The beers of Iwakuni: NoDa Brewing Hop, Drop 'n Roll IPA

This is one of the beers Hilgar sent me. It is the Hop,Drop'n Roll by NoDa brewing out of Charlotte North Carolina. According to the website "NoDa Brewing Company is a homegrown Charlotte brew house located in (and named after) the city’s most bohemian and artistic neighborhood—NoDa, named after North Davidson Street. Our approach is to handcraft small-batch beers with a dedication to quality and variety. Our size and attitude allow us to brew unique and artistic recipes as well as our renditions of classic varieties such as Stouts, Witbiers, and Winter Warmers. We are actually the only brewery in town with deep roots in the homebrewing scene. After winning numerous homebrew competitions, by popular demand, we took our beer to the general public. From our taproom to our kegs to our cans we hope you taste and enjoy the commitment, detail and love we put into every last drop of our NoDa beers". It was started by Chad Henderson, Suzie Ford, and Todd Ford who all left their professional careers to turn their passion for homebrewing into a business.
The Hop,Drop'n Roll IPA was their first product and won the gold medal for American styled IPA at the 2014 world beer cup. It uses "American citrus hops" (do they mean Cascade? I'm not positive but I would assume so) before, during and after the boil with Citra and Amarillo hops added late in the boil for added complexity. The bulk of the malt is an American and English blend with Vienna and wheat malt added for character.

I received this beer in a golden green 16oz. can with what appears to be the front of a Chrysler New Yorker. I could very well be wrong about that, but unfortunately the bulk of my knowledge of classic American cars is Chrysler centered and that's what my mind jumped to, If I'm wrong let me know.
The description on the can reads "Our West Coast style IPA hits you with a ton of juicy hop flavor that shines out from a substantial and complex malt backbone. We use Citra, Amarillo, Centennial, Warrior and Chinook in 10 separate additions to provide the intense hop blast found within this can!" I guess we know what they meant by "American citrus hops"(and no cascade either). It is 7.2% abv and I cant wait to try it.

Nose from the can is citrusy and floral with a hint of pineyness. It's got that condensed hop oil scent as well, very nice. It has a frothy white head and golden brownish orange color. Nose from the glass is much more citrusy and the floral aspect is intense. There is only a moderate amount of life in the glass, just enough to maintain the head at paper thin levels, which is just fine in an IPA. On first sip, It is old orange (as in a Valencia or other deeply flavored oranges that are tree ripened significantly longer than regular oranges) grapefruit and pine, each giving way to the other in that order. It is a smooth, slightly acidic, medium body with moderately dry finish. This is certainly easy to drink, and does not come with the "enzymatic flesh eating disorder" I've been getting in some other IPA's.

I'm currently listening to Howlin' wolf. I wish blues like his was easier to find nowadays. It exists, I've heard it, but shows can be difficult to get to for most people (namely me, here in Japan) and I only know of one radio program that plays it back home and it's only on Sunday nights. I just ordered one of Howlin' wolf's LP's (along with some Leadbelly!) and I'll give y'all a run down when it gets here. So, let me explain this "enzymatic flesh eating disorder". I've run into a couple of IPA's that have proteases in them (those are enzymes that break down proteins) which in high enough numbers can start to break down proteins in you're mouth and cause a "meaty" aftertaste and a raw mouthfeel (as your mouth is quite literally being digested). From my research online, I find a common culprit is bromelain, which you've probably run into if you have ever eaten fresh pineapple and suffered the consequences (I actually did recently). I haven't tasted any of the "soy sauce" off flavors that people claim such enzymes will give beer, but I've certainly gotten the other effects. Although it should be noted that I am not an expert in the field of beer brewing or biological chemistry, just in the handling of explosive aviation munitions, so I could be completely wrong about the enzymes.

This one

Final thoughts. I've been moving away from IPA's as of late. It's not that they are not good or that there is nothing interesting about them. It's just that Stout's and Porters and the various Belgian variety's have a world of possibilities that are being explored right now. It's like only playing pool when you could also be playing 9 ball, snooker, or carom. That being said, Hop Drop'n Roll is a hell of a game of pool. If you're a little sick of IPA's like I am, give it a try. I think you will find that even when you've played 10 games of pool in a row and you're just about sick of it, there is always that one game that is so good it makes you forget you played all of those others. This beer is that game. I give this beer my blurry seal of approval.

