Hitachino Sunday Cup Festival (range review)

Having previously enjoyed the XH and the Espresso Stout, it was time for a range review on some of the other beers currently purchasable locally from Hitachino in Japan.

First up the white ale, whose label confirms the traditional approach with additions of coriander, orange peel and nutmeg. It's a nice pour, though the beer itself is quite yellow. It's bright and not out of style, just different to some others. Nose is of candied orange, not as pithy as orange peel, bit sweeter and fresher but less bitey. As such the whole thing calls to mind a chewy orange lolly.

Taste-wise happily it manages to stay quite light with medium-high carbonation to back it up. The taste profile is pretty light and delicate but all the right flavours are there, before a burst of that sweet orange before the end. Strikes me as pretty sessionable stuff here on a hot day, with nothing really objectionable in the slightest. The perfect soft-spoken Japanese gent. 7.0

Wasn't quite sure what to expect from this "Real Ginger Ale" - was it a beer with ginger, or a ginger beer? Turns out to be the former, marked as happoushu because of the additions. This beer is marked at 7.0% on one label, and 7.5% on the other .. just like XH, this is something you wouldn't get away with in Australia.

It's a dark pour with a fair amount of particulate sediment and rye-like hue. The nose is curiously reticent, delivering not much above and beyond a suggestion of malt sweetness, but the taste doesn't hold back. Bang - dat ginger. It's a good soft mouthfeel here and kind of evokes Olde Stoney ginger beer meeting a spiced heavy ale of some description. All of which is nice, but it becomes harder and harder to deal with over time. Maybe better in the snow? 5.5

"Japanese Classic Ale" seemed somewhat of a misnomer first up given the nature of the beer scene in modern times. A closer look at the label however shows it's a replica of Edo period ales, matured in cedar as per old style English IPAs. Nice pour again with a good looking creamy head. I get peppery notes on the nose here along with a bit of warming alcohol.

That spicy character carries through into the ale itself - perhaps it's the barrel? - but it's a nice combination. The hops are evident if not dominant and it all comes together quite nicely at a professed 7.5%. I drank this happily the whole way through and found it interesting, well-made and compelling. 7.0

Continuing the theme with another solid seven percenter is the red rice ale. This one's a bit more reticent with the ingredients list which is a shame, as to me at least it feels a lot like it's had berries, cherries, or something similar added here which dominate everything else. The rice isn't very evident, but it is at least quite red, I guess.

I'm not really sure about this one - it didn't really do what you'd think it would and felt a bit out of place the whole time. I didn't dislike it, but neither would I seek it out again. 5.5

Onward then to the commemorative new year celebration ale, at 8% (at least, knowing these guys). This is the 2011 edition and understandably speaks of forgetting the troubles of the year past. It's spiced with coriander and cinnamon among other things - one could expect it to be a big heavy in line with the Japanese (winter) new year.

This drop is sour up front then quite spicy and complex. Not as malty as expected, but thought provoking nonetheless. I wonder if the sour edge is from age, or if they have again used their access to sake barrels and the like to give it a bit of something special - whichever it is, it lifts this beer a little and makes it quite compelling to drink. Slight nectarine / apricot nectar notes. Interesting if not delicious. 6.5

Finally to the sweet stout. I'd been recommended away from this one by a stout-drinking of some repute, but  after drinking this one I was quite happy with it. It's just 4% and clearly designed along the lines of the typical dry / sweet stout. Good colour in the pour, lovely nose of raw choc malt also. It's sweet in that it has definitely had lactose introduced, but not overly sweet in terms of flavour balance. Instead there's a nice roasty character for the main combined with an edge of coffee.

It's light beer yes but I'd argue not watery (ie, not unintentional). Lasting roasty aftertaste is pleasant. Good beer. 7.0

All in all an interesting selection and enough to confirm my wish to visit when next in Nippon.

Moon Dog Macguava

Smells like a sour out of the bottle, nice fruity notes, just what the doctor ordered.

Side note - I took the opportunity to weigh my shared pour on a handy nearby scale, 328g each in identical glasses - now that's pouring. Fluffy head too, good stuff. Fair bit of sediment here - doesn't worry me, but may put off some.

Taste wise this is good stuff - more or less as intended, witbier + guava, but this time it's an inspired combination and actually combines beautifully to take the sometimes challengingly sweet edge off the wit combo and mask it with some lovely exuberant juicy notes.

Top work! Far better than Melon Gibson, anti-semitist or not. I'm glad - don't want to slate these guys again cos their philosophy and their beers kick ass. 7.5

Wigram Ginger Jerry

Interesting idea here, combining a ginger beer and a witbier, but for what result?

