the beers of FUTENMA: Hacker-Pschorr Hubertus Bock

I'm really tired, but I have the opportunity to write this review so I must. As I've told many of you, I started this blog as a project to not only teach myself more about beer but to get back into the habit of writing critically. Mostly this is to prepare myself for online college, something I've talked about quite a bit, but haven't acted on as my work takes a great deal of my time. So, without further ado.
The PX got these Hacker-Pschorr Hubertus Bocks in at the same time as the Sierra Nevada. At the same time, they got Hacker-Pschorr mugs for about $2.00, so obviously I got one. They've had Hacker's Stermweiss there for some time, but if you've been reading the blog you know how I feel about wheat beers. To give you a little background on Hacker-Pschorr, it was brought about in 1975 when the Hacker and Pschorr brewerys in Munich (which had both been owned by the same family since the late 1700's) merged. Hacker was started in 1417 and predates German purity laws. Pschorr was started by Joseph Pschorr after he bought Hacker from his father in law.

The bottle is a swing top with porcelain stopper, and has a green label with the Hacker-Pschorr emblem and a nice picture of a buck. As I've explained in previous posts, that's a running joke. It says its a limited edition, I don't know how it's supposed to differentiate from regular bock, but the back gives a nice description. "Hacker Pschorr, Munich's brewery since 1417, has released a limited edition series which is a collection of hand-crafted specialty beers produced in small single-brew batches and available in the US only while supply last" I did not mean to say supplies, that's how it's written. I've always hated the application of the term "Hand crafted" to beer. What, did you take a chisel to it? Is you're beer typically made by robots? Anyway, it goes on to say "The first of these releases, Hacker-Pschorr Hubertus Bock, is brewed in early winter and is slow, col lagered to the virile image of the Patron Saint of Hunting, St. Hubertus. Hubertus Bock is a bold, Golden-hued brew, whith rich, robust maltiness and a well-balanced, slightly sweet hoppy finish." Why can't anybody agree on whether it's hopps or hops? I suppose it doesn't really matter, as long as everybody know what you're talking about. Alright, lets pop this bad boy open.

Makes a nice pop sound when opened. has a cereal nose from the bottle. It forms a nice bit of head over a clear golden orange colored beer, copper if you will. Nose is more malt from the mug. Its lively in there, a great deal of tiny bubbles. I almost just want to stare at them, mesmerized. On first sip, this is a very sweet, fruity, slightly hoppy beer with a bit of a cereal flavor as well. I didn't notice at first, but as I've been drinking this, the aroma has become sweeter. I suppose it had to be agitated a bit, as is common with sweet smelling things.
I wonder why that is? That sweet smelling things need to be disturbed to release their sent, but bitter and foul smelling things need only be exposed to the air to fill the room. Maybe sweet smelling things have larger particles?
This is a full bodied beer, with an alkaline acidity and a mid-weight mouthfeel. If you roll this beer around you're mouth the hopps really come out. Allot of the sweetness goes away as well. It's rather dinamic.

So, I've been listening to allot of The Black Keys lately, I'm actually listening to their album "turn blue" which I had the opportunity to buy on LP when it came out, but I passed it up. Thankfully, we live in an age of second chances and I know I can get it online, untouched, until the day I die. I guess I miss that about the pre-internet age, you could have the "last one" and that was something special. Now, you have access to almost everyone that exists that is for sale. I suppose that is one of the many reasons I have a love affair with antique firearms, there just taboo enough to make them unavailable to who aren't willing to dig and actually go places. And then you have some that were imported decades ago and only exist in private collection, those are my favorite, those ones that the older gun writers reminisce about but you never see. Although it's not the most expensive gun I own, my Argentine Mauser is probably one of my more prized guns. They were imported in the mid 1960's and early 70's and then slowly disappeared into peoples collections. I have only seen one in my entire life, and I own it. And then, come to find out, my uncle Jamie has one as well. I pray this never happens, but if something happened to all of my guns, the money I've spent on them will have been well spent in my opinion for just the conversation value I've had with some of these older guys, guys that know these little taboo secrets that you will never find out anywhere else. I love it.
I've run out of this beer, and I am saddened by that. It was very enjoyable, and at 6.8% was practically the perfect percentage. I give this beer my blurry seal of approval