The beers of Iwakuni: Het Anker Golden Carolus Christmas

Since It's Christmas eve here in Japan and I have duty tomorrow (which means no alcohol) I'm doing this review now. The beer is Golden Carolus Christmas and it's one of my personal favorites (mostly because it's been marked half off at the PX). A little information about the brewery. Het Anker started off as a hospital that also had a small brewing operation in the 15th century. The hospital was a centerpiece of the town of Mechelen and in 1471 Charles the Bold declared that all of the beer that was brewed for the hospital was free of taxes and excises. in 1872 the Van Breedam family bought the brewery and modernized it with all new equipment and a then state of the art steam broiler. In 1990  Charles Leclef (of the Van Breedam family) inherited the brewery, modernized it again, and started a return to the special brews of Het Anker's heyday during the reign of the Dukes of Burgundy. They produce a variety of bottle conditioned strong Belgian beers in their Golden Carolus line and a few others which I'm not positive are available outside of Belgium.

Golden Carolus Christmas is given the following introduction of the Brewery's website: "For more than 35 years we had to miss the Christmas beer but in 2002 the tradition was restored with Golden Carolus Christmas. It’s a strong, dark ruby red beer with character and contains an alcohol percentage of 10.5 % alc.vol. Brewed in August, the beer rests a few months to reach an optimal balance. Three kinds of hops and 6 different kinds of herbs and spices define the rich taste of this Christmas beer. Top-class!". The website says that the bottles have a shelf life of three years, while the kegs are only eight months. The bottle I have tonight technically passed it's prime on the 10th of last month, but it should be fine, one month is not a great deal of time for something with a three year shelf life. The scene on the label features Santa Clause being drawn by the Carolus horses over the snow laden city of Machelen (featuring the cathedral of St. Rumbold). It is a 750ml wine bottle with a caged pop cork you commonly find of strong Belgian beers. It has a discription on the back, but it's not in English so I don't exactly know what it says. From what I can understand, it says to serve between 48 and 53 °F and is 10.5% ABV. I happen to have a Golden Carolus Goblet, so I will be using that. This beer usually has a nice head, so let's see it.

The cork erupts from the bottle and a heavy fruity aroma fills the area. Nose from the bottle, is licorice with fruitiness and just a little boozy. It is a deep and dark red color with a thick beige head. It is difficult to see, but it has quite a bit of life in the glass, maintaining the head quite well. Nose from the glass is similar to the bottle, but just a little spacey and with a hint of sour. On first sip, it has strong licorice flavor with spiciness and a fruity and slightly boozy finish. It is a full bodied beer, with low acidity but a strong warming feeling, just a little heady as well. I typically don't have water with my reviews, but I might this time as this is a very strong beer in a big bottle. I'm not trying to black out tonight, I have important things to do in the morning.

I've been talking to people, so I don't have a rant this blog. Enjoy the holidays with people instead of being alone in a room.

Final thoughts. I love this beer, it is my favorite Christmas beer. I would highly suggest it to anybody, and in fact I have in the past. I give this beer my blurry seal of approval. Merry Christmas, Noel, Prost, and Kampai Y'all!

The beers of Iwakuni: Echigo Stout

After a long work related absence, I'm back. Tonight I'm reviewing a beer that's been sitting in my fridge for a couple months and I need to get rid of it. It's the Echigo Stout, which means I don't have to write a big long thing about the brewery because I've already done that. I actually got this one in Hawaii at a Japanese market, so it's labeled for the United States. In other news. While I was not allowed to drink on my trip, I was able to get a hold of some good blog fodder, so get ready for that. Speaking of blog fodder, let me say thank you to Chris Hilgar for the porch bomb, you will be seeing many of the beers from it in the near future.

The Echigo Stout has one of those odd very long neck bottles, crimpcap, and gold on black label art featuring a taico drummer. The label claims it is a "Premium Import", Japanese brewers must love the word "Premium", they put it on everything. In the upper left hand corner there is the brewery seal sporting the words "Land Brauerei Echigo-Brau" or "Country Brewery Echigo Beer". It is 11.15 fluid ounces and 7% ABV. I'll be using one of six Delirium Tremens tulip glasses I got at the base thrift shop for something like $3. I don't know who had six of these glasses to donate or why they would, but I have them now. Finally, after all this time, let's pop this sucker open and see that head.

