My Beer Year by Lucy Burningham (Beer Book Review #2)

Join Burningham in learning more about beer (ingredients, history, brewing techniques, and styles) as she prepares for the Certified Cicerone examination. 

Click HERE for my YouTube review.

New Beers from the Japanese Majors in 2019: Suntory Holdings Limited / 日本の大手企業からの新しいビール 2019: サントリー

We’re into 2019 now. It's time to take stock of new beers brought out in 2019 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 the current RateBeer weighted average score and my own rating score (both scores out of a possible total of five), keeping in mind that most of these newer brews have fewer than ten ratings.

Finally, a look at what Suntory made in 2019:

Suntory Patto Hanayagu Kuse ni Naru (Nama) Beer

Pale Lager - Intl / Premium / 5.5% / My Rating: 3.2 / RateBeer Avg: 2.98

Nose of citrus, light sweet peach, pear, and small bit of tropical fruit. Deep bright gold color. Flavors similar to aroma: light tropical fruit, La France pears, wheat, sugar – all sweet and quite fruity. Thin-medium body. Almost tastes like a sweet dessert thing. Okay. Would be more interesting if they upped the ante a bit on the Galaxy hops.

Suntory Tokyo Craft Kolsch Style 2019

Kölsch / Kölsch-Style / 5% / My Rating: 3.2 / RateBeer Avg: 3.05

Light fruity and bready nose, with some citrus, and yeast. Clear bright gold color. Thin bready maltiness, citrus, apples, mild stone fruit, and light bitterness. Thin-medium body. Hmmm…. mild everywhere and maybe too fruity.

Suntory The Malts Hop Paradise

Pale Lager - India / Hoppy / 6% / My Rating: 3.3 / RateBeer Avg: 3.00

Aroma of doughy malt, sweet mild fruit. Clear gold color, quickly diminishing white head. Gentle pale malts, more fruitiness than expected, a little citrus, and some hop bitterness in mid and final. Thin-medium body. The label also touts the Amarillo hops used. And from the abundance of bright green hop cones pictured, you’d like to think that maybe....  just perhaps …. but nah … they never really let loose with hops. Seems more like an ale, actually. Drinkable, for sure.

Suntory The Premium Malt’s Master’s Dream Yamazaki Cask-Aged Blend

Pilsener – Imperial / 7% / My Rating: 3.4 / RateBeer Avg: 3.18

Nose of wood, light alc. fumes, apples, grapes. Thin fruity wine-like flavors, some light maltiness. Thin-medium body. Interesting as an experiment... but ... why age a pils? Because you can? Because you have a lot of Suntory whiskey barrels? The aging seems to have diminished the flavors. This is okay, but the regular Master's Dream is a more full-featured beer.

Suntory The Premium Malt's Jōzōka no Okurimono Hana

Pale Lager - Intl / Premium / 5.5% / My Rating: 3.4 / RateBeer Avg: 3.07

Fuzzy, dusty sort of grain aroma, with light stone fruit. Clear pale gold color. Grain, bread, mild grass, moderate malty sweetness, and some lightly peppery hops. Thin-medium body. Fairly tasty stuff

Suntory The Premium Malts Hokkaido Gentai

Pale Lager - India / Hoppy / 5.5% / RateBeer Avg: 3.00

No chance to try this one

Suntory Magnum Dry Honkarakuchi

Pale Lager - North Am. / Light / 6% / My Rating: 2.2 / RateBeer Avg: 2.55

So, this one is back after five-six years, with a slight jump in alc. level. And who cares? Nose of stale fruit, light spirits, slightly medicinal. Medium gold color. Stone fruit, spirits, and fairly dry through mid palate and finish. Medium body. Aroma is a bit off-putting; flavors are pretty much those of a normal junky pale lager

Suntory Kin-Mugi Gold Lager

Pale Lager - North Am. / Light / 6% / My Rating: 1.9 / RateBeer Avg: 2.55

Stale, cardboard nose, with a hint of wet dog, and plenty of grain spirits. Deep gold color. Sharp rough stone fruit flavor, along with some grain spirits. The spirits intensify in mid palate, and then it morphs into a bittersweet finish. Thin-medium body. Pretty bad.

