The last of the Shepherd Neame beers on shelf at the nearby supermarket was the organic ale named Whistable Bay. I don’t know if it’s because of the “organic” or not, but it’s a really (taste-wise) smooth and quiet beer. Don’t get me wrong, it’s full-bodied, but not in a heavy way, so it’s quite refreshing. Even I recognize a subtle grapefruit-ish aroma from the hops in it. It somehow reminds me of classic all-butter shortbread.
The best part of this all, which I only noticed today, is that these imported ales in 500ml bottles are only 3 yen more expensive than the 300ml can Japanese beers. I think you can guess which am I going to pick.