the beers of FUTENMA: Batemans Rosey Nosey Holiday Ale

This beer was on clearance for $1.20 a bottle so I picked it up. Holiday beers (or just spiced beers in general) really aren't my thing, but I'll try to have an open mind. This one is from Batemans brewery in Wainfleet England, which was started in 1874 by George Bateman and has been family run ever since.

The bottle has the face of father Christmas on the label embroidered with gold and the words "Batemans gold medal winning beers" "Rosey Nosey Holiday Ale" "1 Pint, 0.9 Fl.OZ.". It's nice to have a beer measured in imperial units, the metric system is so mundane. According to the description on the back it "compliments any turkey" and is " a full bodied copper coloured (that's how it's spelled on the bottle) beer brewed with Maris Otter pale ale and crystal malts, wheat malt and English Golding hops. "The aroma is rich with sultana and raisin fruitiness. Intensely bitter hops and a rich malt provide a long finish dominated by vine fruits" (Roger Pratz) Rosey Nosey is ideal as an accompaniment to poultry dishes". Well, we'll see about all that. I popped open the top and gave it a whiff. It has a malty, yeasty nose from the bottle, but we'll see how it is after I pour it into the super traditional Orion mug.

that's the holiday spirit

The bottle may say that it's copper "coloured" (thank God we took English away from these people) but I would say it's more of a stained oak color. It doesn't have any head to speak of, there is very little activity inside the glass. It's nose from the mug is like a box of raisins. On first sip, it does taste like a mildly spiced brown ale, with raisin fruityness throughout. Mouthfeel is full bodied, but not heavy, with a little bit of acidity. There is a little bit of an alcohol bite, but not much. I have to concur with the bottle, this would go well with some baked chicken, I don't know about turkey, but chicken definitely. 

Wow, they were not kidding about the raisins, the slight spice taste went away after the first couple of sips and it was just brown ale/raisin city from then on. It's a pretty good beer, not great by itself but I imagine it really would go great with a chicken dinner (not fried chicken though). Sultana is right.

the beers of FUTENMA: Orion Draft

I have finally gotten around the THE Okinawan staple beer, Orion Draft. The Orion brewery was started in 1957 and started brewing in 1959, first making a German styled beer much like the Japanese did, but struggled to make a name for themselves as 1.the market was already saturated with German style Japanese beers and 2. The Japanese did it better. Shortly thereafter, Orion switched to making a simple "American" styled pale lager, and saw much more success on its home island of Okinawa (mostly because it was more palatable to the Americans stationed there). Mind you, this is not an "American Lager" or a "Rice lager" as it contains no rice. The only ingredients in Orion Draft are barley (not malted), a blend of European hopps (mostly German), yeast, and water they get from their own guarded mountain stream. It's a simple beer, nothing complicated about it.

On the can it says "Orion's Original Brew" "Orion Draft Beer" "Orion Draft Beer's clear mild taste is widely loved as an Okinawan Original" "ALC. 5%". Other than that it's a bunch of Kanji. But enough about the can.I finally I get to pour some Orion Orion into the super traditional Orion mug! Nose from the can is a yeasty barley aroma, lets see the head.

Quite a bit, but it subsides quickly. Nose from the mug is the same as from the can. Color is a golden amber with very few bubbles from the bottom. It has a mild barley flavor, stronger than the Southern Star, and with slightly more acidity. Body is the upper part of watery or the lower part of mild bodied, but it certainly has more body than the Southern Star. I suppose if you give it some thought while you roll it around you're mouth, it has a very slight apple flavor. I certainly like it better than the Southern Star, it is definitely more flavorful. It's like if you took cheap American beers and made them with quality ingredients and didn't cut them with rice, which is pretty much what they did. You know, I'm going to go ahead and call it at lower mild bodied.

