We’re well into 2018 now. It's time to
take stock of new beers brought out in 2017 by the four major breweries in
Japan: Asahi, Kirin, Sapporo, and Suntory. I'll discuss them each in a separate
post. I'll also give my rating score and the current RateBeer weighted average
score (both scores out of a possible total of 5), keeping in mind that most of
these newer brews have fewer than ten ratings.
In the three previous posts, we looked
at new beers from Asahi Breweries (see HERE), Kirin Brewing Company (see HERE),
and Sapporo Breweries (see HERE). Now let's see what Suntory Liquors Limited
came up with.
Suntory Liquors Limited – 12 new beers
in 2017
First off, two new variations on the
Premium Malts’ line:
Suntory The Premium Malt's Hojun Blend
Amber Lager/Vienna / 5.5% / RateBeer
Avg. 2.96 / My Rating 2.6
Light roast nose, thin dark fruit, and
raisins. Thin brown/ copper color. Sweetish roast malt, grain, touch of
caramel, and watered-down dark fruit. Thin body and lightly metallic. I might
be wrong, but I kind of suspect that this is a rebranding of the older Koku no
Blend.
Suntory The Malt’s Winter Draft
Premium Lager / 5.0% / RateBeer Avg.
2.98 / My Rating 3.1
Mild Cascade nose, with thin citrus,
lightly toasted malt. Clear medium gold color, quite a thick head of foam, and
some lace. Citrus, sweetish malt, a bit of grass, and mild bitterness in the
finish. Thin-medium body and substantial carbonation. Decent nose. Nothing
particularly wintery about this one. Not bad.
Three new ones in Suntory’s Tokyo Craft
line (which seems to have superseded their Craft Select series. or perhaps is a minor re-branding):
Suntory Tokyo Craft Pale Ale
American Pale Ale / 5.0% / RateBeer Avg.
2.81 / My Rating 3.2
Bready nose, with fairly rich
fruitiness. Dark copper/gold color. Moderate malt, sweetish but thin fruit,
prickly hops, and some decent bitter tracks. Thin-medium body. Pleasant stuff.
Suntory Tokyo Craft Saison
Saison / 5.5% / RateBeer Avg. 3.02 / My
Rating 2.9
Nose of grain, slight bit of wheat, and
a touch of esters. Clear bright gold straw, and a thin filmy white head. Mild
stone fruit, bittering hits quickly, along with some yeasty bite. Thin body.
Perhaps a bit too sweet and fruity in the initial flavor. Not as refreshing as
a good saison should be. Okay.
Suntory Tokyo Craft Weizen
German Kristallweizen / 5.5% / RateBeer
Avg.3.27 / My Rating 3.2
Aroma of wheat, banana, and cloves.
Bright clear gold, moderate head. Gentle wheat sweetness, hint of citrus, a
little touch of bitterness, and then back to sweet bready maltiness.
Thin-medium body. Not a big wheat character, but okay. Refreshing and pretty
well made.
Two in the Brewer’s Bar rotation:
Suntory Brewer's Bar Komugi no Lager
Premium Lager / 5.5 / RateBeer Avg.3.1 /
My Rating 3.3
Light wheat nose with very mild banana.
Medium-dark gold color. Some wheat in the initial with gentle bitterness. Thin
stone fruit flavors in mid palate. Finish has light but persistent bitterness.
Thin body. Balanced flavors. Nose ain't much, really. More like a regular lager
than a wheat beer.
Suntory Brewer's Bar Kohakuiro no Lager
Amber Lager/Vienna / 5.5% / RateBeer
Avg. 3.07 / My Rating 3.3
Light musty yeasty nose, with light
caramel and a thin bit of raisins and berries. Dark amber color.
Medium-strength roast, mild dark fruit, some gentle mid-palate bittering. From
late mid palate, it goes sweet. Then a small bitter finish. Not bad at all,
coming from a major brewer.
Suntory Craftsman's Beer Sento no Yume
Golden Ale/Blond Ale / 6.0% / RateBeer
Avg. 2.92 / My Rating 2.9
Nose of small sugary stone fruit, a bit
starchy. Bright sparkling copper/orange color. Mild sweetish malt, intensifies
to berries and maybe cherry, a bit bready, and small bitter tracks. Thin-medium
body. Pleasant, mildly fruity stuff. I don’t catch the Hallertauer hops that
they tout on the label.
Suntory Kyo no Zeitaku
Pale Lager / 6.0% / RateBeer Avg. 2.72 /
My Rating 2.3
Candyish malt nose, spirits, and a hint
of cardboard. Clear medium gold color. Thin sweet malt, light spirits, some
alcohol presence, and it flattens out very quickly. Thin-medium body. This is
some sort of attempt at a cheap spirit-infused version of Kirin's Aki Aji.
Suntory Kyō no Zeitaku Fuyu no Hyōten
Chozō
Pale Lager / 6.0% / RateBeer Avg. 2.85 /
My Rating 2.6
Nose of light sweetish stone fruit and
spirits. Clear gold color. Rough, rich maltiness, some stone fruit, apples,
spirits, and a lightly bitter finish. Medium body, and a touch rough on the
tongue. Not terrible. Somehow the spirits meld with the bittering hops. Could
drink it in a pinch. But I don't find myself in that situation so often.
Suntory The Brew Strong
Strong Imperial Pils/Strong Pale Lager /
7.0% / RateBeer Avg.2.75 / My Rating 2.1
Nose of grain and light spirits. Clear
gold color, fluffy white head. Flavors of grain, light stone fruit, grain
spirits, a mild alcohol presence, a modicum of bitterness, and a dry but still
fruity finish. Aftertaste of spirits. Medium body. Cheap stuff for a buzz on a
winter evening. Don't need more than a third of a can.
Suntory Itadaki
Imperial Pils/Strong Pale Lager / 7.0% /
RateBeer Avg. 2.61 / My Rating 2.1
Light sewery nose, with sugar, and a bit
of citrus zest. Clear medium gold color. Thin starchy initial flavor, some
insidious spirits creeping in, then a thin icky fruitiness, and tiny bitter
tracks in the finish. Thin-medium body, mildly warming. They tout "high:
this and "extra" that -- and what does it matter when the result is
so much like those other daisan (third
category) brews?
