of an IPA but still wanted a quality hop taste this is where to go! As with all the Shiga Kogen beers I've had, this is a superb ale and is highly recommended.

Shiro - by Coedo

Coedo - Shiro (German Hefeweizen) - Saitama Prefecture - 5.5% - 333 ml bottle:
Taste: Banana! - wheat notes, fizzy, cream, caramel, citrus fruits, cloves and hops.
Smell: The usual suspects: wheat, yeast, banana, and citrus.
Look: Cloudy deep golden-straw, strong head and lace, continuous flow of carbonation.
Verdict: I had this beer months ago but forgot to record any info on it, I really enjoyed it and it's been on my mind ever since. Today we became reacquainted by chance... and I still love it! This could be the best weizen I've had - definitely the best I've had out here (sorry Ginga Kogen). Lots of banana (my favorite fruit), yeah other flavors too... but if there ever was a banana-beer - this is it! Yay banana! Highly recommended!

Baeren - Chocolate Stout

Baeren - Chocolate Stout - Iwate Prefecture - 7% - 330 ml bottle:
Taste: Bitter & sweet, semi-sweet chocolate, deeply roasted malts, sharp, fizzy, espresso beans, vanilla beans.
Smell: Sour notes, roasted malts, whiffs of chocolate.
Look: Nearly pitch black- but caught a dark brown around the edges of the glass and when I got down to the last sips, tan head, strong lace.
Verdict: I've been waiting too long for a solid stout here (probably my own fault) - but this was reward enough! This one holds a strong chocolate taste with perfect hints of coffee - just the way I like 'em. This is a classic take on the style, no experimentation or extremities here - just a solid beer all around.

Musasabi Bohemian Garnet Lager - by Hideji

Hideji - Musasabi Bohemian Garnet Lager - Miyazaki Prefecture - 4.5% - 330 ml bottle:
Taste: Sour, grapes, roasted malt, earthy, semi-sweet chocolate hint, hardly bitter, classic German dark lager taste; while not bitter, a true roasted malt taste.
Smell: Roasted malts, earthy, sweet.
Look: Dark brown in appearance, small head, no lace.
Verdict: I don't particularly think this style of beer is too complex, but I appreciate it for what it is, a traditional German brew. I usually drink this style (dark lager) at beer halls so I'm familiar with the taste- and I feel that this is a good interpretation here.

Ruri - by Coedo

Coedo - Ruri (Pilsener Lager) - Saitama Prefecture - 5% - 333 ml bottle:
Taste: Matly, semi sweet, some bitterness- hops are evident, metallic (medicinal) tinge as associated with pilsners, relatively crisp dry finish.
Smell: Malts & hops.
Look: Golden- a'little deeper than common macros, carbonated, no head or lace.
Verdict: Japan is heavily stocked on pilsners, it's by far the most popular kind of beer sold and drunk - and why not- it goes great with the food consumed here (raw fish, noodles, etc.). So I've had a chance to drink more than my usual intake of this style. Ruri is good, I felt this was on a level of quality higher than some other; not the best I've had, but certainly not the worst.