There isn't any

Nose from the bottle is like molasses with some caramel, maybe with a slight fruitiness. This beer basically has no head, what few bubbles are coming up are from the agitator in the bottom of the glass. Nose from the glass is just like soy sauce (or maybe Worcestershire sauce), a savory saltiness with some fruity character. On first sip, it is a little malty, definitely roasted, salty and otherwise tastes like Worcestershire sauce with alcohol. As far as mouthfeel goes, it is lower medium body with low acidity but a warming sensation akin to much stronger and higher gravity stouts. I would actually call this the much more conservative brother of the Holy City Bowen's Island Oyster Stout.

Given the season, I'm listening to Christmas music, however the only Christmas LP's I have are "Christmas with Chet Atkins" (which I got in a lot box) and "Happy Skalidays" by the Reel Big Fish.
So I've had this lifelong obsession with making things. I guess it started with building things with Lego's as a kid and continued in different constantly evolving ways. Eternally suppressed and constantly thwarted by my fathers crazed obsession with people "not making a mess in his (insert place name here)" at the threat of him having a near aneurysm and later by the Marine Corps by just the nature of living in a barracks. I find that I have much more interest in building something than I have in actually using it. I built a 3d printer, did a test print, troubleshot it a little bit, and then never touched it again. I honestly don't have any use for a 3d printer here in Japan and deep down I think I really just wanted to build it, and now that I have it's usefulness has expired. I think I want to build a couple of guitar pedals next, start out with a kit and then kick off the training wheels from there, presuming it holds my interest. When I get back to America I'm almost certainly going to get back into building guns and ammunition. I actually want to get into 3 gun when I get back. Not really for the sake of shooting 3 gun, but just because the Idea of building task specific devices from the ground up really gets my blood going. I bought a desktop CNC mill specifically to make receivers and other small aluminum parts just for the sake that I can build a receiver in whatever specific way I want and if it doesn't work out like I thought, I can just destroy it and build another one. Sure I can't sell the receivers I make (they constitute a firearm made for personal use and their ownership cannot be transferred), but money was never the point.
Final thoughts. It's ok. If you see it for a good price go ahead and pick it up, but it's nothing spectacular. If you want something with a similar profile, get the Holy City Oyster Stout, it's all this beer is and more.

The beers of Corona CA: Stone Citracado IPA

This is another one I got at Von's. This is Stone's 20th anniversary beer the Citracado IPA, named after the street the brewery is on, Citracado Parkway. This is a Double IPA with citra hops and avacado flower honey. I already talked about the brewery in my previous post, so refer back to that one for information on Stone. Or you could just Google it, that's where I get most of my information on these brewerys anyways. On another note, Happy Marine Corps birthday! How fitting that I'm reviewing Stone's 20th anniversary beer on my Marine Corps 241st.

It's a bulb neck bomber like the previous bottle, but this one has a fatter neck that merges into the body of the bottle. On the neck is printed "Cheers to 20 years" and the crimpcap has the Stone gargoyle with "20 years of true craft". The front has a cool starburst behind the 20th anniversary logo. The reverse has a great deal of writing, I'm just going to post it in pictures because I'm lazy.

This is 1 pint 6 oz and 9% ABV. Let's see that head.

I will again be using a sterile plastic cup so graciously provided to me by the Holiday Inn Express. Nose from the bottle is both floral and piney with a little bit of citrus. It maintains a constant thin white head that I would attribute to the considerable life within the cup. Color is a red amber and semi translucent. Nose from the cup is also floral and piney but with more citrus characteristic than the bottle. On first sip, It is very piney at first and then it converts into an intense grapefruit that lingers as an aftertaste. It is also just a little bit sweet, not noticeably so, but just enough to be palatable and smooth out the two opposing bitter flavors. It's just like eating one of those ruby red grapefruits straight, if I had to compare it to something flavor wise. It had no acid bite, but still has a little bit of a dry acid characteristic. As I drink this, it has evolved a sourness and dry mouthfeel that did not make themselves known at first. This is a full bodied beer with medium-high gravity.

