Thursday, September 12, 2013

Some beverages not so abroad...

Hello dear readers. Again sorry for the delay, I have some great drinks in store for you today.
 I recently moved to Pacific Grove California where I have had the chance to try a few of the somewhat local craft beers.  

I say somewhat, only because I’m not too knowledgeable about the geography of California but, what I have had so far isn’t too far from here.

First off I had a few beers from Santa Cruz Mountain Brewing Company.  One of their big selling points is Organic Beer. Which, I’m not entirely sure I taste the difference to be honest.  It’s good, and the bottles are quite large. I got a mixed six pack of 1pint 8ounce bottles for around 12 dollars. Not too bad of a deal really.

The pack I had contained an Amber Ale, which was a good standalone beer, not too strong, very mild hoppy flavor with 5% ABV, A good very drinkable beverage. It was probably my favorite of the three.

The second was an Organic IPA, another which wasn’t bad. Quite hoppy, as to be expected, good finish fairly bitter, 7% ABV.  

The last was called The Peoples Porter. Apparently it is brewed with coffee and vanilla, both of which had very subtle hints. I was drinking it cold, though I’m under the impression it might have been better at room temperature. 5% ABV a hearty reasonably full bodied drink.

A few of the others I’ve had recently include a selection from the Speakeasy Ales and Lagers from San Francisco: The Prohibition Ale, Big Daddy IPA, and Tallulah IPA.

Prohibition Ale was pretty good. I had “Prohibition Style” ale before and I was not impressed. I believe the one I did not like was Batch 19 (a sneaky Coors beer in disguise).  This one however was much better. Fairly bold taste, slight caramel flavoring, a nice rich color. Not bad overall, very tasty. 

Big Daddy IPA was pretty standard as IPA’s go. Not amazing, drinkable, but I preferred the Prohibition Ale instead.

The last of the ones I tried from them was Tallulah Extra Pale Ale, an interesting drink, starts with a slightly fruity note then leaves off with the hoppy slightly dry finish, very flavorful, a pretty interesting drink if you like pale ales.

From English Ales Brewing Company I had Dragon Slayer IPA and 1066 Pale Ale. Both of which were good.

The Dragon Slayer was very dark; not such a high ABV only 5.2% but it had a lot of flavor. I had it with dinner one night; it was amazing with a roast beef sandwich.

The 1066 pale ale was definitely what it said, a standard pale ale, light taste, reasonably hoppy 6% ABV. I’m looking forward to trying more of their brews soon.

The last drink of this update is Alley Cat amber ale from Lost Coast Brewing Company.  At 5.5% ABV it is quite drinkable. Lots of flavor, good color and a reasonable price for a six pack, something like 8 dollars. It has a slight caramel taste to it with a mild hops aftertaste.  Another company I look forward to sampling more beverages from.

As a whole it has been fairly eventful. I recently met another beer enthusiast locally, we plan on making a trip soon to get to a few of these breweries.  I’m very excited for the new beverages to try on the west coast. Thanks for reading.
Cheers!

Monday, August 19, 2013

A general post about life and the beer it has brought me.

Hello my dedicated readers. Sorry for the delay again. I have been super busy. As anyone reading the previous entries would be able to tell I had been living in Akita Japan, for the last year and some change.  I recently moved back to the good ole USA. I had been in Michigan for a very frenzied month, and just a few days ago moved to Pacific Grove in California.

Admittedly I have been to two beer festivals since I last wrote. I need to dedicate more time to writing, and less to drinking this good beer it seems.

First, I went to a small beer "festival" in Nakaichi in Akita. This was a few months ago. Again, sorry for the delay.
I recall some very interesting flavors, to be sure, peach and champagne were two that were better than expected. Also, taking notes will be in the future of my blog as well...

 
Dave, Jonathan and Tom
Beer drinkers extraordinaire
I had a great time with some good friends at the last beer festival I went to in Akita. It was a good time, great weather too.

As for my somewhat more recent beer festival adventure. I was able to attend the Michigan Summer Craft Beer Festival in Ypsilanti Michigan. It was great, as to be expected. There was some rain and it was a bit humid. Welcome to Michigan. But, the time spent with friends and family drinking good beer was fantastic as usual.

A good turnout, despite the rain!
My friends and I had a smoked red ale (from which brewery I can't remember). Which was fantastic, as well as several go to's such as Dragon's Milk from New Holland Brewing Company and one or two from Bells (Which I'm glad decided to show up to the festival).

Sorry for the limited update folks. Life has been crazy. One of my first purchases in California was a sampler of Santa Cruz Mountain Brewing beers. I haven't had a chance to properly sample them (with notes!) But I hope to soon!

Thanks again for reading. Cheers!

Wednesday, June 12, 2013

Long time no post. Time for an update!

Well sorry again for the delay. Life can get busy. As it is I hope to be more consistent in my writing but, I promise nothing.

