Yona Yona Ale

Yona Yona Ale (5.5%), an American style pale ale and the flagship beer of Yo-Ho Brewing, is probably the most widely available craft beer in Japan. It is also one of the least expensive, generally costing around ¥270~290 per can (approx. US$3.25~3.50), or just a few coins more than the bland mass-market Japanese lagers. It can be found in many of the nation’s convenience stores, even outside the main cities. Thus, for a craft brew, it is a “regular” beer – and it has long been a staple among beer fans in Japan.

It pours out a deep orange-amber, certainly much darker than a typical pale ale. It gives off a strong citrusy aroma with mild apricot and pine notes. The initial hop flavors are quickly balanced by a sweet satisfying maltiness. Brewed with UK malt and hopped with Perle and Cascade, it blends the UK and US west coast IPA styles well, bitterer than the former and sweeter than the latter. On RateBeer.com, it has earned a respectable 87 by style and 85 overall, with a weighted average of 3.34 out of 5.

Yona Yona, which means “every night” in Japanese, was developed by Toshiyuki Ishii, who studied and worked at Stone Brewing from 1998-2001. When he returned to Japan, he began making beer for Yo-Ho in the summer resort area of Karuizawa in Nagano Prefecture. He had planned to brew a beer similar to Sierra Nevada Pale Ale but ended up with something quite distinct.

Ishii introduced real ale to Japan in 2002 with a cask version of Yona Yona Ale, and he helped launch the annual Real Ale Festival in Tokyo and Osaka. He also created several other beers for Yo-Ho, including Tokyo Black Porter, Aooni India Pale Ale, National Trust Porter, Wild Forest Blonde Ale, and Yo-Ho Barleywine. The last-mentioned became a featured brew in Michael Jackson's Rare Beer Club.

Ishii is no longer with Yo-Ho, but the quality of Yona Yona Ale has not suffered. It is one of my “every night” go-to beers, and it can be appreciated by both beer novices and hard-core hop heads. Although perhaps not the most exciting or original of Japanese craft brews, it is however one of the most dependable and satisfying.

Note: This post was written as part of The Session #49 (regular beer) on Appellation Beer: Beer From a Good Home

Please have a look at the roundup of blog posts on this theme HERE.

*Update, October 2014: Yona Yona is no longer the beer it once was. Many people have commented/complained that the rich flavors and superb hopping are not as clearly present these days. The brewery has been expanding and perhaps quality control is not as good as it used to be.

Bell's Two Hearted Ale

“The train went on up the track out of sight, around one of the hills of burnt timber.”

Bell’s Two Hearted Ale, named  after a river in Michigan, might also be familar as the title of the two-part final story* in Hemingway’s 1925 collection, In Our Time. This wonderful IPA is touted by the brewery as being just the thing for trips to Michigan’s upper peninsula. However, most of us will likely find it perfect for trips to the den, sofa, or favorite bar stool.

Two Hearted Ale scores a perfect 100 overall, as well as 100 by style, on RateBeer.com. Currently available in only 17 US states (as well as D.C,, the UK, and one bar in Sweden), it is the third-highest rated IPA on RateBeer’s Best Beers of 2011, just a few ticks lower than AleSmith IPA and Ballast Point Sculpin.

Its mild orange color flickers to a clear pale yellow when held up to the light. A substantial initial carbonation gives it about an inch of foam, which eventually settles into a steady stream of large, slowly rising bubbles, creating a very light lacing on the glass. The first takes on the aroma seem pungent, extremely floral, piney, and citrusy as well.

Initial sips produce a fairly strong hop shock to the sides of the tongue. As it descends toward the back of the palate, a distinct and pleasant malty sweetness emerges, and it carries a very long tail of determined but balanced bitterness.

This is clearly one of the best American-style IPAs, with plenty of bittering -- from Centennial hops alone -- to satisfy any hophead. However, it is not overdone, unlike several popular West-coast hop-bomb ales. It is subtle, yet displays the effortlessness of a strong trout slowly swimming in place against a swift current. A beautiful beer, indeed.

 “He looked back. The river just showed through the trees. There were plenty of days coming when he could fish the swamp.”

* “Big Two-Hearted River”

Shiga Kogen House IPA

Went to Liquor Shop Ashiya recently, primarily to pick up some Christmas beers for an upcoming year-end party. But the shop had a good selection of Japanese micros, too. And so I bought several to take home. Last night I settled in early and opened a bottle of Shiga Kogen House IPA, one of the six styles made by Nagano-based Tamamura-Honten brewery.

I've had it before, both on tap and bottled. Some time ago, Lefty and I drank it side by side with Green Flash West Coast IPA, and we both agreed that the Shiga Kogen was a better-balanced and tastier beer. 

What a beauty it is, with a dusky orange/gold color, pleasant carbonation, and some lacing on the glass. The aroma is quite hoppy and citrusy. It is a full-bodied beer, made with 100% Maris Otter malt and what seems to be a blend of hops, though Cascade predominates in the flavor. Strong taste of grapefruit, peaches, and maybe a hint of apricot. Goes down smoothly and has a long bitter finish. It leaves a slight alcohol burn in the throat, and I could feel it inside for some time afterwards. This 8.2% double IPA packs a punch.

You can find a page HERE (in Japanese) about the beers made by Tamamura-Honten Co.