Pour immediately comes off as nearly clear, no real head to speak of, and unexpectedly flat. My experiences with ginger beer both homebrewed and commercial had conditioned me to expect a bit of fizz here but it's really rather mellow, and pushes out just 4% abv. Nose is of dry ginger ale, with an edge of something a bit sweeter - maybe the yeast?

Mouthfeel is again quite flat but light. I'd actually prefer a little more carbonation here to make it slightly more refreshing. It's not a very beery beer on the whole, but there is a slight edge of possibly psychosomatic wit if you're investigative.

I found this a little too sweet and a little too flat to really have fun drinking it. Ice cold and with a little more fizz? I'd be there for beach drinking all day. 5.5

Kooinda Belgian Witbier

So - a Belgian Witbier. You know, as opposed to the other kind.

Still, its rare for a brewery to perform really well across their whole range of beers, no matter how ambitious, and Kooinda have done excellently to date with a couple of real standouts and a strong performance across the stable.

Pours with a frothy head I initially feared might dissipate, but instead it remained with a meniscus of snowlike froth throughout the glass. Good yellow orange colour but visible aeration in the tall glass. Aroma of citrus peel, sweet, slight coriander, and yes checking the label reveals orange peel and coriander in line with traditional trends.

Mouthfeel here is a little too fizzy, kind of floaty and soft effervescent in character, not the worst but could be improved. Spices particularly pepper come through pretty strong on the palate along with ongoing orange fruit sweetness. There is an edge of booze present in this too which is a bit of a shame at just 5.5%. Where does this leave us? Kooinda have again demonstrated solid skills and a commitment to quality brewing. No complaints. But certainly no standout either in the shadow of their stronger beers. 5.0

Hoegaarden

On to somewhat of a classic.

Obnoxious beer snob that I am these days, I entered this one without massive expectation having not encountered this beer in some time. Turns out I was doing it a bit of a disservice as it's a more than serviceable 5% witbier / belgian white that, while simple, exhibits all that you really want from this style.

Pours hazy light golden; slight coriander, sugar, and lemon on the nose. Relatively strong carbonation but that makes it quite refreshing in its own way. Shame summer's a while off as I think I could go through a few of these in the heat. Good stuff! 7.5

Thoughts on The Monk

Quick stop at The Monk in Freo for a tasting paddle, introducing a friend to the wonderful world of beer.

The mild first up is a success in a non-standout sort of way. It's a crisp lager with the main character developed from a light malty backbone. The execution is good and as such it's fine for what it is - but I personally prefer mild beers to sport a bit more character.

Kolsch - quite interesting this compared to others, bit of fruit character, almost verging on light caramel notes, quite refreshing on the whole and a bit more flavoursome than other takes on this genre.

Wheat beer was a bit underwhelming: clearly of the belgian witbier family but lacking the deeper sugary hit required for this style to really zing I felt. Drinkable at 6% abv however.

Pale ale is certainly of the Australian persuasion - must be a close relative of Coopers in fact. Same pros and cons as that drop. Having got to this level would be nice to see something radical added.

Rauch beer - I'm no expert on the style but this is a good easy drinking example, roasty ham flavours coupled with a mid oily mouthfeel. Would like to have a go at this with some smoked cheddar or similar.

The Chief - the standout of the group by a distance, this sports a great nose of pine / grapefruit and backs it up really nicely. Citra and Cascade hops produce a stinging fruity bite, and love the ongoing bitter kick this gives at a solid 75 IBU. Highly drinkable, fresh and flavoursome.

Sadly the Porter lets them down with a fairly watery performance, weak aroma and dead spots throughout the taste.. vaguely chocolatey.. but pretty disappointing.

The Monk .. shows promise - though sadly there was no seasonal so we were presented with some sort of 'beer cocktail' instead. Argh. Good food though!

Mornington Witbier

Trying to complete the set from this pleasingly consistent brewery, we now have the witbier.

This pours foamy, soapy and clingy, nice enough colour and bouquet of primarily hefeweizen style banana and citrus. Taste wise.. slight coriander if you search, but pretty typical belgian white fair, slight spice.

It's all just a bit underwhelming unfortunately.. rather than there being any glaring flaws, it just feels like a poor version of Blanche de Namur. Fair effort but probably the weakest from this stable. 5.0

Blanche de Namur

Finally trying this stalwart classic.

Smells delicious out of the bottle I must say, fruity and spicy, resinous. Big foamy head soon crashes in on itself. It's pretty opaque and cloudy, filled with particles. Maybe odd filtering?

Interesting to drink - sharp and tart to begin with, then develops fruits and malts as it goes. Banana's probably the main message but it's controlled. Controlled banana is better than rampant uncontrolled banana that's for sure. Ask anyone.

This banana has lemon for a friend too. Nice finish leaves you wanting more. Just 4.5% means it's pretty drinkable too. I enjoyed this. 7.5