Since my trip to Okinawa I have had several trips to Aquila Brewhaus in the city. Good stuff as usual. Though nothing terribly new. I plan on attending a beer festival in Akita city next weekend. Hopefully I can snap some photos and get a decent review of the beers of the day.

As for the recent discoveries ...
First, is a beer I have been reluctant to try, Echigo's white ale. Overall I was concerned thinking it might have a overwhelmingly wheat taste. I was surprised to find it was quite drinkable, slightly wheaty but not too bad, with a little bite.
Next I was pleased to find this behemoth the Kaiserdom dark lager. Wow. It is 1 liter of beer. Very impressive. It was something like 525 yen. A fair price for the quantity of beverage. The taste was not amazing, it had a very plain kind of stout taste, not super flavorful but drinkable. I enjoyed it. Though I will admit it was a commitment to drink.

Next is the Grand Kirin, which I found at a local (and new) 7/11 convenience store. Sometimes they have good stuff. So I decided to try one of the big beer companies. It was a bit pricey, like 280 yen? It was in a strange greenish bottle too. Perhaps Kirin was trying to be classy. Anyway at 6% alcohol it was alright. not worth the price, no notable flavors. Just a slightly higher ABV .  Next we have the red Coedo. It was sweet potato flavor. Which apparently is a good thing in Japan. As I really have been fond of several of the other Coedo beers I thought it might be pretty good. It was interesting. A bit sweet, believe it or not, and a bit too much for my tastes. Possibly with some salty snacks to balance it out it might have been a bit better. A strange drink, not awful. Probably worth a try, for ~280 yen, its a decent choice.  Next there is the Echigo Kolsch. Not so different from the white actually, I enjoyed it a bit more. But, it had a very similar taste. Somewhat bitter, less wheat flavor and a small hop accent. Overall pretty good. Last is Bohemia, a fairly average pilsner, crisp and drinkable.

 Lastly we have the SUPER KOMACHI BEER! Released by Tazawako brewing company, to celebrate the starting of the Super Komachi train, (pictured on the can)  the Super Komachi ALT is pretty good, a nice deep red color full body, tons of flavor crisp after taste, sadly though VERY expensive, over 400 yen for 100 milliliters. (Thanks for the beverage Tom!)

Well that's all for now. Take care readers!
Cheers!

Wednesday, April 10, 2013

Okinawan Adventure!

Hello!
I recently was able to travel to Okinawa in southern Japan for a vacation.  Besides doing some amazing sight seeing and snorkeling I was able to try some of the local beer selection, and as a whole I was not disappointed.

First off I will start with the larger of the beer companies, Orion. As I had previously had it, it was not high on my must have list for the trip. It was however a very drinkable pilsner, I enjoyed a few mugs of it while I was able to get it on tap. Nothing amazing, it reminded me of Kirin probably more then anything else.

Next I will mention the highlight of the trip Helios Brew Pub. With five very different brews on tap it was a fantastic place to try, the food was good too!

I ordered the sampler set, a 1100 yen investment I don't regret. It started with the Blue Sky & Ocean, a German style weizen. Good, but as I have mentioned before I'm not too fond of wheaty beers. The next was a very unique beer, the Goya Dry. As one might expect from a goya, quite bitter. An interesting flavor mixed with the light beer, a bit strange, though not terrible. The next was the German Lager, which had a great full flavor, not too strong, but rich. The next was a English style Pale Ale, overall not bad, a great hoppy flavor with a crisp finish . The last and darkest was the English style Porter, a smooth heavy taste, very filling with a slight hint of caramel another good beer.

As it is I only ordered one proper beer and choose the English style Pale Ale. It was surprisingly my favorite of the five.

The next night we went to a strange American style bar near our hotel. I was able to sample another Okinawan local,  Nanto Brewery's Nihede Beer (hard). As it
is I didn't get to try the (soft) version so sadly I can't compare. As for the Nihede (hard) It was enjoyable overall if not horribly over priced something like 600 yen a bottle. There was some flavor that reminded me of a brown ale, somewhat malty but, with less body.  It was fairly drinkable a slight caramel undertone, as well as a bit of a mild aftertaste. Overall not a loss.

As a whole I would say my trip to Okinawa was amazing. I got to see some great sights and drink some great beer.  Not to mention I was able to get out of the awful spring weather Akita has presented us. Hopefully in my next update I will be able to review some of the Okinawan sake I bought. No snake in the jar but cool stuff for sure.

Until next time.
Cheers!

Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Beer tasting party

Hello again! Sorry for the delay! Work has been crazy as usual. So, as I promised earlier I have taken some note of one of the more recent beer filled adventures I have had in Japan.  Last month I had some friends over and we sampled several beers from around the world.