I'm listening to Lee "Scratch" Perry and the Upsetters 1976 reggae album "Super Ape". It's very chill music, Ska and Rock steady are more my style though. This music reminds me of old 1970's B movies, they almost always had music like this. It's kind of funny how only the very best and very worst movies get remembered. I suppose in the flood of media we have created in the past three centuries that there has been a sizable market for it, only the two extremes get remembered because they have something special about them. There had to be something about it that set it apart from all of the other things being made at the time. Great movies are straight pieces of art that took a great deal of work and skill to create with just the right amount of passion. B movies on the other hand, tend to only be good if there is a certain amount of passion and effort that went into the production, but it utterly failed. There are movies like "The Room" that are completely laughable because it's inept in every way, but it's funny because you can tell they actually tried but had no idea what they were doing. That's why the faked "so bad it's good" movies don't survive, they have the ineptitude of a bad movie but lack the passion and effort, you can tell when they know better. On the other hand, you have the movies that lampoon B movies without being one themselves such as "Black Dynamite", which are excellent because they don't pretend to be something they are not. It's all tongue in cheek making light of the fact that those movies were so bad without trying to pull one over on anybody. Movies like "Black Dynamite" are especially funny if you know the source material such as "Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song", "Black Samson", "Hot Potato", "The Mack", "Three the hard way" And my personal favorite "Black belt Jones". I might just go watch Black Belt Jones right now.

Final thoughts, this is a great beer that really exemplifies Stone brewery. Try it out and save the bottle, it'll be a cool thing to have in 20 years. I give this beer my seal of approval.

The beers of Corona CA: Stone Enjoy By 11.25.16 IPA

I'm in Corona California for my friend Capon's wedding, figured it's a good time to grab a couple of good brews I can't get in Japan. I stopped by the Vons supermarket and this one jumped out at me along with a prohibition styled ale. I havn't reviewed a beer from Stone, so as usual, here is some information about the brewery. Stone was founded in 1996 in San Marcos CA by Steve Wagner and Greg Koch, two musicians turned beer nerds who loved the things the craft beer movement was doing and hated the crap the macro brewers were putting out. The company grew quickly thanks in no small part to their flagship Stone Pale Ale and world changing Arrogant Bastard Ale and is now the 10th largest craft brewer in the United States. Stone moved it's primary brewing operations to Escondido CA where they now produce about 325,645 annually. They also own a number of restaurants and beer gardens, a partially separate beer distribution business and recently opened a new 100 hectoliter brewery in Berlin, Germany (They are the first American craft brewer to start a second brewery in Europe) as well as a brewery in Richmond VA. They were named "#1 brewery in the world" by beer advocate a couple of years ago. I wouldn't go that far but they are certainly one of the few breweries you absolutely have to try if you love beer.

As for the "Enjoy By" series I'll be reviewing, it's one of those weird experimental brews Stone is known for. The Idea is to have an extremely fresh double IPA (or hopp grenades as I call them) with an extremely short shelf life to guarantee this freshness. It only has a shelf life of 37 days and this one expires November 25th (brewed Oct 21). I'm sure it would still be fine to drink long after that, but it would lose the characteristics the brewers were trying to give it from the 10 different verities of hopps they used. I got this in a 22 oz bomber with a bulbed neck and stones 20 year anniversary crimpcap. The bottle claims the beer is "Devistatingly fresh" in block cursive, I certainly hope so. Otherwise it is a nice green label with Stones gargoyle head and the words "Stone Enjoy By 11.25.16 IPA". The reverse is one of those little epitaphs most breweries that are worth drinking put on there bottles, on this one it reads "Our all-important, hop-driven quest to deliver the most devastatingly fresh IPA on the planet facilitated a paradigm shift in 2012 with the launch of Stone Enjoy By IPA. Not only did we brew this beer with more than 10 different hops, we brewed it specifically NOT to last. Acclaimed for its groundbreakingly short shelf life, this intense double IPA brought forth a whole new concept of what constitutes “fresh”—guaranteeing fans the ultimate level of hoppiness. This fresh serving of hopps carries out the tradition of being the freshest IPA you can bring to the table. Now that's something to be thankful for." nice little nod to Thanksgiving there. It is 9.4% ABV, so I'm going to get some food and then we'll see that head.

