Japanese-Style Dry Lager
Occidental Brewing Co.

 

 

Crystal clear bright gold in the Orval chalice with adequate foam. It's not what you'd call a creamy carbonation, but it's sharp and prickly and tickles the throat. The flavor is of course on the dry side, but there is still a pleasant malty background. I think I prefer the fully-flavored "regular" Japanese rice lager, but this one is worth a try if you enjoy the style as I do.

It must be hard to get such a clean taste with still enough flavor in this light brew. The rice is subtle enough as it is, and this has some of the club soda finish, but it does taste beery in the right ways. Even a touch of herbal hops in the aftertaste. This would be my choice for a really light beer, but it's plenty strong at five percent. Another plus: it's the beer to drink if you're going to spill beer on the couch. From the 16 oz can purchased at Elizabeth Station.

16oz can

Pours a finger of white head into my Pilsner glass. Retention is a little below average, and the head fades within a minute or so. Lacing isn’t too bad. Body is a very light pale yellow, crystal clear, with a good amount of nucleation. Looks decent.

Nose has that nice starchy-sweetness, with a little bit of dryness intermingled, and some floral undertones. Smells good, but not quite as aromatic as some other examples.

Not too much going on in the flavor. Some bready malt comes out with time, extremely faint, borders on dms.

Carbonation is on the higher end. Light bodied, obviously. Quite dry. Bitterness is low-unnoticeable. A little dry at times, but the mouthfeel is serviceable.

Drinkability is good enough, but I’m not in a rush to finish it.

Overall there is nothing wrong here, but this is just way too light for me, pretty flavorless at times.

Look: Clear straw yellow with a white head that forms and quickly begins to settle, eventually finishing as a film and leaving decent lacing behind
Aroma: Cereal grains, cooked rice, soda crackers, wafts of floral hops, and a honey-like sweetness
Taste: Starts out with rice water and light grain notes that set the stage before some light floral hop notes trickle in. This interplay continues until the lightly sweet note and more floral notes close it out
Mouthfeel: Light but pretty full, very clean throughout, medium-high carbonation, and a clean and crisp finish with light dryness
Overall: I dig it. A well-made and fun American take on Japanese rice lagers and a tasty one to boot. Pretty simple and straightforward, which is a good and hitting the spot after work on a Friday

another absolute banger from these guys, i think i am their biggest fan, i seriously love all of their beers and was pumped to see this new one on the shelves, especially since its been so hot, this is just what the doctor ordered! a little deviation from the german styles they are known for, but still a simple and clean lager, which they have dialed in, so its a good fit in their lineup. crystal clean pour from the can, bright yellow and impossibly effervescent, holding onto an inch of thick white head, it looks gorgeous and minimal. the nose here is pils-esque to me, the grain profile is european a little bit, crackery and earthy and dry, while the hops seem to be mostly bittering. the rice in the mash makes this light, but im not sure it adds a ton of flavor, its more a textural thing, keep the body low, maybe a little floral element to it late, but its subtle for sure. its more european than japanese to me despite the rice, nothing like sorachi ace hops or anything from what i can tell, but i love the beer overall, its real snappy and refreshing an alive, even more drinkable than their other light lagers, and for me, this is probably the best hot weather brew they do. it was nice with spicy food, grilled barbeque shrimp, and it fits a humid summer evening really well. i should have got the four pack instead of the single. i will be buying this one again. do not sleep on occidental, they do not miss!

Can from Market of Choice.

A clear light yellow with a dense white head that falls off leaving nice lacing, this looks solid. The nose is delicate and austere, a blend of crisp, delicate grain, a little rice like sweetness, a very faint hop character and a light fruity note. The palate opens crisp, light, refreshing with puffed rice, a little earth and lemon, zippy with a light carbonic bite from the moderate carbonation. Light lemony sweetness along with a puffed rice character on the finish. Refreshing and quite excellent.