This beer never dissapoints. It was good from start to finish, which is all you can really ask of a beer. Also, thanks to researching for this post I've come to regard beer advocate as a site for the obnoxious prudes who don't like anything that wasn't brewed by men of the cloth. I'm not saying Trappist beer should not be held in high regard, they more than earn their titles as the best beer makers in the world, but I can't take anyone who cannot enjoy simple things seriously. Also, beer advocate is strewn with poorly researched misinformation, I could get more accurate beer reviews from 4chan. But to wrap this up, YAY Orion Draft! You're like America's beer seed in Asia. Spread our styles and do them better, like a son who outperforms his father. I give this beer my blurry seal of approval.

the beers of FUTENMA: Orion Southern Star

Tonight I review Orion Southern Star. This is a little different then their flagship Orion Draft (which I just acquired two cans of, review to come), it has less of a barley taste and flavor wise is akin to an American light pilsner, if American light pilsners were exclusively made with expensive spring water (like Fiji or Poland springs).

I have had this beer many times before, but I will try to look at it with fresh eyes, if I can. I have the 10th anniversary can, which has the Kerama blue design commemorating Kerama Shoto National park. It's actually got a pretty cool ocean life disign, but enough about that. On the can it says "Orion Southern Star is a liqueur with a refreshing light taste, delicately flavored with hops", like I said, light beer flavor. Now to pop the top and pour it into the super traditional Orion mug.

It has a mild musky nose from the can, not unlike a Miller Highlife. It has a barley aftertaste, it's just a little more than slight, but not as much as you find in Orion Draft. It's mildly acidic, but other than that it's mouthfeel is similar to good bottled water. the head starts out large, but quickly dies down to being practically non-existant. The beer itself has a golden amber color, but almost no bubbles, combined with the watery mouthfeel you can tell this is not a very carbonated beer. It certainly goes down easy.
So, to all 12 of my readers, sorry I haven't posted in a minute. I was sick most of last weekend (although I did get to finally do the battle sights tour I wanted to do last time I was in Okinawa) and work has required a little extra time on my part, I typically don't talk about my work directly on the internet (for obvious reasons) so that's all I'm going to say about that. But I'm mostly well now, not much else to report in that regard. What else is going on with me? I bought a 1970's navy A-1 extreme cold weather jacket to use as a riding jacket whenever I get a bike. I need to clean it, but it's in great condition.
Final thoughts on Orion Southern Star? It's OK. Allot of the guys out here like it, which is understandable considering it's along the same lines as the cheap beer they are used to drinking but of significantly better quality. Like all of Orion's brews, it's a simple, unfettered beer that can be relied upon. The Japanese seem to have acquired a taste for lightly flavored beers as of late, and that is the market this beer is going after. I'm not crazy about this one, but I'm not disappointed either.

the beers of FUTENMA: Westmalle Trappist Dubbel

Getting back to the Trappists I have the Westmalle Trappist dubbel. I quite enjoyed the last Westmalle and am looking forward to this one, especially being a brown beer. This was the first Trappist beer to use the name dubbel, other than that it doesn't have allot of back story that I didn't cover when I reviewed their triple.

Enough talk, lets get down to brass tacks. The bottle looks the same as the triple, except with a purple label. I'll be using the same Westmalle goblet as I did in the previous post (the Westmalle, not the Orion). From the bottle, it has the malt nose you expect from any brown beer, now to pour.

It has a very thin head, allot of small bits of yeast floating in it, like sand stuck to the glass. Not a very lively beer, the head mostly dissipated and there are small sporadic colonies of bubbles thru out the beer. Nose is the same as it is from the bottle. On first sip, this is the most caramel beer I've ever had. Mouthfeel wise it is a slightly upper middle bodied beer and only mildly acidic. It's somewhat fruity now, kind of a raisin taste. Alcohol is 7%, which I think is perfect.

