Tap at the Gifu Beer Matsuri 2015. Brown-orange color, hazy. Nose of caramel, fudge, earthy hops. rich yet light flavor, crisp, with nice earthy hops. Not too sweet. Solid alt.

First up this is one of my least favorite styles but when I saw this "summer" alt I had to pick it up as it just seemed like an odd style for a summer beer. Apparently, it’s meant to be paired with BBQ. Served in my stange it pours a lovely clear red-amber brown with a fizzy beige head. The aroma is a sort of berry fruitiness, biscuit and caramel malts. Medium bodied with a fairly smooth mouthfeel. The taste is interesting malty rich bread/cake, some pasty fruit in the somewhat dry finish. Like I said this style isn’t really my kind of thing but this one’s pretty good.