The beers of Iwakuni: Sapporo Yebisu Joel Robuchon

I bought this at the same time as the Yebisu Premium and you can get it pretty much anywhere you can get that beer, so larger convenience stores and grocery stores. Joel Robuchon is a world renowned French chef that Sapporo teamed up with three years ago to produce a special edition of their Yebisu beer. From what I've read online, it has New Zealand grown Nelson Sauvin hopps and the malt is all grown in the Champagne region of France. According to Sapporo, the beer was specifically made to pair with French food. We'll be drinking it all by it's lonesome tonight, but I'll keep that in mind.

The can has the same Luck God Yebisu over the words "Premium Yebisu" as the regular version, exept under that it has the name "Joel Robuchon" and the can has a red hatch work pattern around it. It has 100% on it, witch in Japan means that it is made from 100% malt and is not cut with another cereal, such as rice or wheat. This is important as Japan's malted alcoholic beverages are taxed based on their malt content, it must have 67% or more malt content to be considered and taxed as beer, under that and it is considered happoshu. It is 5% ABV, let's pop it open.

Nose from the can is one of sour malt. The beer has a thick frothy white head and considerably more life within the glass than the previous Yebisu, but has the same clear golden color. Nose from the glass is like white bread with just a touch of light malt. It's decently malty, with a notable hoppy aftertaste. It's a light body with considerable acidity, actually gives it a rather unpleasant mouthfeel. As I sip this, the hopps have become more pronounced, giving it a nice bitterness. The overriding flavor is light malt though, and a slight bit of sweetness comes through before being subdued by the hopps. It's actually a nice beer to sip, it goes consistantly from light malt to sweetness a little hoppiness.

I purchased a 42 lb box of jazz records and have had a great time cleaning and listening to those. I'm currently listening to "AL HIRT SWINGIN' DIXIE at Dans's Peir 600 in New Orleans Vol.2 A study in stereophonic high fidelity sound" released November 1957, meaning it came out the first year mass produced stereophonic disks were released to the public. It's got a few clicks and pops in it, but otherwise it sounds pretty good for a recording over half a century old. I can't believe it really does have dynamic sound! I can hear an clarinet in my left ear, a contrebasse to my right, and the horn section is coming out of my center speaker. And the build quality of the disk itself is fantastic. I've allways loved how those late 50's-early 60's disks were nice and thick, those things can take some punishment and keep going just fine, and in most cases they have. Newer records (the kind made for audiophiles) are generally built like that, allot of times even thicker. If you have a decent size collection of classic vinyl, you can see how over time the disks got thinner and thinner until the 80's when they were downright flimsy. Shame really, they were doing some incredible things with the ultra high fidelity records back in the 70's with DBX encoding, were talking absolutely absurd "it sounds like the musicians are actually in the room" sound quality. DBX was so good that you're run of the mill MP3 encoded digital files do not have the bit rate to match it. I would get one, but even 35 years after this piece of technology's demise, everything about DBX is expensive and the library of recordings available is extremely limited.

Final thoughts. I actually liked this beer, and I usually don't like light bodied beers. It's a good one to just sip and would certainly go well with a meal. Far and away better than the regular Premium Yebisu. It's not so good as to go to any great lengths to get it. But if you're ever hob nobbin' around Japan and stop in a convenience store, go ahead and get one, their good.  I give this beer my blurry seal of approval.

The beers of Iwakuni: Sapporo Premium Yebisu

So this is a Sapporo. Well, kind of. Yebisu is the original product of Japan beer brewery company which merged with Sapporo and Osaka in 1906 to form Dai-Nippon beer company. Sapporo and Japan breweries remained together after the 1949 company split and continued as Nippon breweries until changing it to Sapporo breweries in 1956. Sapporo (and therefore Japan breweries) resumed brewing their Yebisu beer in 1971, marketed as a German styled barley beer, not unlike the beers they were originally brewing around the turn of the 20th century. The original Yebisu was first produced in 1890 after three years of setting up the brewery with the help of a German expat brewmaster who's name is either not publicized by the company or has been lost to history. They also claim to have won the gold prize at the 1900 Paris expo as well as strictly adhere to the Bavarian Reinheitsgebot purity law. I assume the original 1516 law as they started production of this version in '71 and the rules didn't change until '87. Whether this one is based on the original beer recipe wise or just in spirit is unclear. You can pick this one up at most grocer stores in Japan, and many of the better convenience stores. I'm pretty sure I picked this up a couple of months ago at the YouMe supermarket and it's been sitting in my fridge ever since.

The can is gold with a picture of the Shinto God of luck Yebisu, for who the beer is named. It claims "Rich and mellow premium beer brewed from 100% fine malt and select hops with Sapporo's traditional art" also "Born 1890". Abv 5%, the rest is in Japanese.

