Yebisu The Hop
Sapporo Breweries Ltd.

Yebisu The HopYebisu The Hop
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From:
Sapporo Breweries Ltd.
 
Japan
Style:
Bohemian / Czech Pilsner
ABV:
5.5%
Score:
80
Avg:
3.38 | pDev: 16.57%
Reviews:
21
Ratings:
31
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Apr 11, 2019
Added:
Apr 05, 2007
Wants:
  2
Gots:
  1
No description / notes.
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Photo of monkist
Reviewed by monkist from Hungary

4.23/5  rDev +25.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
I remember having this beer a long time ago, when Yebisu was something expensive and “exclusive” - how ignorant I was at that time!
But this The Hop felt phenomenal back then, after all the poor Japanese rice lagers. It felt wild and interesting - like a real beer. No surprise it was modeled after a Czech lezák, one of the best type of beers ever.
I had this beer first at the mountain hut on the Kuju mountain range and I never forget the amazement of hops - I was seeking this beer even some time after that, for having been so great. Now, about ten years later I’m afraid it wouldn’t taste that stunning anymore but would love to try it again, because it was better than your average Japanese beer.

- - - - -

And yet another 5 or so years later, here we are again. They are brewing it again!!! (for a limited amount of time though…)
Very nice combination of very fresh Saaz and Tettnanger hops, loved it! Felt very mature and European at the same time. Altogether it had the Czech hoppy fun in the aroma combined with the nice crisp drinkability of the German beers - win win situation?
Was great to have it again, it is a very well made beer (even though it’s Japanese… ;)
Had to touch up the reviews accordingly, too…
Apr 11, 2019
 
Rated: 3.75 by samparkique4 from England

Nov 17, 2014
 
Rated: 3 by wdf210 from California

Jul 13, 2014
 
Rated: 3 by Zond from Idaho

Jun 18, 2014
 
Rated: 3 by DaPan from Canada (ON)

Aug 14, 2013
 
Rated: 3.25 by Norseman from Illinois

Apr 18, 2013
 
Rated: 4 by Hebi from Japan

Oct 10, 2012
 
Rated: 4 by shigg85 from Japan

Jan 31, 2012
 
Rated: 4 by SargeC from California

Dec 30, 2011
 
Rated: 3 by Rochefort10nh from New Hampshire

Dec 06, 2011
 
Rated: 3 by eye2 from Texas

Dec 05, 2011
Photo of MrKennedy
Reviewed by MrKennedy from Australia

2.63/5  rDev -22.2%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5
350ml can purchased from Liquor on Oxford, poured into a Shepheard Neame pint glass.

Pours a glowing golden colour with a 1cm head of foam that dies relatively quickly.

The aroma is of sweet malt and a little yeast, little of the hop that the name suggests.

The taste is pretty well balanced, the slightest bit of hop flavour preventing this from becoming yet another Asian lager.

The mouthfeel is its best attribute, medium bodied for the style, well balanced finish.

Overall, it doesn't live up to the name and is relatively bland.
Apr 26, 2011
Photo of Macca
Reviewed by Macca from Australia

2.89/5  rDev -14.5%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5
This pours a clear bright golden colour with a tiny head that drops quickly and leaves little cover.

All I got on the nose straight up was predictable macro metallic notes but as it warms up a bit some nicer hops notes do come through. Actually quite pleasant after a while.

And there is that predictable bready grainy macro taste on the palate. The hops can't save it unfortunately. Blergh.

Sweet mouthfeel.

Another bland Japanese lager.
Jan 05, 2011
Photo of snaotheus
Reviewed by snaotheus from Washington

2.88/5  rDev -14.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3
12oz can poured into a small hotel glass

Pours clear golden yellow with medium fast-fading head, fast fizzy carbonation. Smells lagery, bready, sweet.

Taste is not bitter enough, more sour than anything. Far too sweet aftertaste.

Mouthfeel is somewhat dry, quite light. Not a great beer, not a terrible beer, I certainly won't go out of my way to try it again.
Apr 06, 2010
Photo of wl0307
Reviewed by wl0307 from England

3.58/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
BB 09/2010, served chilled in a straight pint glass.

