Hanami Ale

A rather hazey rosey amber ale with a thin white head. A pleasantly sweet light cherry aroma with citrusy notes and some caramel. In mouth, a sour wheat beer with notes of maraschino cherries. Refreshing. 1$ bottle at Spirithaus, May 2007.

Bottle. Golden brown, ruby like body. Aroma is sweet, pear and florals. Flavor is sweet, light, and has a touch of spice - probably clove. Overall I was not very impressed with it, though I could drink it all night if the need arose for some reason.

Nice deep amber coloured body with ruby highlights and a very nice tan head that tops the beer perfectly. Aroma of metal, malt, nuts, cardboard, a bit of smoked peat and a tiny bit of cherries. Medium-bodied; Strong malty flavour with some cardboard and nuts noticeable up front with a tiny bit of cherries too. Aftertaste shows more malt with some alcohol, yeast and more metal - no cherries really. Overall, this isn’t a great fruit beer and it doesn’t show much else - so you could probably go with passing this one up. I sampled this twelve ounce bottle purchased by my brother-in-law from Total Wine in Manassas, Virginia on 31-March-2007, right after I saw the Cherry Blossoms in Washington in 2007.

Fresh 2007 bottle drunk on 3/16/07
Cranberry-cherry juice colored body has darker cola and lighter beige tints swirled in. Clear and force-carbonated, with a feeble off-white/beige head flecked with pink. Little/no lacing.
Very acidic malic/citric acid combo produces a bright tartness/sourness in the nose, though it softens somewhat towards the end, gaining a light vanillin-like base maltiness and a bit of fruity waxiness or plastics (seem to always get this note from fruit fermentation). Darker cherry sweetness and some spicy, black pepper-like phenolics are quite prominent as well, though I like the focus on the fruit acids. Aroma is medium to medium-strong, with no alcohol perceptible and very little malt. The beer smells extremely clean other than the fruit-derived phenols. I think that’s why Belgian yeast works so well with fruit beers, as it adds some depth/intricacy to fill the void left by the overly clean American yeast. That’s ok, though, this one is simple and focused enough on the cherry acids as to be pretty enjoyable.
Fairly basic flavor is quite tart, very acidic (malic acid) and rather exposed (lack of a strong malt backbone). No doubt they didnt want much, if any, malt apparency. What’s here shows just the slightest vanilla-like sweetness and a soft hint of nutty graininess. Cherry flavor continues on the finish, atop a very light body. Creamy carbonation would really improve this beer and add a better medium upon which to display the cherry flavors. As it is now, it’s a bit bubbly/watery and thin. Still a pleasant sipper. Very clean.

Pours a hazy, cidery amber into a tulip. Off-white head recedes with sheet lacing. Sour cherry and malt funk. Front to back stale malt with a lasting sour finish. Not up to Smutty standards.

Hazy dark amber body with a small frothy off-white head. Sweet fruity aroma with a citrus bitter background. Fruity flavor, slightly tart due to what seems to be sour cherries with a light citrus bitter ending.

Bottle from MrBendo. Translucent copper body, light sediment, medium off-white head. Grassy, bready nose with tannic fruit skin. Tart cherry and breads, light grassiness, reminding me too much of Sam Adams Cherry Wheat. Tart, thin, and boring. Cool label though!

I think we are getting away from the purpose of this beer. Its a great label and a great description (like they wrote it in English, translated it to Japanese, back to English and then back to Japanese and finally back to English). I have not seen anything this original for a while. Again points for creativity from outside the bottle. Lets get inside. Color is amber/light copper/orange mix. Lots of light translucence but cannot see through the beer. Poured with a small head into a small goblet glass. You know if I were to imagine the color of a Smuttynose smile this would be it. Aroma is generic enough pale ale with hints of something herbally-floral. So basically take a ginger root and mix it with a rose, then dilute it. A fruitiness that resembles cheap lagers as well. Taste is slightly malt sweet with a slight floralness. Truely, the happy flavor of nature. Low bitterness and great marketing. I think I am turning Japanese, I really think so.