From the can, it has an initial skunk smell (as in the animal, not like beer that has turned) which afterwards turns a little sour, not unlike a Stella Artois. It has a light fluffy head and lively agitation and is a clear golden color. Nose from the glass is completely unlike the can, it has a light barley scent to it and you can kind of smell the alcohol. On initial sip, it has a cereal taste to it. It starts out as maybe a little malty, then goes to a bit of saltiness, then has an apple finish. It has a light body and low acidity. Now that I think about it, it tastes more like wort than it does beer. It tastes like a small beer made out of re-seeped mash from a heavier beer. It maybe has just the slightest bit of hoppyness, but just enough to keep the beer from tasting off.

I purchased the 5.6.7.8's 1989-1996 singles collection "Bomb the Rocks". While they've always had a late '50's early '60's Japanese Rockabilly sound with heavy Surf music and GO-GO influences, I never knew they had such a Punk/Garage rock sound as well. Like most of the world, I was introduced to the band by way of Quentin Tarantino's film "Kill Bill Vol. I" where they performed one of their hit songs "Woo Hoo!". I'm really thankful for his films, they really exposed me to allot of music that I otherwise would have never looked into. I suppose technically the band is Psychobilly. I really need to dive deep into this genre, there's allot of good bands here in Japan that play it and I should seize upon the opportunity to see them while I'm here.

I really want to frame this album art

Final thoughts. It's a pretty standard forgettable macrobrew beer. It's not bad, but it's not really that great either. It is better than bud light though, which is the standard that a beer must reach to be worth finishing. If you're ever in Japan and this is the only beer they have on tap at whatever ramen place you go to (which is common practice) go ahead and order it, otherwise don't bother, just order regular Sapporo.

The beers of Iwakuni: Aunt Sally by Lagunitas

This beer was just released March of this year, so it probably isn't available internationally yet. I got it back in Hawaii at a gas station, which is one of the many fantastic things about Hawaii (the non fantastic things like the traffic and the homeless tend to stand out allot because everything else is so great). Zamora and I were going to the Jawaiian Irie jerk chicken restaurant and it's a BYOB place (something we need in South Carolina), if you're ever in Hawaii you should check it out, it's a great joint. From what I remember it was orange juice citrusy with a dry finish and went well with the chicken. Had a nice conversation with the waitress about beer, she hadn't had the Aunt Sally yet so I left her a bottle. I typically like to go in blind with my reviews, I think they tend to be better and more honest if they're not tainted by prior experience, but I think we'll be fine here.

with the still non functional 3D printer in the background

The bottle is the standard Lagunitas 12oz with the standard dog face crimpcap and unvarnished paper label. The bottle claims "a unique dry-hopped sweet tart sour mash ale" which my previous expirience would agree with. And the Tony Magee (who's book I just finished reading) written tag line reads as follows: "Our Aunt Sally is a tart, dry-hopped ale brewed in a bizarre old world tradition. We brewed this in honor of the real Aunt Sally. You know who you are and you know why. Enough said for now". It features a picture of a woman in her early 30's in 1960's summer ware, I suspect she is inspired by the aforementioned real Aunt Sally. It is 5.7% abv and time to pour it and see how it heads.

Nose from the bottle is floral and extremely cirtusy, like a grapefruit citrus, maybe a touch of pine as well. It honestly has the scent of citrus Altoids. Light, bubbly, and quickly dissipating head. Color is a deep golden, with good life within the glass. Nose from the glass is the same as the bottle. Oh goodness that first sip. It's  sour, not in the rotten wheat sense but in a more conventional one, like an unsugered grapefruit. A little bit of pine, a little floral just like in the nose, but rather overpowered by the grapefruit citrus. It is actually kind of a light body, I would actually say lower mid. It has rather high acidity and a dry, tart aftertaste.

So in personal news. I bought a guitar on Amazon, a small tube amp as well. I've been trying to teach myself to play guitar for about 8 years now. Every time I pick it up I reteach myself what I learned last time and then make a little bit of progress. But inevitably I get in some situation with work and I don't have time for it so I lose momentum. I suppose I'm actually more fascinated by electric guitars from a technical aspect then I am from a musical one. I love pickups and potentiometers and vacuum tubes and wiring harnesses and pedal circuits. It's all a blast to work with, I can't wait for it to show up. Other than that, I started growing garlic in too beer glasses I wasn't using so we'll see how that turns out.

Currently listening to Sublimes greatest hits on vinyl. My cousin Carolyn introduced my to Sublime, along with the bare naked ladies, The big Lebowski and the movies of Kevin Smith. Her demise is also why I'm cautious and distrustful of shower bathtub combinations. I remember I had the song "Santeria" in my head during boot camp, I call it my boot camp song now. You would think I would be sick of it, after having that song stuck in my head for so long, but I'm not. It's unlike most other songs for me. It's not just another musical number, it's a part of my reality that I often take for granted. I am alive, God is good, and Sublime's "Santeria" is playing.