A: pours a pale golden hue, lightly carbonated and clear, coming with a moderately frothy white head with good retention. Looking promising.
S: the nose is dusty and assertively floral-grassy hoppy (almost 40-60), topped with a very light lemony note and corn-ish grainy malts as of a German Helles, only slightly sweet in comparison with a heavier lager (e.g. pale Bockbier). Overall, "The Hop" is more aromatic hoppy than a normal lager and rather pleasant indeed, albeit far from being complex.
T: slightly "plastic" comes the foretaste (reminiscent of either an adjunct-rich lager or a very very dry lager), but soon the grainy & slightly honey-ish malt flavour as well as floral hops' aroma & bitterness catch up, leading towards a slightly dry aftertaste where fruity+grassy hoppiness also lingers for a while. No unnecessary note of sticky/sugary touch of cheap grains is left in the end; rather, it's pleasantly dry-ish without much bitterness, more like a drier Japanese lager or German Pilsener.
M&D: the moderate level of smooth fizz makes the beer easily drinkable and helps its good quality shine through, while the body and palate are at most light as far as the abv. level is concerned. However, the overall flavour fails to deliver a more hoppy profile except for the additional hop aroma - not an issue, if this is what was meant to be achieved in the first place, though. All in all, pretty quaffable and not bad at all.
Dec 14, 2009
Photo of jeranbrews
Reviewed by jeranbrews from Oklahoma

1.93/5  rDev -42.9%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2
A - Barely one finger of head that died very quickly. Bubbling that continued for about 2 min. Zero lacing and a dull corn oil color.

S - There is a noticeable The Hop smell that is best described as cheap pilz hop and grass. Although the smell was there and The Hop was The Only Smell i could find, it wasn't impressively strong. Very simple, kind of mild. Not sure what the goal of this beer was.

T - Ok, well The Hop smell wasn't that impressive but the taste should be better, but not so. The Hop left a bitter raspy scrapping taste that seems like they were trying for a DIPA but they just didn't make it. This initial taste dies off quickly and if you really really dig hard you can find a malt flavor. This is neither dry nor sweet. They held back too much on the malts, the hopping, the aging, everything. The aftertaste is so mild it's hardly worth mentioning.

M - Unremarkable in a good or bad way.

D - Sapporo tried to make a premium specialty brew but in fact they just made the same exact beer that you could get everywhere... in a green can. It's a macro brew, and it's a reserved society, but they really need more risk taking. There's not much special about this. And for this price about US $2.50, there are literally hundreds of pilzners and IPAs that can get the job done cheaper and better. This was too sweet to be a great pilz, and to me it just tastes like the regular Yebisu and Amber Yesbisu with slightly more of The Hop. So my advice... stay The Away.
Nov 04, 2009
Photo of JeremyBrews
Reviewed by JeremyBrews from Japan

2/5  rDev -40.8%
look: 2 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2
A- Brass, like a tarnished tuba bell. Head is a 1-minute long, last dying flail. No lacing.

S- The Cheap Hop, skunk, slight simple adjunct sugar smell.

T- Starts bitter, finishes skunk, apple juice and cheap, boring malt.

M- Watery.

D- Tastes like a cheap, watery pilsner. Nothing special or noeworthy at all going on with this beer.
Nov 01, 2009
Photo of joedon
Reviewed by joedon from Minnesota

3.88/5  rDev +14.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Better than your average Japanese beer. Nice white head over a crystal-clear golden beer.
Pleasing aroma; mostly hops, grain, bread and grass.
Taste is pretty nice. Good hop flavor and malty background. A little bitter hoppy aftertaste. Much the same flavor as regular Sapporo, just a bit more forward.
Good mouthfeel and very drinkable. Not too much more expensive than the "regular" Sapporo. A decent effort.
Jul 13, 2009
Photo of bobsy
Reviewed by bobsy from Canada (ON)

3.36/5  rDev -0.6%
look: 2 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Yebisu the Hop... promising name for a fellow who likes hops.

Golden body with a white head that disappeared quicker than a magician's rabbit. This was in spite of a constant stream of bubble breaking the surface. A very sub-par appearance for a pilsner. Decent hoppy aroma - certainly not a hop bomb, but there are nice grassy, floral and herbal notes mixing in the fray. The flavour again reveals that this is no hop bomb, but it is definitely hop, with a pleasant herbal and floral quality. The malts have a biscuit taste and provide a decent sweetness to balance the bitterness.
The mouthfeel is medium to light with decent and steady carbonation.

In some respects this is a sub par pilsner, but in others it is a decent, if average, drink. It can probably be best seen as a lawnmower beer.
Nov 07, 2008
Photo of alebuff
Reviewed by alebuff from England

3.15/5  rDev -6.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
Handled this with much excitement when I saw it in the supermarket. And it was reassuringly that little bit more expensive than the standard brews. But, oh dear. Soft, slightly floral, no doubt about the aroma. Taste almost lemon, and I do say almost. Congratulations on finding Saaz hops, Sapporo - a step in the right direction, but could do better. Is it really 5.5% ?!
Sep 13, 2008
Yebisu The Hop from Sapporo Breweries Ltd.
Beer rating: 80 out of 100 with 31 ratings