Lemon Lager
Hokkaido Brewing

My first Happoshu. Poured from undated, 10.14 oz. bottle into a Pilsener glass. There was a loud pop when I opened the bottle. It pours a slightly hazy, grassy, golden-yellow with a very thin, ecru-colored cap and almost no lacing. It's effercescant with myriad tiny bubbles; almost champagne-like. The smell is strongly sweet lemon-forward; like a gum drop. But it's a pleasant nose. The taste is better than I expected. Strongly lemon, it's sweet but not quite cloying and there is a hint of pepper and spicy throughout. It reminds me of a Shandy. For the lack of malt and the modest alcohol level the mouth feel is excellent. It's surprisingly viscous - not quite syrupy. It's well-carbonated and very easy to drink at 5% ABV. Overall, I enjoyed Lemon Lager; it's refreshing and would be ideal for deck drinking in the summer. I'm now anxious to try some of the other fruit Lagers from Hokkaido Brewing.

(10.14 fl oz bottle, OB2108 TO. 9. 3. 6 code on cap; purchased single off shelf at Wineworks today... poured into my Chouffe tulip)

L: slightly-hazy, pale yellow liquid, with a cringingly bubbly foam build on the pour which soon settles into a silky, tight cap, before receding to a thin collar

S: gloriously freshy lemon zest pop on the nose, booming during the pour... maybe a slight soft-baked pie crust undercurrent... mellow in expression, but densely intense; quite inviting

T: shandy all day... the malt (malty, not bready or grainy) and a rounded fruity sweetness builds over the sequence of sips, quickly rising up to match the mildly tart snap of the dominant lemon overtone... lemon drop candy is the overwhelmingly dominant residual flavor in the aftertaste... just wish this was a touch more dry and/or tart

F: relatively thick, oily, and lip-smacky for a lager; can't help but think this is either mashed at a high temp or, rather, has added body and texture due to sugars from whatever the medium of lemon additive is

O: just came to my attention, sadly after having seen this brand for years now, that these are labeled under the elusive Happoshu style (and this would be my first review of this said style)... this was ridiculously refreshing and perfect for this unseasonably warm day... kind of comes across as a malt beverage similar to Smirnoff Ice, but so what (2109)

10.14oz stubby bottle into a tulip. Best these old eyes can tell, bottled 8/21/21, so 5-6 months old.

Looks okay in the glass, like a slightly hazy yellow cider. Small white head disappears quickly, no lacing.

Light aroma of fresh lemon.

On tasting, bittersweet, tart, drying. Lemon used well, not overdone.

Mouth medium, finish dry lemon.

Overall, decent drink. Base lager gets a bit lost. Would be wonderful in the summer months.

Bottled on 11-17-20

A - Pale yellow color with just a little bit of haze, no lacing, no carbonation.

S - Smells like a glass of liquid lemon drops.

T - Follows the nose with tangy lemon / lemon drop. Just think: Hard Lemonade. Ends on the sweeter side with lingering tangy lemon and a slight bit of grain presence.

M - Light medium body with very little carbonation.

O - This is really refreshing, I could see myself drinking this in the Summer!

 

Its basically that lemon flavored ginger ale, but has booze. Its actually really refreshing.

10.14oz stubby bottle (cap stamped OB1903 200113) poured into a pokal glass at fridge temp 5% ABV. The beer pours barely hazy in a soft lemonade yellow with nearly white head. The head recedes to a pencil thin ring and leaves no lacing. The aroma is mild with tart lemon dominating. The taste is similar with tart & sweet lemon, a hint of salinity and no approachable malt or bitterness. The mouthfeel is thin bodied with average carbonation and a dry finish. No off flavors.
Overall, enjoyable taste and feel, but it's really just like a better version of a fermented malt beverage a.k.a. Lemon-ade-rita.

Nice add, @beerthulu ! I am currently engaged in drinking (hopefully) refreshing fruited beers in the hopeless hope of beating the heat during the current heat wave. I spotted four stubby grenades in this series at The Beer Shoppe in Ardmore, PA & you better believe that I bought every one!

From the Bottle: "Brewed with Hiroshima Lemon".

The cap was an unusual Pull & Pop!, kind of akin to an early pop top beer tab. No church key required. I had one of my fave Pilsner/Lager glasses at the ready & I followed the Pop! of the cap with a slow, steady C-Line pour. It fizzed up to briefly form just under two fingers of fizzy, foamy, rocky, eggshell-white head that quickly reduced to wisps. Color was Pale-Straw (SRM = 1 - 2) with NE-quality clarity. Nose had an interesting lemon tartness to it, more like lemon pie filling or lemonade mix than ReaLemon. Hmm. Mouthfeel was thin-to-medium, not watery, but not much past it. The taste was oddly lemony, not as tart as some lemon-based beers, but not so sweet as to be off-putting. It provided a nicely refreshing interlude as I quickly quaffed all 10.14-fl. oz. of it! Sheesh. I was done almost as quickly as I had started. Finish was semi-dry, but just right for its purpose as a thirst-quencher. I would not want a steady diet of it, but it was perfect today. YMMV.

-brewed with Hiroshima lemon.

A: A very pale straw color pour has a very good clarity. A audible fizziness is lively on the surface before quickly dissipating to a polished surface. No visible signs of effervesce.

S: The lemon, as with their honey apple, is very strong and prominent. Fresh and wet in nature, the lemon is the true highlight here providing a juicy tartness. Some country time lemonade and lemon meringue sweetness at times. Tart orange-citrus of good strength overall.

T: Orange-citrus with juicy lemonade sourness flavor. Wine cooler like flavor and sweetness that was crisp and very clean.

M: Sticky and slick body feel. Medium consistency with a very, very relaxed carbonation.

O: Overall a very wet, refreshing and bright nature of the lemons defines this drink. Tart lemonade like drinkability that is perfect for the beach or poolside, especially in the hot and muggy NJ summers. I can drink this all day as a session. A 5% abv that is virtually impossible to detect. Again wine cooler like drinkability perfect again for a summer time quencher that is exceptionally clean, bright and enjoyable. Crafts answer to light lager with a full flavor.