Now that I've got some food in my belly, It's time to review. I will be using a plastic cup 'cus I'm in a hotel room and I'm fancy like that. I don't have a refrigerator in my room so the beer has been chilling in an ice bucket. Popping the cap, nose from the bottle is extremely floral and citrusy and just a little bit dank, but that I would attribute to it being so heavy with hop oil. It forms a light white head  when poured, there is a good bit of life within the cup so it maintains it, lights and quickly dissapaiting as it is. Oh goodness the nose is fantastic when poured. It has all of the same characteristics as from the bottle but with new depth. The hopp oils have really come out. On first sip, It is intensely bitter and has a super dry finish. It has, how can I put this, it has multiple layers to it's bitterness. I find it almost impossible to describe how they are different, but they are. It's mouthfeel isn't acidic, but it's finish has an acidity to it, but also a weird creaminess leading into the dry finish. It actually has a lower medium body, which I didn't expect. I almost want to say this is like straight up eating hopp flowers, but even that isn't this intense.

So it was an interesting trip over here. I basically lived at Handeda airport for a day, which was a little confusing but I was able to figure it out thanks to having watched Jvlogers on Youtube explain allot of the things I had to deal with, like how train tickets work in Japan. But it was fine, I just hung out for a day in a pretty nice and foreigner friendly airport. Kind of got lucky with the flight and got the emergency exit row just above the wing, talk about all the leg room you could want. I got to LAX, went through customs without them discovering my jar of Philippine boll weevils and SAARS infected birds, just to discover my car rental company I reserved from would not rent to me unless I had a credit card or a return flight ticket. Those of you who know me know I don't believe in personal debt, so that was a non option, and I have some alternative means of traveling back to Japan. So long story short, I have no car and wound up taking a $150 cab ride to Corona. I got to the Holiday Inn expecting more problems, but there were none, I just had to wait for them to finish cleaning the room and went right in. At least there is one business where a reservation does not come with a bunch of untold caveats.

Currently listening to The Hellacopters. They are a Swedish garage rock band with a mid to late 70's sound. Seriously, If I did not know better I would have assumed most of their discography was made between 1974 and 1981 and sound like Lynyrd Skynyrd had a baby with the Sonic's Rendezvous band. It's kind of a shame they disbanded after 2008, but all things come to an end, they went for about 14 years, which is one heck of a run. Heck, you've got guys like Buddy holly who only had a career of 4 years but are still popular today.
Final thoughts, It's one heck of a hop grenade. It goes down like a session, but it isn't. This thing will knock you on you're butt with the ABV, but if you're a hopp lover, you won't notice. That's another thing, if you don't absolutely love hopps, stay away from this beer, it will punch you in the face with them. I officially declare it "The Sovereign King of the Hopp Grenades" and give it my seal of approval.

The beers of Iwakuni: Asahi Red Eye

I've had an interest in beers with "alternative" ingredients for a while now, this one kind of falls into that category. It's a beer cocktail called a red eye (80% beer 20% tomato juice), so not exactly what I'm looking for in the alternative ingredients category as the tomatoes are not part of the brewing process. But whatever, in concept its like one of those canned Budweiser clamato drinks but Japanese. Who knows, maybe it's good.

It comes in a red can with gold cap and claims "Asahi red eye's silky and refreshing aftertaste goes well with food" and "This product is made from selected tomatoes and alcoholic beverage brewed from finest malt". It is 3.5% ABV. You're actually supposed to turn the can over 2-3 times to mix the tomato up. I'll be using another one of those glasses from my Japanese set. I went ahead and turned the can a couple of times, let's pour this thing.

Nose from the can is like tomato and barley wort. It does not produce a head. Color is the pale opaque red you would expect with a tomato mixed drink. Nose from the glass is a sugary sweet tomato scent. On first sip, It's like if you juiced a fresh tomato and then carbonated it. It does not taste in the least like beer. It has a light body, almost no acidity. This tastes like a tomato soda, there is almost nothing there to say that this is alcoholic. Ok, I'm wrong, I'm getting a light malt aftertaste, but that's it.

