To be honest I didn’t even realize what kind of a beer I picked, even though it was the “bock” that caught my eye. 氈鹿 (kamoshika) stands for serow, in line with the German meaning of Bock (which also billy goat).

It’s got a pretty deep amber-brown color. Its head starts big and strong, then decays into a thin layer that stays around for a long time with quick but solid lacing.

Its smell tells tales of caramel and dark berries. I was kinda amused when my second impression after those turned out to be “fruits and roastedness”. Oh well.

It’s got a thick body, with smooth, light carbonation. Honestly, it tastes like blueberry dark chocolate. It’s gently bitter and has a fine-tuned subtle sweetness to it as well.

I just love how they managed to keep the character of the hops present without losing the malts. Must be the “strong lager” about it, as it’s definitely got the skeleton of a lager.

It leaves a thick, bitter aftertaste, as if someone added carb to dark chocolate, or dark roasted coffee.