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.

Ivan Ramen - Ramen Shop

99.9% of my ramen knowledge was learnt in the past two-plus months; yes I had had it before, but aside from the fact that I knew I loved it, I actually knew nothing about it. So on this particular trip to Tokyo I took it upon myself to gain some insight on this meal-in-a-bowl. Talking about it proved to be one good source of information, as I have learned many times over- when you express your interest in something Japanese, most locals will go out of their way to help you in any way they can. This is how I originally learned about Ivan Raman - from a friend who wanted me to know about a hot noodle joint that was operating out of my hood - Setagaya-ku!
This picture speaks volumes. For real. This guy posing above is doing something that is huge; I'm not talking about his ramen (it's good) - but rather I'm talking about changing-the-game. Ramen in many ways defines what Tokyo is; and in a land where ramen chefs are national celebrities, opening up a successful shop has a much deeper impact than just filling up some bellies. It's refreshing to see and experience something different, something out-of-place, and something of good enough quality that it changes people's long standing views and opinions. This is what Ivan is doing.
But ultimately he's making ramen and goodies to compliment it. Take his rice side-dishes for example, something that you don't expect to see except for at a select few ramen joints. My friend and I ordered the roasted tomato construction - it was absolutely tasty and fresh! Yes, that's a point that came up time-and-time again, every ingredient was so fresh.
The main course was gratifying as well; from studying the menu while waiting in line I had decided on the salt-ramen with extra chashu. The presentation was pleasing, with a unique taller-than-usual bowl and metal soup-spoon taking the place of the common ceramic one. As already stated, the taste was up to par with other great ramen shops of Tokyo -- the home-made noodles were thin and firm, broth was deliciously heavily salted, chashu was tender, menma cut rough, and the negi topping was crisp and (yup) fresh.

I really enjoyed my visit to Ivan Raman; I've learned so much in so little time and with every joint I hit up I gain a little more insight - at Ivan's I learned allot, not just about ramen, but about courtesy, outside points-of-view, and following your dreams. Thanks dude!

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.

Seisyomaru - Ramen shop

Being absent minded is not always a bad thing, sometimes good things can come from your "faults"; in my case- forgetting to take a certain path home led me to this particular ramen shop. I caught my mistake when I came across this strange aluminum-sided building advertising some tasty looking ramen - I instantly knew I had not walked by here before. And isn't it amazing what can be hiding just out of sight; for months I was passing by just one block away from this shop, always turning off it's street just prior to it coming into view... food for thought (no pun intended).
It wasn't long before I had a chance to see what fate had placed in my lap (or on the counter in-front of me). A friend and I did a little homework first and we found out the ramen served here is thick-soup based, a style that due to strong flavors- I have found to be particularly pleasing to my pallet. That was enough for me to go on, well that and that it's only a few minuets walk from my apartment- no excuses, must now eat.
Knowing that I enjoy this type of broth in the tsukemen fashion I ordered exactly this... but before you get distraught from the above picture - I know that egg isn't supposed to come with this dish... it's just that I was in the mood for tomango, asked nicely and they obliged... nontraditional yes, but I know your jealous just the same ;-P

Seisyomaru make their broth with pork & chicken bone, fish and vegetables. In the tsukemen soup- chashu is cut into course chunks that sink to the bottom, vegetables in general are cut smaller and blended-in to make this more stew-like than soup, topped off with [fish powder] which is seen here sitting on-top of a piece or nori, a slice of [fish paste] sits atop of it all adding some color to an otherwise unlively soup.
My friend wanted to see the range offered here and so went with [soup-based] ramen. Here the toppings are cut broad- completely hiding the noodles, and again portraying that this place is more about substance than style.

Seisyomaru is not the best ramen in Kyodo, but it plays an essential role in the limited offerings of this town- serving up a thick broth and satisfying tsukemen.