Pale Ale
Ishikawa Brewery Co., Ltd

 

 

A-Pours hazy medium amber with a thin, brilliant white head. No lacing.

S-Fruity, lightly tannic hops,peach juice, biscuity malts. There's a quality to the tannic dryness of the hop aromas that reminds me of white tea.

T/M-There's something funky about this one. It starts out okay, with a biscuity malt backbone and delicate dry hops, but mid-palate, this beer goes into a tailspin. Flavors of mothballs and strong, pervasive aqua net and lavender take over completely. An almost chemical flavor that is just prominent enough to ruin what would have otherwise been a banal, inoffensive experience.

O-Bottle date says 01/2011. I have to think something went wrong in the storage of this beer, and it is a bit old for a pale ale. Will try this again when I can find a fresh bottle.

For years and years, I've only ever seen one beer from this brewery (they have a very distinctive label design so are hard to miss). Recently however, I found this, a fine rendition of an English-style pale ale.

The color is a bright copper, with a foamy head that quickly dies down into some nice lacing.

The smell is fruity and a little yeasty, with English hops clearly in the background.

The taste is an initial blast of fruitiness, followed by a delicate hop bitterness and the floral taste of English hops. There's a slight tartness and a mineral flavor lingers on the back of the tongue as one swallows. All this tastes exactly right! It's tasty and interesting, but not overpowering. This sort of subtle distinctiveness is what I love about many good English beers, and this Japanese brewery has done an excellent job recreating it.

The mouthfeel is crisp and drinkable; the ABV is 5.5%, so a bit high but still not too bad.

Highly recommended if you like English beers.