Kanpai!
Starting on the left we have Coedo from Saitama Japan, the brown is quite good, can't say I remember the blue can as well (good or bad?).  Next we have Satan Red from Belgium, and yes, there was a toast to Satan for this beer. Very metal. It was a fairly strong and heavy taste, a reasonably ABV too.  Following the Satan Red we have a hometown brew for me: The Ypsi Gypsi from Arbor Brewing Company. The Gypsi is a pale ale, with some good flavor, and like some of the other brews I brought to the table, a taste of home. Next there is Samurai from Great Divide Brewing in Colorado. It's apparently a rice beer. Though none of us were terribly fond of it. There was a slight sakeish taste to it, overall an odd drink.  The next two were German, Sorry I have no more insight, no one at the party could read or speak German. I do recall them being fairly dark in color and full flavor as many German drinks tend to be. The next is Mc Chouffe from Brasserie d'Achouffe. It had a slightly fruity taste from what I recall. Not my favorite as some of my readers might note. Overall not a loss though. 


Ben, myself, Tom and Yuki admiring the collection.
Continuing from the left we have several more Michigan brews, starting with  Dirty Bastard from Founders. Personally my favorite from the lot. The Scotch style ale sits at 8.5% ABV. Very solid, great color, with a rich full taste. The next two are brown ales, the first is  Best Brown Ale, from Bells Brewery, another great Michigan brewery The next is Nut Brown from Arcadia Ales in Battle Creek.  A slightly nutty taste as the name would suggest, a full bodied beer with an overall great taste. The next pictured is Siren a amber ale from North Peak Brewing. Very easy to drink, a light malty taste from what I remember. The next two are also from Arcadia, sampler 12 packs are a win in my book. Japanese breweries need to take note of this.  First the is the IPA, 5.9% ABV, with a great hop flavor, and a slight nutty aftertaste. A good IPA, (Then again I'm partial to IPAs). The last one is another Scotch style ale, Loch Down sitting at 8.3% ABV it is a very hearty drink. Slight alcohol taste, not bad, but a little different then most of the previously mentioned drinks. Overall a very rich full flavor though. Likely one I would buy again in the future. 
Yuki, Tomohiro and Mori 
Yuki posing with the cap from the
Satan Red.
As a whole the party went really well! My guests were pleased with the selection of brews from around the world, though not as many as I would have liked, I think everyone had a great time. I hope to get the opportunity to have a similar event soon. Thanks for reading!
Cheers!

Thanks to Sarah for taking all of the pictures!


Tuesday, January 22, 2013

A much needed and long overdue post!

Dear readers, I apologize once again for lagging in my duties to provide new and interesting commentary about the beverages of this country. Again, I have been quite busy. As it is I am planning on hosting a beer tasting party this weekend. I brought back several bottles of Michigan micro brew to share with some of my local friends. I hope to take some photos and post about it soon. *Crosses fingers*

Anyway, I'll share what I have neglected to post about for so long.  A few months ago I tried several beers I picked up at the local import shop. (I'm pretty sure all of the employees at Yamaya know me).

From left to right we have: Old Crafty Hen Vintage Style Ale, Mahou Negra, Leffe (I believe it was a Belgian style brown ale), Vedett a white ale, and Old Foghorn from Anchor brewery, barleywine style ale.


From what I recall, the Old Crafty Hen was pretty good. A rich flavor, something like 6% alcohol and tasted great at room temperature. I was not so impressed with Mahou Negra, it was a dark beer, something akin to a Guinness. I believe it was from Spain, decent flavor, just not my favorite.  The Leffe was good from what I recall a bit pricey, something like 600 yen. Worth it though for a good drink.  Vedett was tough for me. As some of my readers might know I'm not an avid wheat beer drinker. This was VERY wheaty. It was a struggle to finish, though one of my co-workers is quite fond of them. To each their own I suppose. But, it was "For Science!" So I decided to try one anyway.  As for the last one Old Foghorn, I thought it was pretty good. It was slightly different from what I recall, (might need to try another bottle!) again though very pricey, around 500 yen. There were several others from Anchor Brewery which I might try in the future.

The two on the right were purchased at Lake Tazawako during one of my camp trips this summer. I recall the one with the yellow label not being anything special, it tasted just like a normal lager, kind of bland.  The grey labeled bottle I do not directly recall. I remember it was better then the yellow one, in my opinion, sadly no specifics. Sorry!

On a funny side note, when I was home in Michigan over Christmas I went to a local grocery store to look for beer. I was surprised to see Sapporo one of Japan's large beer companies represented. A six pack of bottles cost something like 7 dollars. It's funny, because that is definitely cheaper then what it cost in Akita. The same pack would easily cost double that in yen, if not more. How it's cheaper? Not exactly sure, probably something to do with taxes and the price of brewing materials between the U.S. and Japan. It was an interesting find to be sure.

Anyway sorry for the ill informed belated post. Hopefully the beer tasting party will go well and I'll have some more stuff to share.

-Cheers!