Can from the Kiosk at Matsumoto Station. Some citrus hop in the nose, a bit of caramel, minerals. Deep gold with orange tints, frothy head. Sweet malt flavor, caramel, very bitter finish. Not much hop flavor. Drinkable but meh.

Ultra cute can from Shinshu Sake Mura in Tokyo featuring a beer in an apple hat named Arukuma. I wasn’t sure it was a different beer but it’s an ale and made with Cascade so definitely not an Alt/Kolsch/Stout. It pours a brassy gold with a thick foamy off-white head. It has a decent hoppy aroma at the fruity floral end of the spectrum while the flavor is a bit more malt forward giving me biscuity malts, some honey sweetness and a mild hop bite. I guess this could be considered closer to a blond ale. My wife felt it was "futsu" meaning quite regular compared to the flashy cartoon can. I like it, a decent everyday type beer - simple and clean flavored. As I continued drinking it the hop bitterness crept up on me, yep my instincts were right it’s an APA.

350 ml can from AEON. Pours pale, piss-colored, high carbonation but head is gone in seconds. Aroma is soft, grainy, some sour notes. Taste is also similar, soft, actually even a bit fruity, not too bad. Some bittering hops showing themselves in the aftertaste, lingering willow peel bitterness. Overall, OK beer to drink, far from anything special though.

350 ml can @ Shinshu Osake Mura. Pours black with no head to speak about. Has some light roast aroma and taste comes off also as a stout should have - some coffee, spices and roast malt. Body is quite watery though, feels thin. There is some kind of metallic note in this beer, doesn’t really bother me but it’s there. Overall, not that bad, enjoyed it.

Bottle mail ordered from the brewery. Black with a tall, fine tan head. Roasty nose, coffee, dark chocolate, a touch of soy and some brown sugar. Nicely roasted flavor, coffee and wood, a bit sweet and sugary (brown). Light fruitiness, moderately dry finish. Very light body and a bit thin, but decently made stout / porter.

Bottle. Tasting set from the brewery. Served in a snifter. A very dark brown, almost black pour with a slight beige head that vanished as soon as it formed. The aroma is malty grains giving me a bit of savouriness, chocolate & some roast coffee. Light bodied, kind of watery gives it a weak palate. The taste is sweet, roasty, dark malts, chocolate & coffee. Pretty good but more of a schwarzbier than a stout. The lack of head retention & light bodied cost it some points in my book.

Bottle mail ordered from the brewery. Deep brown color, lightly cloudy, low head. Aroma of caramel, toffee, malts, just a hint of diacetyl. Flavor is sweet and malty caramel with a touch of butterscotch. Light hops in the finish. Lacks the dryness, cleanness, and hops of a real alt, but tastes ok.

Bottle mail ordered from the brewery. Deep gold, a bit cloudy, effervescent. Tall, fine head. Looks nice. Nose of butterscotch. Caramel malt and some diacetyl. Hmmm. Sweet and malty, caramel and butter. Rather full as well, little hops to speak of. Finishes sweet, edging towards drying out. very light bitterness. Far from a kolsch. Not terrible, rather tasty, but no where near authentic. Well, I am used to that by now in Japan.