When you move to a new country, it's always important to make an effort to understand
the local customs. The following beers are presented in no particular order.
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| Sapporo W Dry: W dry is supposed to make you think "double dry". I recommend this one. |
Asahi Aqua Blue |
Magnum Dry: Slightly cheaper, but very good. |
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| Kirin Tanrei: An excellent beer. |
Asahi Clear Black: A little bit weird, not quite lager but not bitter, nearer stout. |
Asahi Draft |
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| Kirin The Gold: A premium beer, very nice. |
Asahi Superdry: The default beer in many restaurants and bars. |
Kirin Gokunama: I think my translation was "Frothy draft". Hmmm. |
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| Kirin Ichiban: One of my favourites. |
Suntory Kin Mugi: By my reckoning, that means "Gold Barley". |
Shiro Kirin: The white Kirin, this is a limited edition winter beer. "Rich in taste". 5.5% alcohol. Nice but nothing special. |
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| Asahi Ajiwai: A bit bland and gassy for my taste. I'll be giving it a miss next time. |
Sapporo: I expected more of this beer. Just a little too bland. |
Sapporo Draft One Sparkling Aroma: WARNING:
What on earth were they thinking ? For the love of all things decent in the world, someone please take mercy
on us and remove this product from the shelves before any more unsuspecting consumers accidentally pick this
up, like I did. Imagine a very sweet Cabernet Sauvignon, carbonated coarsely and mixed with hops. Did I
just describe something that might make you throw up ? |
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| Yebisu: Unlike many Japanese beers, this one is brewed with malt. Quite pleasant but nothing special for a premium beer. |
Kirin Enjuku Kuro: My translation of the name is "Black Perfection". It's a dark beer notable for it's use of barley and a creamy head. It's a little sweeter than I prefer but a very acceptable brew. |
Asahi Zeitaku Biyori: At a very respectable 5.5% this should be expected to be a superior brew, however it is nothing really special. OK, I guess. |
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| Kirin Lager Beer: A reasonable every day beer. |
Asahi Clear: This is a mid price beer that claims to use hops and barley like more premium beers. To be honest, I couldn't tell the difference. |
Asahi Jukusen: Another new premium beer. Quite flavourful, slightly creamy head. |
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| Asahi Gokunama: Gokuuma! Not bad and not too frothy. Certainly good competition for Kirin Gokunama. |
Asahi Style Free: Refreshing new, erm, style. Shame about the taste then. |
Sapporo Viva Life: This is another low calorie beer suffering from super sweetness, like the Draft One Sparkling Aroma above. Not recommended. |
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| Kirin Enjuku: Very reasonable beer, nothing that stands out though. |
Suntory The Premium: A 100% malt beer with 5.5% alcohol. As one of the more expensive beers it's not watery like happosho. |
Sapporo Migaki: Strangely similar to the W-dry but repackaged as a new beer. |
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| Suntory Malts: Quite a strong malt taste. |
Kirin Strong Seven: Initially I thought this would be overpowering in taste but it was pretty good. |
Kirin Nodogoshi: Quite a unique taste compared to most happoshu, worth a try. Liked it. |
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| Sapporo Mugi to Hop: Wheat and hop beer; not outstanding but good crisp taste. |
Kirin Toretate Hop: This is a limited edition seasonal beer. Toretate means "freshly harvested" but to be honest I couldn't tell much difference between this and happoshu. |
Asahi Prime Time: A premium beer, with real hops. Very good. |
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| Suntory Jokki: Cheaper but OK beer. The can has a novel asymmetrical ringpull. |
Asahi Cool Draft: Just another so-so beer. |
Asahi Off: Apparently it's very low in Purine - I had to look up what Purine is. I think this one is low in everything, except water. Avoid. |
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| This is chu nama, my chu nama. |
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