4.3

Appearance - 4 | Aroma - 4 | Flavor - 5 | Texture - 4 | Overall - 4

My 1000th beers is very appropriate. Few ratings and from Japan, though I want to make it anti-climatic. Off line I passed 1000 beers in 2004, so this isn’t such a milestone. I tend to rate beers with low ratings, which is often the case in Japan. This beer was at a tasting a few weeks ago with some friends. I don’t even have my proper notes for the beer, but I can tell you the British were not offended. N. Americans were silent until the next day and until they let loose about how crap this was. Brought by a Kiwi from a garage cum brewpub in Okayama City while he was there for a wedding. His girlfriend’s friend found him this unknown-to-the-beer-world-in-Tokyo place. Certainly the brewery sounds more interesting and unique than the beer. A cloudy amber color. If I remember correctly there was lots of chalk, as you get in a pale ale, or not. Perhaps a suggestion of fruitiness from the hops, but that was soon forgotten with all the other malt substitute components that were getting in its way. The taste? Don’t remember exactly, but remember more chalk, some caramel and what is that thing you put in pale ales... hops? No, that’s not it. I can’t remember what the other flavor was, but indistinguishable. Finish was massively bitter and grapefruits just exploded all over the places, with huge residual bitterness stinging my tongue for like 23 minutes.. Awesome, way better than any West Coast IPA I have ever had. Totally hardcore. Man this beer was so deceptive until the end and then it just made Ruination look like Tang with a splash of grapefruit juice. I swear, Seattle has never tasted anything so intense and off the chart. Portland only wishes it could have an ounce of this ending and San Fran would try to recreate the pale ale style just for a glimpse of this finish........well of course I am joking about the finish.