2013 bottle at RBJG2. Brown color, tan head. Aroma of chocolate milk. Taste is smooth cocoa. Easy drinking.

Draftat Faucets. Hazy amber color, small white head. Aroma of subtle citrus. Taste is subtle lemon peel and straw. A bit too subtle.

Draught at Faucets. Clear golden. Ok hop nose, citrus, rich layers of lager-like malts. Sweet and malty flavor, grains, cat piss, grass, citrus. Thick body. OK. Again, this great lager maker comes up with a slightly strange, slightly lager-like ale.

I had seen this online and was meaning to try it so when I found a bottle at Yamaoka I picked it up! It poured a nice cloudy golden orange color with a thin head & a delicious fruity aroma of citrus, peach & spice. It also had yeast sediment which was nice. A nice full bodied ale with the rye giving it lots of spice flavors almost like a weizen but not quite as smooth. I really liked it. My wife and I drank it quickly, it hit the spot after a day at work!

2016 Version Baeren’s Chocolate Stout 6.5% This is their normal version, the vintage version has recently been released online but I’ve yet to see it at any shops. It pours a deep brown verging on black with a beige head. The aroma is quite interesting: bready cocoa butter and chocolate. The taste is nice bitter roasty chocolate syrup on a medium body. Paired with a chocolate cookies I got a vision of coco puffs which was kind of funny. This goes for less than 500 yen and is what I’d call a classic example of the indigenous Japanese Valentine’s Chocolate Beer Style.

----- 2013 Rating ---- Bottle direct from the brewery via Rakuten. The ABV has changed as is now 6.5% It poured a dark brownish black with an ok head of lightly brown foam. The mouthfeel was light/thin for a stout but the flavor was nice and the beer was quite easy to drink. The aroma is one of bitter roasted chocolate with some mild coffee/caramel notes. It wasn’t all that sweet but was a well balanced chocolate beer. My wife liked it and she thought it wasn’t so strong so she was surprised when I said it was 6.5%.

On tap at Bakujun in Kyoto. This beer poured a very clear reddish brown color. The flavor was well balanced with lots of maltiness followed by a mild hoppy aftertaste. It was very smooth & easy to drink, I think it would make a good session beer. Looking at their other reviews I guess they got rid of the cloudiness!

----2017---- Bottle from the brewery, it is a pretty classic style alt and much better than most I've had outside Japan (I'm looking at you North America!) and while it isn't the most exciting style it is a solid brew so I am bumbing this up from the original 3.1 to 3.4 which I rank as an alright average brew. For the style I could go to 3.5 or perhaps even 3.6 this year this beer has been consistent, clear, crisp and on point.

Draught at 1020. Deep gold with a low head. Great biscuit malt and noble hop nose: malty, grassy. Rich and thick flavor and body. Biscuits, bread, grass, earth, a touch of citrus. Big hops. Very heavy and thick and good for the winter. Luscious.

Bottled. A different recipe to the Summer version. This is amber colored, dark, and maltier. Some caramel and chocolate to go with lots of clove and a bit of banana. Somehow a bit harsh, with a slightly dirty finish, but still nice.

Bottle at a local Japanese restaurant. Deep gold with a quickly dissipating white head. Bready with apricot and a little orange, pepper. Round, rich but modestly sweet again with some fruit in with bread. Bitterness and spices creep up from just balancing to a bit more. Not bad, probably could have been fresher.

amazing purple red color. Too astringent cherries. Kinda like bellevue kriek premium, which isnt my cup of tea