Bottle mail ordered from the brewery. Nose is rather typical Japanese altbier: some caramel malts, light brown sugar, some minerals, a bit of dry, earthy hop. No defects, although not exactly exciting either. Amber-orange, low bubbly head. Flavor is rather plain caramel malts, grassy, earthy hops, somewhat sugary and thin. Quite bitter in the finish. Meh. Not terrible really, but too thin, too bitter in an unbalanced way, and not much real character. Better than the kolsch, though. As it warms, the malt gets a bit richer and almost nuanced, but the harsh bitterness also increases. Seems to have improved since 2009! (Not a whole lot though).