Suntory Itadaki (8%)

Pilsener – Imperial / 8% / My Rating: 2 / RateBeer Avg: 2.58

Floral nose, with spirits, wet cement, and dusty dirt road smells. Bright gold color. Flavors of alcohol-laced stone fruit, grain, bitter spirits, and a hint of citrus. Medium body. The alcohol level (from the grain spirits) is too high... though it wouldn't really change the overall flavor if it were lower. Junk.

Beering in Mind YouTube Channel Beer Review #153 -- Kanazawa Brewery Pale Ale

Kanazawa Brewery Pale Ale is not the best that they can do, with less than optimum aromas and flavors. 

Click HERE for my YouTube review.

Beering in Mind YouTube Channel Beer Review #152 -- Nihonkai Club Kanazawa Lager

Nihonkai Club Kanazawa Lager is a truly pleasant beer. The aroma and taste are both richer than those of most lagers. 

Click HERE for my YouTube review.

New Beers from the Japanese Majors in 2019: Sapporo Breweries / 日本の大手企業からの新しいビール 2019: サッポロビール

We’re into 2019 now. It's time to take stock of new beers brought out in 2019 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 the current RateBeer weighted average score and my own rating score (both scores out of a possible total of five), keeping in mind that most of these newer brews have fewer than ten ratings.

Now, let’s have a look at Sapporo’s new offerings in 2019:

Two very limited-edition beers, each with hops from a single producer:

Sapporo Seven Premium Kamifurano Oosumi-san no Hoppu Batake Kara

Pale Lager - Intl / Premium / 5% /My Rating 3.1 / RateBeer Avg: 2.96

What a weird name. Did they really get ALL the hops from that one guy's hop field? Thick fruity nose, some grass and hay. Bright clear gold color, thick sponge-like head. Ripe stone fruit, thin bitterness. Flavors fade after mid palate. Thin body. Hmm... certainly has some decent hop aroma, but flavor is thin and disappointing. This one will not be around very long, I'm sure.

Sapporo Seven Premium Aomori Takko-machi Tanuma-san no Hoppu Batake Kara

Pale Lager - Intl / Premium / 5% / My Rating 3 / RateBeer Avg: 2.91

7-11 limited brew. Nose of grain and a pungent sort of grassiness. Medium gold color and a quickly dissipating head. Flavors of grain, punchy fruity hops with moderate bitterness, and a light peppery finish. Thin-medium body. Pretty malty, with some tangy hoppiness,..... but anyway....

Four new beers in the Yebisu line:

Sapporo Yebisu Shizuku

Helles / Dortmunder Export / 6% / My Rating 3.3 / RateBeer Avg: 2.94

Thin malty aroma, fine noble hop nose, all very fresh. Medium gold color, with a thin creamy white head. Smooth malty initial, rich in mid palate. Goes a bit spicy and peppery with hops, Mild bitterness and a thin dryish finish. A pleasant variation on the standard Yebisu, with a little more richness and punch to it.

Sapporo Yebisu Joel Robuchon French Pils (2019)

Pilsener / Pils / Pilsner / 5.5% / My Rating: 3.40 / RateBeer Avg: 3.09

Sweet delicate malty aroma, with citrus and grapes. Bright gold color. Smooth malty initial, some citrus tang, grape juice or wine, and a light metallic note in the finish. Medium body, a little heavy for the style, and some fuzzy carbonation tingle on the tongue. Champagne malt (whatever that is) and two kinds of hops. The grape / wine note makes it feel a bit more alcoholic than it really is. Almost seems like a hybrid. This is the seventh, and the last, beer that Joel Robuchon supervised for Sapporo before he died in August of 2018.

Sapporo Yebisu Premium Ale

Red Ale / Intl Amber Ale / 5.5% / My Rating: 3.3 / RateBeer Avg: 3.15

Can. Light spicy nose, with berries, and mild stone fruit. Deep copper/brown color, moderate head. Fruity flavor, with mild caramel. Bitterness hits pretty hard in mid palate and extends through to the finish. Thin-medium body. Interesting mix of flavors (for a Yebisu). Nose isn't much. Bitterness quite strong.

