3.9

Appearance - 4 | Aroma - 3.5 | Flavor - 3.5 | Texture - 5 | Overall - 4

(Bottle) Well, I wasn’t expecting much from a beer made for a coffee / chocolate chain and called “Craft Beer”, but it didn’t reach even those low expectations. Pours a hazy greenish amber with a very small head. The aroma is surprising and hard to identify. Grassy, maybe a hint of matcha, and some hints of something like bacon. Light body with modest bright carbonation. Taste is, like the aroma, odd. It’s tart, but not in a fruity way. There’s bread hints which become much more apparent in the finish. There are hints of banana in the mid palate. The are notes that are reminiscent of matcha. It’s not so unpleasant as to be undrinkable.

5

Muted sweetness, moderate carbonation. The mango tastes artificial.

3.2

Appearance - 4 | Aroma - 4 | Flavor - 2 | Texture - 4 | Overall - 3

330ml bottle from School of Animals, Kuala Lumpur. Poured a murky brown colour with a mostly lasting frothy white head. The aroma … well it smelled like some kind of household cleaner! The flavour is herbal, light nail varnish remover with a smooth, somewhat watery, herbal, earthy, light floral palate. Medium bodied with soft carbonation. One of the worst beers I’ve ever had. What was the “brewer” thinking when he created this truffle monstrosity?

6.6

Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6.5

330ml bottle from School of Animals, Kuala Lumpur. Poured murky dark brown colour with a mostly lasting frothy off-white head. The aroma is herbal, floral. The flavour is moderate to light liqourice bitter, with a smooth, dry, herbal, slightly rich, dark malt, floral hop palate. Medium bodied with average carbonation. A shock to the system initially, but it grew on me.

6.5

Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6

330ml bottle from School of Animals, Kuala Lumpur. Poured a murky light brown colour with a mostly lasting frothy white head. The aroma is malt and floral hops. The flavour is moderate bitter, with a crisp, malty, yeasty, floral, lavender, light woody hop bitter palate. Medium bodied with average to soft carbonation.

7

Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7

310ml bottle from School of Animals, Kuala Lumpur. Poured almost black in colour with a mostly lasting frothy tan head. The aroma is roasty malts, light caramel. The flavour is moderate bitter, light sweet, with a mostly smooth, roasty, sweet creamy caramel, earthy, herbal, light hop bitter palate. Medium to light bodied with soft carbonation. I read the most recent reviews that were all so bad, however the last review was nearly six years ago and the early reviews were pretty decent. I was pleasantly surprised though and this turned out to be a very reasonable beer. It lacks a little carbonation, but hey, it made up for that in other areas.

6.8

Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7

310ml bottle from School of Animals, Kuala Lumpur. Poured a hazy yellow golden colour with a lasting frothy white head. The aroma is light bubblegum yeast. The flavour is yeasty and herbal, with a smooth, earthy mineral, light sweet banana bubblegum palate. Medium bodied with soft carbonation. Somewhat light and refreshing. Plenty of subtle flavours with nothing that truly dominated.

4

Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 4 | Flavor - 3 | Texture - 4 | Overall - 4

350ml bottle. Pours dark brown with a small beige head. Aroma is soy sauce minus the salt, malt, caramel. Taste is the same. Odd stuff.

4.8

Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 5 | Flavor - 5 | Texture - 4 | Overall - 4

350ml bottle. Pours clear copper with a medium-sized off-white head. Aroma is tea, rice and paper. Taste is medium sweet, rice, grain. Strange, but somewhat drinkable.

5

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

Green apple, weird, maybe off, stale sweetness, very flat. Classic Niigata!