Nomi Hodaï
Brasserie de la Senne

 

11.2oz bottle purchased off the shelf as a single for $5.99 plus tax. "BBD: 10MAY2023, BOT: 10MAY2022" so based on this it was bottled almost a year and half ago. I just picked this up a few months ago.

Look: There's a good amount of yeast sediment from bottle conditioning on the bottom of the bottle. The beer pours out an effervescent pale straw color with vigorously rising bubbles. There was a rocky white head that diminished to a thin layer.

Smell: It has a nice, clean and crisp aroma with a bit of floral and fruity hop notes. It smells a bit earthy and just gently bittering. I also get a nice biscuity sweetness and maltiness.

Taste: It's a very tasty beer. I am very impressed that this beer is only 4.5% ABV because it packs a lot of flavor. The finish is a bit more bitter than I had expected from the nose and the finish is also very dry. It strikes a nice balance between the sweetness from the malts and rice up front with the hoppy, bitter, peppery, and bone dry finish. It's nicely carbonated. The beer also transformed after swirling and pouring the sediment - it became much more Belgian-esque.

Feel: The mouthfeel is interesting. On the one hand, it seems like a light lager-style beer (not actually sure if this is an ale or lager, but it's giving me lager type vibes). On the other hand, it is full-flavored for a 4.5% ABV beer and it's very crisp and dry. Overall, I would say that it's on the lighter side of medium body.

Overall: This is my first Happoshu style beer. I have had other beers from each Brasserie de la Senne and Oxbow before. This is not so different from some other Japanese-style rice lagers that I have had.

From the bottle:
A collab made with our friends from Oxbow Brewing Co.
Dry-Hopped Session Beer W. Rice
Unfiltered blond craft beer, refermented in the bottle. Pour without the sediment; it can be drunk separately. Store in a cold and dark place. Enjoy its freshness: Do not age this beer!

Bottle: Poured a cloudy yellow color ale with a large size foamy head with good retention and lacing. Aroma of light cereal and malt notes with some dry hops notes. Taste is also a mix of light cereal notes with some dry hoppy notes and sharp dry finale. Body is about average for style with good carbonation. Not bad but the rice malt seemed to diminish flavors and complexity.

Pours a very pale straw with very good white head retention. It is quite apparently bright and effervescent. Nose of lemon zest, lime zest, pepper, and a bit of forest greenery. The malt character is light with delicate cereal grains. The hops provide a nice herbal bouquet. It's pretty clean and I don't get much in the form of esters or phenols. This kind of reminds me of an Italian pilsner with the delicate hop and malt combo. This is quite nice and super drinkable.