Listening to Radio Moscow-Magical Dirt right now. I've never done drugs (I'm interesting enough, thank you very much), but I've always had a thing for stoner rock, its one of my go-to genres. If you have an appreciation for classic rock but think allot of the 60's stuff is too hippie, the 70's to played out, and the 80's a little too metal, modern stoner rock may be the thing for you. It's got Fuzz, Funk, Heavy metal, rock and roll, blues rock and psychedelic all rolled up into one style.
I've suddenly run out of this one. Not quite as good as the triple, but it is a good beer, if suddenly and sadly running out tells you anything. I give it my blurry seal of approval

the beers of FUTENMA: Orion shikuwasha beer cocktail

So I went down to the Family Mart to get some Japanese beers. I was looking for an IPA made by Kirin, but I didn't find it. Instead, I got a pack of Orion Southern Star and two cans of Orion shikuwasha beer cocktail. Today I'm doing the shikuwasha cocktail because I've never had it and figured I'd try something different.

it's a convenient store, for those not in the know

So it's made with a fruit called the Shikuwasha, it's native to Taiwan (Formosa) and the Riyukiu Islans (which includes Okinawa). As far as flavor goes, this little green citrus fruit tastes like a cross between a lime and an orange, but sour. They appear around July, and are not necessarily available all year

So this beer is a seasonal of Orion, and one that I'm more that happy to partake in. I still have not done a review on regular Orion draft, but I promise I will get to it. Later on I will also write about my visit to the Orion brewery, which I had a fantastic time at and took quite a few pictures of.

But now for the beer, the can has the three stars above the Orion logo with the brewery's current motto "for your happy time" and describes it in English as Orion Shikuwasa Beer Cocktail, a refreshing and clear beer cocktail made with shikuwasa produced in Okinawa. It has 5.5% alcohol, which means it will give you a decent buzz but you can have two of them without getting tipsy. It's made with Orion draft, so I imagine it will have a strong barley flavor rounded out with a decent amount of hopps and have that odd, but pleasant shikuwasa juice flavor added in. Time to crack top and pour foamy gold!

I can smell the shikuwasa from the can, this is not going to be an after taste.I just took the super traditional Orion mug out of the freezer and now its time to pour. Shikuwasa has a strong off lime smell to it and it completely overpowers the familiar unmalted barley nose of the Orion. It has the same amber-gold color as regular Orion, not a great deal of bubbles though. It built quite a head when I poured it, but that has died down rather quickly. Time to taste. If you've ever had XX with lime, that's kind of what this tastes like, but not exactly. Mouthfeel is just slightly acidic, it has a very light consistency, almost watery, but I would not go as far as to say that. It is certainly easy to drink, the shikuwasa is a nice touch and compliments the Orion quite well. You can kind of make out the barley flavor of the Orion, especially in the aftertaste.

happy time

Orion is a simple beer, it's made with simple ingredients, I think this one has five in total. The fantastic thing about Orion is that it is exactly what it needs to be without a bunch of frills, it is a crisp, clean, and refreshing beer that is accessible to everyone except the intolerably pompous. Just to be clear, this is not a Japanese rice beer, as beer advocate would have you believe. Budweiser is closer to a rice beer than this is (it actually contains rice), American lager my ass. Orion is actually an American styled beer, first produced during the American administration of the Island of Okinawa, on which it is brewed. But, as usual, I digress. I thought the Shikuasha fruit was going to be either overpowering or almost non-existent, but it was exactly the right mix. Its a nice change of pace from all of those powerful Belgian beers, I'm glad I had it. George Thorogood was a good choice to listen to while writing this as well.

 For my happy time indeed, thanks again Orion. I give this my blurry seal of approval.