Tap@Popeyes, Oct 2009. Light nose. Amber, low head. Nice hop profile on light nuts. Good body, very drinkable.

Tap at Barley. Unfiltered, very cloudy, deep orange-yellow color with a medium head. Very fragrant hop aroma (citra mainly) with citrus, grass, and pine. A bit of sweet malt there too, with wheat and just a touch of banana and butter. Big hop flavor on top of creamy wheat. A touch of banana si a nice addition. Smooth, full, and creamy. Really nice stuff, very drinkable and enjoyable, great for summer. Great hops for a wheat ale.

Can. Fruity, sweet aroma with a bit of cream. Some esters and a touch of citrus (grapefruit and lemon). Nice but not authentic. Light to medium gold color with a medium, frothy head. Rich golden malt flavor, sweet, grainy, creamy. Fruit including a bit of citrus noticeable. Rather typical Japanese Kolsch: too sweet, thick and creamy for the style, but pleasant nonetheless.

Cask at the 2010 Tokyo Real Ale Festival. Hop and citrus aroma. Dry hopping is noticeable. Hoppy and fruity flavor, slightly medicinal and strange, with butterscotch. Interesting, ok, but not great.

2009 Version. Draught at Cafe Barley in Nishinomiya. Clear, golden, pils-like appearance with a rather thin head. Rich estery aroma with banana, clove; malty and grainy. Sweet, grainy, fruity flavor. Creamy bananas and other fruits, not at all sour. Almost no bitterness either. Cloying but grainy and chewy. Overall, tasty, with interesting malt and ester characters but too sweet and cloying.

Canned at Shinshu Osake Mura (Nagano Sake Village), Tokyo. Clear pale golden, small head. Light grapefruit and vanilla upfront. Dryish despite notes of honey. Light bodied with clean, rounded mouthfeel. Low bitterness. Nicely drinkable and quite aromatic.

Draught at Barley in Nishinomiya. A lovely, glowing red color with a fine head. Fruity, hoppy aroma with warm dark fruit. Earthy amber malt flavor. Dry and hoppy with fruit. Great balance, light to medium body. Nice bitter finish.

Tap at Barley in Nishinomiya. Aroma of creamy, golden malt and citrus hops, honey. Good hopping with golden malt flavor. Fruity, citrus, biscuity. Quite lager-like, but great fruity, grassy, hops. Nice citrus ale, refreshing with great hops. I wouldn’t call this a Koelsch.

Canned. Cloudy amber with creamy but brief head. Fruity gooseberry aroma. Sweet with light-medium body, there’s crystal malt and black currant. Growing late bitterness. A pleasant enjoyable beer.