When I see a bright blue can of beer with a logo design using a font that could as well be from VTKS lineup, furthermore called “punk”, I just feel this urge to give it a try.
Craft beer in Ikebukuro
Saturday night. The party town of Ikebukuro. The craft beer and sake bar called 万事快調 (“all’s well”). Of course I forgot to take any pictures, so I just used the one from Tabelog.
Ginga Kogen pale ale
It’s Sunday. No, it doesn’t matter. I just needed some first words, and somehow it feels that Ginga Kogen’s pale ale is a good pick for a lazy Sunday evening.
Echigo Red Ale
I picked up a can of the Red Ale by the Japanese craft brewery Echigo. Echigo is the old name for the area that is currently Niigata prefecture, where the brewery is based.
Tokyo Black
A few years ago “dark beers” started showing up on the supermarket shelves in Japan. I think every major mass-market brewery has a porter-imitation brand, but Tokyo Black from Yo-Ho is a whole different world.
Ginga Kogen wheat beer
Ginga Kogen (銀河高原, Galaxy Highlands) is a Japanese brand that I’d put somewhere between craft and mass-market. One of their central products is their wheat beer.
The Bud
The thing about Budweiser is that by the time someone gets well-phrased enough in the world of beers to know what good and bad is, they tend to become snobs who can only appreciate craft IPAs, refusing to even treat mass-produced delights like Bud as beer.
Beer and Google-fu
After an eventful day I had my well-deserved (small) can of beer a few hours ago, and as beer usually does, it made me pee every ten minutes. I didn’t have any time to spare so I asked the internet why that happens.
Whitstable Bay
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.