Sapporo Fukkoku Tokusei Yebisu

Helles / Dortmunder Export / 5% / My Rating: 3.4 / RateBeer Avg: 3.09

Malty nose, with lightly pungent grassy notes and all a bit fuzzy on the sinuses. Bright gold color, thin white head. Thick malty initial, heavy and bready in mid palate, with a surprisingly sharp bitterness near finish. Medium body. Nose is "Yebisu," but the flavor incorporates more bitterness than most beers in the Yebisu line. The body is heavier as well

Sapporo Hokkaido Nama Beer

Pale Lager - North Am. / Light / 5.5% / My Rating: 3.2 / RateBeer Avg:     2.91

Can. Light malty nose, some grass. Medium gold color. Mild bready malt, pleasant gentle bittering, then a bit sweetish, and a fairly bland finish. Thin-medium body. Okay. Nothing really special or "Hokkaido" about this one.

Sapporo Beer Surprise Shifuku no Kaori

Pilsener / Pils / Pilsner / 5% / My Rating: 3.3 / RateBeer Avg: 3.14

Nose is herbal, with plenty of citrus and noble hops. Bright gold color. Smooth fruity flavors, lightly bready, and has rather sharp bittering from mid palate onward. Thin-medium body, very light hop burn. The sharp bitterness is similar to that in other beers is this series. “Beer Surprise” – such a wonderful name....;((

Sapporo Honkaku Karakuchi

Pale Lager - North Am. / Light/ 5% / My Rating 2.1 / RateBeer Avg: 2.49 

Nose of spirits, grain, some grass, and light alc. fumes. Medium gold color. Mild malt, spirits emerge pretty quickly, light sugars, and a thin touch of bitterness. Thin-medium boy. Pretty not good.

Sapporo Mugi to Hoppu So no Kaori

Pale Lager - North Am. / Light / 5% / My Rating: 2.5 / RateBeer Avg: 2.79

Can. Fuzzy citrus nose, light grass. Medium gold color. Mild stone fruit flavor, with light apple and pear notes. Tiny bitterness. Has some of the requisite spirits presence but not too much. Thin-medium body. Not terrible.

Sapporo Mugi to Hoppu Natsudzumi

Pale Lager - North Am. / Light / 5% / My Rating: 2 / RateBeer Avg: 2.70

Thin floury malt aroma, mild spirits + hop mixture. Bright medium gold color, with a spongy off-white head, and lazy carbonation. Fruity initial, then grain spirits slip in, and then a mild hop bitterness. Thin-medium body. Nothing special or even summery about this one.

Sapporo Mugi to Hoppu Hon Juku

Pale Lager - North Am. / Light / 6% / My Rating: 2.4 / RateBeer Avg: 2.72

Overripe stone fruit nose, mosquito spray, spirits. Clear bright gold color. Thick stone fruit extract, spirits. The spirits flavor extend to the finish, along with a mild hop bitterness. Medium body. Covers up the junky aspects somewhat. Not the worst turd in the Mugi to Hoppu punch bowl, but not worth purchasing

Sapporo Mugi to Hoppu Tohoku No Kaori

Pale Lager - North Am. / Light 5% / RateBeer Avg: 2.79

No chance to try this one

Sapporo Hokkaido Off No Gochisou

Pale Lager - Intl / Premium / 5% / RateBeer Avg: 2.89

No chance to try this one

Sapporo Mega Lager

Pale Lager – Strong / 6% / My Rating 1.8 / RateBeer Avg: 2.68

Can. Nose of sewer pipe, and crushed rotten fruit. Clear medium gold color. Harsh fruity flavors, rough sweet and sour stuff. Big carbonation jump in mid palate. Ouch! Yuck! Label says "beer taste" – Oh, yeah? Well, hardly, says I. Herkules hops -- so what? Avoid this one.

Sapporo Innovative Brewer Sorachi 1984

Blonde Ale / Golden Ale / 5.5% / My Rating: 2.8 / RateBeer Avg: 3.01

Aromas of stone fruit, soap, some sort of wine, and lemons fried up in butter. Dark gold color. Flavors of stone fruit, apples, light citrus, green onions, dill, mint, and more soap. Thin-medium body. Flavors are certainly unusual. Sorachi Ace seems a bit too strong to be used as a single hop. Hard to drink at first, and then the palate gets (somewhat) used to it.

Sapporo Innovative Brewer Sky Pils

Pilsener / Pils / Pilsner / 5% / RateBeer Avg: 2.76

No chance to try this one