2008 Real Ale version, during Real Ale Month at Qbrick in Osaka. Creamy, velvety. Great mouthfeel on this. Flavors of coffee, chocolate, cream. Lots of umami. Overall a bit too sour, though, and the finish too mild. It becomes bland. Something is missing. Not as good as the 2007 version was.

From the hand pump during Real Ale Month at Beer Cafe Barley in Nishinomiya. Nice amber color. Hoppy aroma with medium caramel malts, and a bit of chocolate and bubble gum. Flavor profile similar. Dry chocolate / caramel finish. Decent balance overall, nice drinking, but not very interesting and gets a bit boring through the pint.

Bottle, mail order from the brewery. Golden yellow, slightly orange. Medium frothy head. Cloudy. Fragrant malty aroma, bananas, cloves. Rather light body and medium wheat malt flavor. A touch of sour, plus of barley malt. Decent spices and some banana and a touch of citrus. Rather tart, actually. A bit too light for my taste, though well balanced. A little too much on the tart side.

Deep, dark golden yellow, cloudy as hell, slightly glowing, slight orange tint. Very low head. Sweet, cake-like aroma of banana, cloves, wheat malt, a touch of citrus. Tangy, sweet-citrus flavor, banana, clove, bitterness from hop I suppose, plus something a bit medicinal. Marachino cherries too. More bitterness than expected, and very complex, but a little unsure of itself and chaotic. Light palate. Not very carbonated. Interesting, but a bit strange.

Bottle from Yamaoka in Kyoto. 2008 version. Dark brown with red and orange traces, thin head. Smoky, bacon-like aroma with not a lot else going on. Nice, medium smokiness, not all that rich in malt. Flavor is richer in malt, with decent caramel, nuts, a bit of chocolate, some fruit, and good smoked character. A bit of ale-like fruit is in there as well, well balanced, with a bit of hops working as well. Nicely balanced, good palate. Well done overall.

Bottle. Medium copper color with a very low, lacy head. Rather rich amber malt aroma, caramel, some hops but not a lot. Rich malt flavor, caramel, chocolate. Good hops bitterness but without a lot of hop aroma. Some though, with some fruit and a bit of citrus. Very rich strong, malt, though, right through to the end. Earthy, bitter, but malty finish. Very complex, though not as fruity and hoppy as I would ask for. Well done, though. Great Malt.

Beautiful golden amber color. soft hoppy nose of oranges and apples. Sweet malty start is balanced by bitter hops hitting the back of the mouth with a touch of tropical fruit flavors. Well balanced. Finishes dry with hops simply sitting there and lingering. Not aggressive or passive. Its not only me who has said this is an excellent hybrid US-English IPA. Very nice.

Bottle at home with Tom and Royce ..Thans to TIME for this....Deep black ... Good chocolate malt nose ... bit think but lots of roast malts ... good chocolate and coffee tones... could do with a bit more ...

Bottle Pours out almost black topped with a small tan head. A nice aroma of roast malt and coffee. A nice light bitter end. A little sweetness and some more malt. Thanks BückDich

@ GJBF 2007. Pours reddish copper. Light aroma, slightly roasted, frutiy, and mild hops. Flavor is nice, though weak. Citrus hops, caramel malts, toasted, and light fruits. It isn’t bad at all, but it needs more flavor and definitly more aroma. Iwate Kura is usually better than this.