The other day I went to the convenience store and I noticed something new among the beers. Kirin apparently released a limited edition beer called Galaxy Hop, I guess as the first stage of their attempt to go craft.

It’s got a light white head that dissolves in moments. The body’s light gold. It has a very sweet, fruity nose, full of honey and tropical fruits. This alone gives rise to (false) hopes about how hoppy the beer would be.

Because, honestly, it’s not hoppy at all. It has a medium, creamy body. Taste-wise, the citrus and tropical fruits stick around, but not a bit of the hops’ bitterness does, which is sad. How can you call it Galaxy Hop without bitters? It feels rather some weizen with interesting hops than an IPA.

I guess this is what a session IPA is supposed to be like, but why call it an IPA then? It’s good for a beer, but if someone gave me this saying it was an IPA I’d say stop joking.