Final thoughts. This beer is just about everything it says it is and I love it. despite it's lighter mid body, it is a beer best enjoyed sipped. That sour mash with the dry hopping gives it a wonderful flavor and it's a crying shame I can't get more of it in Japan. I give this beer my blurry seal of approval.

The beers of Iwakuni: Yo-ho brewing Tokyo Black [porter]

I've written on Yo-ho before, I'm a big fan of their Aooni Pale Ale. This time I finally have their porter and I'm expecting great things from my favorite Japanese craft brewer. I think I got this at the YouMe, which means this has been in my fridge for about three months. I'm currently trying to clean house as I'm only permitted to have 12 beers in the barracks and I currently have almost my max in "review beer", which means I don't have any room for "just drink it" beer. I didn't actually talk about the Yo-ho brewery itself last time as there were no resources available in English, but now there is so here you go. From the site "YO-HO BREWING COMPANY was established in 1996, as a subsidiary of Hoshino Resort CO., a Japanese leading resort management company. Its establishment was soon after the removal of the law, which prohibited the production of craft beer in Japan. Until then, Japanese people didn’t have “beer culture”. Almost all beers in Japan were “Lager beer” and people rarely knew about “Ale beer”. We started brewing “Ale” with an aim of letting Japanese people know rich and various tastes of Ale. Since then, we have been producing our ales in the town of Karuizawa, which is located in the mountainous and snowy region. Our brewery is surrounded by beautiful nature and we use natural fresh water from Mt. Asama to make our beers.16 years have passed since the establishment of YO-HO BREWING COMPANY, and now we’ve come to be known as one of the leading Japanese craft beer breweries.
In 2010, we were awarded the “Brewery of the year” (Heavy Scale Brewery Section) by Japan Craft Beer Association. And for last 5 years, we continue to increase revenue and profit. We would like to make more and more people happy by providing our tasty beers."

I really love Yoho's cans, they have full wraparound art with rich color. The mostly naked, balding Japanese man looking at the moon through the clouds is a little weird, but it's interesting and certainly a departure from the norm. Aside from the large TOKYO BLACK on the front and back, the website, and the admonition that this is a porter on the front, there is no English on the can. However, I was able to find this beer on the English version of their site. According to the Brewer:Tokyo Black
Spec:Style: Robust Porter
Original Gravity: 1.056
ABV: 5.0%
Bitterness: 34.5 IBU
Color: 215.0 EBC
Can Size: 350ml (11.8 fl oz)
Characteristic: Porter is an English traditional, dark-colored beer with roasted malt flavor. Beer of this style is popular not only in England but all over the world. We brew fresh and genuine Porter in Japan. Deep dark in color, Tokyo Black is a Porter with extremely rich taste and creamy top.
Recommended serving temperature:13℃
Award - Gold Medal: International beer competition (Robust Porter Category, 2010)
- Silver Medal: Monde Selection (Beers, Waters, Soft Drinks & Non-Alcoholic Beverages 2011)
 I have high expectations for this porter. The Aooni was probably the best Japanese beer I've ever had, and in my top 10 for IPA's. So, without further adieu.

Nose from the can is light roasted malt, and a little bit caramel. This is a jet black porter with a creamed coffee colored head. Nose from the glass is more licorice than roasted malt, but not a heavy scent. On first sip, it has a coffee, cream, and roast malt flavor. It has a very creamy mouthfeel, is upper medium bodied, and has moderate acidity. Now that I've had a little bit, I'm getting a touch of licorice flavor, mostly in aftertaste, but you can taste it in the beer itself if you look for it.

You know, seeing new people come to Japan, you always hear about one souvenir people want to bring back, and that's a Samurai sword (Usually they want Katanas, but sometimes you get the kid that pretends to know what he's talking about and wants a Wakasashi, which is actually feasable) . Well, history lesson kiddos. After WW2 the majority of Japanese swords were taken by the Allies and either brought back as souvenirs (so you kind of missed the boat on that one) or were destroyed. Only high ranking officers were allowed to keep theirs, and only a very few others escaped surrender. So actual antique swords aren't going to happen for you here (Although you can purchase a WW2 Shin Gunto in America for about $750-$900). New made traditional swords are feasible to get, but they are outlandishly expensive. A new made full size wall hangar sword (as in it isn't sharp) will cost you nearly $600, and a fully usable traditionally made sword? Almost $2000. Good news though, you can get a fully usable Wakasashi (the short sword) for about $1000. Or you can do a great deal of research, learn how to identify fakes, and get a real 400 year old sword in America for around the same price.

Final thoughts. This was a good porter. I'm glad I had this. Yo-Ho did not disappoint or fail to satisfy. I give this beer my blurry seal of approval