Listening to some Deep Purple. While the main riff from "Smoke on the water" is really cool (and super simple to play on the guitar) I think "Space Truckin' " is the better song. I don't know what else to talk about, this drink offers no inspiration. It's like drinking a soda. It doesn't help that everything I've got going on right now is kind of droll.
Final thoughts. It's technically beer, but I wouldn't really call it that. I'm sure this would go well with some food, but so would a V8, or a beer for that matter. If you are so inclined, give it a try, but otherwise it's whatever.

The beers of Iwakuni: Grand Kirin Dip Hop IPL (or, the difference between skunked beer and what it's supposed to be)

I can't remember what convenience store I got this from, it wasn't 7-Eleven, Family mart, or Lawsons. Anyway, it was in the cooler so I got two of them (one for me and one to send Hilgar). It's the only place I've seen this one. That's about all there is to that story. It's an India Pale Lager, which means they brewed an India Pale Ale with lager yeast so that it's smoother and accentuates the malt characteristic of the beer more than an IPA. I want to say I've had an IPL before, but I can't put my finger on when or who brewed it. It was probably in my pre-blog days.

It's comes in the same short, stout mouthed bottle that the Galaxy Hop comes in. The label and cap are white, with a golden Kirin unicorn and black and red letters stating "Kirin's Craftmanship" "Grand Kirin" "Dip Hop IPL". I want to say I've had an India Pale Lager before, but I can't put my finger on when or who brewed it. It was probably in my pre-blog days. It has a drawing of their head brewer on the back, I can only imagine he's the beer nerd who convinced the corporate overlords that he should make this. We'll see how he did.
I wasn't sure which glass to use, so I went with the same Japanese tasty beer glass (kind of a small pub style). Nose from the bottle is a sort of skunky wheat sour, kind of like Stella. That scent always worries me, sometimes its intentional but sometimes it's the mark of a beer that has turned, and this one's pretty new. I would also say the nose has a soft  bready characteristic. Pouring it, it has a light and quickly dissapaiting head and very light copper color with just a little life within the glass. Nose from the glass is the same as the bottle. It tastes like it smells, that bready, weedy (this is the name I'm giving that Stella hop skunk. I've never smoked pot, but I've been around it and know what it smells like), and has a general lager characteristic. It has a building dry finish, which is to say it starts out watery and as you drink it the finish becomes dryer and dryer. The finish also has a bready yeast flavor not quite present in the body. Speaking of bodies, I would call this one a straight medium with medium acidity.

Well, I'm 28 now, I'll probably watch 16 candles tonight, as is my yearly tradition. I went on a camping trip to seven falls a couple of days ago with the rest of the Ordnance shop. It was a good time. We hung out, built fires, drank (played thunderstruck), and on Sunday we hiked the falls. My legs are killing me, the path my group took was a steep incline for three miles, and being next to the falls meant there was also high humidity the entire time. I'm glad I bought one of those bottles with a life straw built in to it, that way I didn't have to carry water, I just had to fill up from the falls. Let me tell you, picturesque place Jakuchikyo (7 falls). It kind of looks like the pacific northwest in places, really pretty country. Japan pretty much converted over from summer to fall while we were there. The first night it rained and was pretty warm, the second night it got down to at least 45 (we could see our breath). We're going to try to plan a cold weather trip later, which means I need to find a good sleeping bag or an over/under quilt for my hammock. I still have a bit to learn about effectively using a hammock, but I've gotten the hang of it I think (no pun intended).

Final thoughts. Didn't like this beer. Didn't like the flavor, it was a struggle to finish, it kind of made me sick to drink it. I am seriously concerned that it skunked. I have another one I got from a different store. I'm going to open that one and continue on as the real review if it's different.
Nose from the bottle was drastically different, it was still bready but it was also floral and sweet. So that last one was definitely skunked. Color is the same, but clearer, maybe a little deeper. That bready, sweet, floral nature continues into the flavor along with some nutmeg and a touch of cilantro. It really is like an ale brewed with lager yeast and has the characteristics of both styles. The finish and the body is the same as the other one, but it's not as acidic.

