Akiaji - Autumn Brew
Kirin Brewery Company, Limited

Akiaji - Autumn BrewAkiaji - Autumn Brew
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From:
Kirin Brewery Company, Limited
 
Japan
Style:
Märzen
ABV:
6%
Score:
76
Avg:
3.1 | pDev: 16.45%
Reviews:
13
Ratings:
22
Status:
Active
Rated:
Sep 17, 2021
Added:
Sep 24, 2003
Wants:
  1
Gots:
  8
No description / notes.
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Ratings by bros:

  None found.

Photo of monkist
Reviewed by monkist from Hungary

3.87/5  rDev +24.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
This has been going on since 1991 the can says and now here we are, 30 years later in 2021, drinking it.
And I understand the way it is trying to be a märzen. I love marzens and I can recognize the similarities: the richness and semi-sweetness in taste, that apple-like overtone of the aroma and the feeling of it all.
Of course, this is a Japanese beer and as such, you can’t really expect it to be like a REAL beer - but this one does quite well. After you overcome the uncertainties of the beginning, the beer becomes like a “weak marzen” or a “marzen wannabe” and it is alright being one.
I don’t think I’m gonna wait a year to have this again, I will have the real thing when we go back home to Europe.
Ps.: yes I agree, the can did look nice.
Sep 17, 2021
More User Ratings:
Photo of woodychandler
Reviewed by woodychandler from Pennsylvania

3.72/5  rDev +20%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
What with today being the occasion of New Beer Sunday (Week 654), I have decided to go with an homage to the now-defunct Lauzus Hotel & Bar here in Lancaster, PA. I was vaguely aware of their eclectic selection of imported & foreign beers growing up, but they were prohibitively expensive for us underage beer drinkers. It wasn't until after my first overseas deployment in the Navy & my exposure to Chimay that I got hip to going in there while home on leave or weekends.

From the CAN: Loads of Japanese characters! Man, I CANnot read Kanji, but this is SUCH a cool CAN!

I Crack!ed it open and began a gentle Glug into the awaiting glass. A vigorous in-glass swirl raised a finger of foamy, soapy, bone-white head with low retention. Color was Straw-Yellow (SRM = > 2, < 4) with NE-quality clarity. Nose was malty & sweet, but unlike any Oktoberfest that I have drank in the past, nowhere near as sweet. Mouthfeel was medium-to-full, really big for the style! Taste was semi-sweet, very pleasant, especially when so many Oktoberfest-style beers CAN be extremely sweet & (for me) unpleasant. I am given to understand that this one has rice as an adjunct & where it is usually an innocuous extender, here it was helping to cut the inherent sweetness of the malt. A semi-dry Oktoberfest?!? In a CAN?!? You CAN probably imagine where this is going. Great guns of Navarrone! This is just the Oktoberfest that I was looking for! My, but this was tasty. The slightly smoky, sweet malt was evident, but it was held in check to the point that I could just suck it straight down without a seCANd thought. Finish was semi-dry, very refreshing & worthy of an Oktoberfest cooler. Does anyone do Oktoberfest from a cooler? I may have hit on something!
Sep 03, 2017
 
Rated: 2.77 by mauralydon

Feb 04, 2015
Photo of JackieKu
Reviewed by JackieKu from Taiwan

2.31/5  rDev -25.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2
500ml can. Canned on 8/2015. Poured into tulip.

Ingredients: malt, hop, rice, corn, and starch.
The later 3 indicate it's definitely not a canonical Märzen.

A: Golden. Clear. Poured with 2 fingers high of head but sank soon.
S: Grainy and little sourness.
T: Typical adjuncts lagers, with slightly higher bitterness.
M: Light bodied. Moderate carbonation.
O: Nothing special but the design of can. Never drink it again.
Oct 28, 2014
 
Rated: 4.25 by samparkique4 from England

Oct 14, 2014
 
Rated: 3 by AxlSkull from France

Sep 15, 2014
 
Rated: 3 by WIBrewMan from Wisconsin

Sep 01, 2014
 
Rated: 3.25 by endless1408 from England

Jun 05, 2014
 
Rated: 2.75 by Badjojo

Mar 22, 2014
 
Rated: 2 by SWY from Hong Kong

Dec 24, 2013
 
Rated: 3 by tommy5 from Michigan

Sep 13, 2013
 
Rated: 3.25 by shigg85 from Japan

Jan 31, 2012
Photo of Raven3464
Reviewed by Raven3464 from Japan

2.7/5  rDev -12.9%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5
Appearance: The beer pours a cloudy brown body with lots of carbonation.

Smell: A sweet lager smell commonly found in malty macro brews is apparent. Nothing really stands out here.

Taste: Again, nothing really stands out but the overly sweet metallic taste found in many Japanese macros is subdued. There is watery malts up front with a hint of sweet hops in the after taste (supposedly 1.3 times the amount of normal hops were used for brewing).

