Prinz - by Bayern Meister

Bayern Meister - Prinz (Lager) - Shizuoka Prefecture - 5.5% - 330 ml bottle:
Taste: Bitter & sour, malt & hops - large taste for a Japanese lager, floral, sweet, but not really fruity, has small bite.
Smell: Malty aroma, not catching the sourness I taste, but do smell the floral / sweetness.
Look: A very light golden color- light body, carbonated, pours with short lived head.Verdict: It's a classic no-frills German-style lager. I know that Bayern Meister is going for a true Germany-thing with their beers, as the brewmeister is a native of Bavaria and the brewery offers a solid selection of German classics, released according to season; even their malt, hops and live yeast are all imported from Southern Germany. This beer is exactly what you would expect from it and for that I can easily recommend it.

Kobushi Hana Sparkling Malt Liqour - by Hanyu

Hanyu Brewery - Kobushi Hana Sparkling Malt Liqour - Saitama Prefecture - 5% - 330 ml bottle:
Taste: Prominently malty, litter sour, apple juice, creamy, fizzy and a metallic hint.
Smell: Sour apples, malt, faint whiffs of cream.
Look: Very light in color, strong carbonation, poured with head that settled quickly.
Verdict: Pretty good for what it is- that is, being a light bodied malt-liquor. However the quality is quite good, I can't say I've ever enjoyed a malt-liquor as much as this guy! This would compliment raw and fresh foods nicely I think.

Not So Mild Ale - by Shiga Kogen & Nøgne Ø

Shiga Kogen (in colabartion with Nøgne Ø) - Not So Mild Ale - Nagano Prefecture - 5% - 330 ml bottle:
Taste: Hops, roasted malt - both prominent, not really sweet- more of an earthy edge, just a taste of sour plum.
Smell: Hops & sweet malt, banana, apple, pear...
Look: Murky chestnut brown- mahogany even, no head, nor carbonation, little stings of lace but not much.
Verdict: Honestly this is not as grand as I was expecting it to be considering who they collaborated with for this, more of an experimentation than a true & tested brew. Not saying this was bad- as it's unique in taste, can't think of another beer like it; but definitely not as satisfying as other beers that Tamamura-Honten is doing.

Kobushi Hana Maerzen Lager - by Hanyu

Hanyu Brewery - Maerzen Lager - Saitama Prefecture - 6% - 330 ml bottle:
Taste: Malty sweet, touch of honey, faint sour notes, smoothly fizzy.
Smell: Malts, whiffs of grape, other sweets, again with a slightly sour hint.
Look: Deep copper-red, poured without head, left no lace.
Verdict: Brewed in the classic German Maerzen style, this lager was pleasant and had a nice medium body. Malts play the big role here and they don't disappoint, this beer is brewed with care as is evident in the balancing of other tastes. For those looking for a darker lager, this beer is recommended.

Ikinama - by Echigo

Echigo - Ikinama (Super Premium / All Malt Beer) - Niigata Prefecture - 5% - 350 ml can:
Taste: Malt is dominate and provides a nice earthy taste, hops are blended-in giving way to some bitterness, there is some resemblance to apple juice here, carbonation produces the fizziness associated with this style, refreshing.
Smell: A balanced malt and hop aroma.
Look: Very clear, light golden, a nice looking Pilsner, poured with a small head which settled quickly.Verdict: Nothing too special here, but do feel this is slightly better than similar class-lagers most macros producing.

Espresso De La Nuit Norie - by Niigata Beer

Niigata Beer - Espresso De La Nuit Noire - Niigata Prefecture - 7% - 350 ml bottle:
Taste: Variety of flavors here: espresso coffee, chocolate, nuts, very sweet, bitter aftertaste, hits of vanilla extract, heavy/syrupy texture, Guinness-like but more intense, not hoppy- but has a bite similar to bitter-chocolate.
Smell: Potent chocolate & coffee, whiffs of vanilla extract, alcohol and sweetness.
Look: Black- can't see through this beer, small but beautiful brown stained head which dissipated in about 2 minuets, just a little lacing lingers; looks like black coffee, noticed some shades of brown around the rim of the glass.
Verdict: Yeah I like this; guess I like most stouts then, but this one hides its high ABV reasonably well with its complex flavor. This a better than average stout but far from the best; I just really like to root for the little guys. The bottle is simple yet mysteriously attractively- it's what caught my attention in the first place. I drank this on Christmas Eve alone- so it holds a special place in my heart now ;-)

Ramen Hide (Kyodo branch)

Ramen Hide (pronounced he-day) is the perfect example of an excellent ramen shop that probably will never garner the recognition it deserves. The competition is too fierce in battleground: Tokyo; and Hide is nested in the small town of Kyodo- which is known for it's salons more than food offerings. This might actually be to Hide's benefit though as it's King-of-the-hill in this quaint town.
I came across Ramen Hide early on in my stay here- as I was walking down Suzuran Dori and noticed a small camera-crew in-front of the store preparing to shoot. I slowed down to see what all the hub-bub was, and afforded a look-in. Instantly I felt acquainted with its 1950's-diner look, and the chef was being interviewed; this was a joint I had to hit up! I've since had two enjoyable meals here and look forward to coming back at least once more before I jet town.
Their Kyushu-style tonkotsu ramen is very approachable, the broth is not very thick- rather it's more on the lite side, and has a great balanced taste. It's not so strong as to scare away those who prefer a traditional taste, but is potent enough to keep veterans coming back for more. The noodles are straight, thin and firm which is a great balance to the soup's consistency. Also notable is their chashu- which is a beautiful pink cut with minimal fat; and their egg while not semi-boiled the way I love- is at least nicely marinated.
On my second visit I was feeling adventurous and ordered a speciality dish- karai (spicy) ramen; I opted to try this in the tuskemen (dipping) style as well. The chef warned me this was hot, but I paid him no attention as I had yet to taste anything in Japan resemble the spices we play around with in the US. To my complete surprise- this shit was hot! I had my Japanese friend try it out just to confirm that this was indeed out of character, the twisted look on her face was all the confirmation I needed.

I think the nori is actually melting from the heat of the peppers!

All-in-all I did enjoy this dish; again the quality of ingredients was excellent with pork chunks as well as ground-up pork settling at the bottom of the thick fiery-red broth. My stomach might disagree with this last statement, but I still claim that I would order this dish again... just not next time ;-)