Real final thoughts. The actual Dip Hop IPL is delicious! If you can get a hold of one, try it. But if it smells skunky (or weedy), it's one for the sink to drink (which would be my rule, but I'm a reviewer so I have to drink it). It is pretty sweet, which I imagine is because the higher temperatures ales are brewed at means the lager yeast cannot reach it's full fermentation potential, but still gives the beer it's lager characteristics. It is said that the yeast is the soul of the beer. I think IPL's prove that point and it's worth the time of any beer connoisseur to mull over. I'm glad I bought several of these from different sources, it's such a shame that one went bad and I might of then said no to a wonderful beer. I (as long as it's not skunked) give this beer my blurry seal of approval.

The beers of Iwakuni: Kirin Stout

This is another one of the beers I got at the YouMe supermarket. While I'm not the biggest fan of their flagship brew (it's like the Japanese Budweiser), their other beers are actually pretty good, so I have high expectations for this one. I've written on Kirin before, so refer back to previous posts for information on the brewery and the massive company behind it. I will say again that it is very weird to go to vending machines and see regular sports drinks and sodas produced by company's that also produce major beers. Imagine going to the convienience store and getting you're self a Pabst grape soda or a Anheuser-Busch energy drink.

It's a black can with the Kirin unicorn on it. It states "Kirin's prime brew" "first press" "The first wort gives this quality draft beer a full-bodied flavor. The deep and creamy taste enriches your precious time." "Brewed for good times". Well, I'm ready to be enriched. It's 100% malt and 5 abv which means this beer bears the full brunt of the Japanese tax on malt beverages. That probably had more English than any Japanese market beer I've had recently. They really went out of their way to say that this was made with first wash malt, we'll see if that made a difference. While I'm not a fan of their flagship brew, they have the best specialty brews of any of the Japanese macro-brewers. Let's pop this sucker open and see the head!

I was given this glass set as a birthday gift from Stevie Galasso and it is made specifically for Japanese beer, so I will be using those. Nose from the can is roasted malt, molasses, pumpernickel, and a little caramel. The beer is a jet black color with a small mocha head which quickly dissipates. Nose is the same from the glass. I would actually put this body at a slightly over medium rather than a full. Although Kirin didn't claim it was full-bodied, they said it had full-bodied flavor (a little creative word play there). As for the flavor, it is a creamy roasted malt with coffee characteristics, a dry cappuccino finish, and a lasting black coffee aftertaste. Mouthfeel is bubbly carbonated with heavy acidity and (as previously stated) an over medium body.

So, after wanting a pair since my Dad had some when I was a kid, I finally broke down and shelled out the cash for a pair of handmade American Red Wing work boots. I needed a pair of non Marine corps boots for a camping trip this week end (I could have worn my MCB's but I don't want to be "that guy") and I figured "I've got a little cash, maybe now's the time to pull the trigger on these". I don't want to say how much I paid for them, but let's just say their probably the most expensive pair of footwear I'll ever purchase and I'll be taking very good care of them. Don't get me wrong, I'm going to use the hell out of them, but I'm going to go threw the paces of boot care like no other boots I've owned.

In other news, I'm listening to the new Buddy Holly record I got. Great, high quality disks in this set. It did come with paper sleeves though, but fortunately I purchased a 100 pack of Japanese vinyl ones so I swapped those out just like I did with all my others. I also got the Descendants all new album, they sound the same as they always have. If you told me that all of the songs on that album were recorded in 1995 I wouldn't question you about it, which is kind of good I suppose. I dunno, if you're going to record an all new album after 15-20 years why wouldn't you change up the sound? You might as well just do the same songs you always have. In addition to those two I got BØRNS first album. It comes on some sweet red translucent vinyl which looks cool spinning on my turntable.

My tube amp finally showed up. I find it hard to explain the sound difference between the sound of a tube amp vs a transistor amp. As best as I can describe it, a transistor amp is like taking a virtual reality tour of a sunny tropical beach and a tube amp is actually being on that beach. Another way to explain it, transistor amps are an HD picture of something and a tube amp is a hologram. I guess what I'm trying to say is, the sound has real tangible depth.

Final thoughts. It's an OK beer. I would actually call it a porter rather than a stout, although the difference between the two stiles is purely academic. If it had a higher gravity I think it would be pretty good, but in it's current state it's just OK. I suppose you could actually call it the stout version of regular Japanese beer. Certainly tastyer, but not significantly different. If you're ever perusing a Japanese convenience store and don't feel like having lager I would go ahead and pick it up. But otherwise I wouldn't really bother going out of your way to find it.