Mouth feel: Watery but smooth

Overall: I went in with low expectations and ended up experiencing a macro which isn't too bad. It's better than probably 90% of the other macro lagers sold in Japan. Then again, that's kind of like saying I can out run a tree.
Sep 16, 2011
Photo of pettis
Reviewed by pettis from Virginia

3.4/5  rDev +9.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
Just a couple weeks out of the brewery, this 2011 Akiaji ("fall taste") beer tastes just like I remember it from several years ago. It pours golden amber with a thin, but bubbly, head with a nose that gives faint hints of slightly-roasted caramel-like malt. Taste is dominated by malt and is quite sweet. According to the label, it uses 1.3 times as much malt as Kirin's regular offerings (for what that's worth). Above-average carbonation and smooth mouthfeel make this quite drinkable, though those accustomed to more hops may grow weary of the malty sweetness.

Judged as a Märzen, this beer is nothing to get excited about and should probably be rated a C- or so, but considering it comes from one of the big four Japanese brewers (think "BMC") and doesn't actually claim to be a Märzen (but rather a "fall seasonal"), it is a solid and affordable seasonal offering for beer drinkers in Japan.
Sep 04, 2011
Photo of jeranbrews
Reviewed by jeranbrews from Oklahoma

3.49/5  rDev +12.6%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
A - 1 finger of head that dissipates in about 30 seconds. No lacing. Almost no continued carbonation. Brass colored

S - Linseed oil. Faint malts. Little no no yeast. Pretty standard generic lager smells.

T - The tastes are a bit of an improvement, and make up for the so far so-so experience. There are pleasant mixtures of sugars, esters, milky lactose flavors, and some chinook hops. There are small amounts of yeast and hop and malt here. All the flavors are subdued but the balance is very nice. It finishes with a crisp sweet aftertaste.

M - A tiny bit watery, but that's to be expected for a macro beer in a can. Otherwise pleasant.

D - This beer is a seasonal favorite of mine. Every Fall in Japan I always make a point to buy at least one six pack so that they will keep making it. It's not an amazing beer, but cheaper than most of the domestic counterparts and has good flavor and balance. This is the kind of beer I like to finish the evening with after the taste buds have been sufficiently dulled.
Dec 12, 2009
Photo of jpBeerGuy
Reviewed by jpBeerGuy from Japan

3.14/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5
It's got a good bang for the buck. That's about it.

Appearance - Nice foamy head. Golden in color.

Smell - Earthy... smell of dirt and leaves. Maybe they added that in there to fit the theme? I dunno... but there are also hints of grains.

Taste - Meh... not bad. Just reminds me of a cheap bottle of 2005 Bordeaux. Not great but not terrible.

Mouthfeel - I almost wonder if there is soil in there....

Drinkability - Once you get past the initial shock of soil and leaves... you don't really want to keep going for more of it.

A swing and a miss... but sometimes the autumn brews are good from Kirin.
Apr 01, 2009
Photo of bobsy
Reviewed by bobsy from Canada (ON)

3.14/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 2 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 4
Straw yellow, with a rapidly diminishing white head. Sweet, leafy aroma. Surprisingly bitter, which helps provide a nice counterpoint to the malty sweetness. Light body and steady carbonation. Not too bad, but not really much of a flavour upgrade over a regular macro lager.
Oct 12, 2008
Photo of SargeC
Reviewed by SargeC from California

3.32/5  rDev +7.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 4
Appearance: Clear, yellow colored brew with a foamy white head.

Smell: Light hop presence with buttery notes.

Taste: Clean brew without many standout flavors. Minimal hop bite in the aftertaste.

Mouthfeel: Light body. Did not seem to match up to the style.

Drinkablity: Easy to down. Not a big departure from regular Kirin. Limited flavor bite to it.
Sep 27, 2008
Photo of alebuff
Reviewed by alebuff from England

2.46/5  rDev -20.6%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5
Wow a 6% Japanese beer from one of the big boys - and a limited brew for the Autumn. One to be tried for sure ? Well no, not really. One to be laid down and forgotten.

The can looks like a supermarket own brand cola or fruit juice. There is something of a rustic nose about it. The overlal taste verges on the bland. A mouthful of dead leaves if anything. How can they try so hard to make yet another less than ordinary beer ?
Sep 13, 2008
Photo of soulgrowl
Reviewed by soulgrowl from England

3.62/5  rDev +16.8%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
Appearance: Pale, clear-as-day, golden, brassy body with a fair, white head and decent retention.

Smell: Light, crisp, and sweet German-style malts with a demure undercurrent of herbal hops. Adjuncts are not as noticeable as they are in most Kirin products, but they're there and they're not fooling anybody.

Taste: Well-balanced and refreshing, with a pleasantly zippy hop edge. Not nearly as heavy as most in the style, but still quite flavorful. Malts are lighter, more crisp, and less nutty than your garden-variety Oktoberfest, but of course that reflects the tastes of this beer's country of origin. Could easily pass for a pilsener.

Mouthfeel: Light bodied and airy, slightly sticky but clean and crisp overall.

Drinkability: I like it, and I wish it were available year-round. The hop profile is very nice, making it a beer you can savor despite its overall lightness.
Sep 19, 2006
Akiaji - Autumn Brew from Kirin Brewery Company, Limited
Beer rating: 76 out of 100 with 22 ratings