Grand Kirin White Ale
Kirin Brewery Company, Limited
- From:
- Kirin Brewery Company, Limited
- Japan
- Style:
- Witbier
- ABV:
- 5.5%
- Score:
- +3 ratings needed
- Avg:
- 3.31 | pDev: 15.71%
- Ratings:
- | reviews: 4
- Status:
- Active
- Rated:
- Nov 24, 2025
- Added:
- Nov 07, 2017
- Wants:
- 1
- Gots:
- 0
NO SCORE
-
-
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews.
Ratings by DOCRW:
Rated by DOCRW from Kentucky
3.3/5 rDev -0.3%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5
Nov 24, 2025
3.3/5 rDev -0.3%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5
Nov 24, 2025
More User Ratings:
Reviewed by trentbent from New York
3.51/5 rDev +6%
look: 3 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
3.51/5 rDev +6%
look: 3 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Honestly, this beer tasted surprisingly fresh, crisp, and had nice balance and for a white ale is not too heavy (you know the way some white ales can make you feel bloated). There are many people posting negative reviews because they bought this for an expensive price outside of Japan, but since I'm in Japan I can say where craft beers are so hard to come by for a reasonable price and since this is domestically-made here it's actually affordable and usually when the major Japanese brands make "craft beer" it doesn't taste interesting or well done at all so this was a very pleasant surprise and I will be buying more.
Jul 13, 2020
Reviewed by JonnoWillsteed from England
2.79/5 rDev -15.7%
look: 3 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.75
2.79/5 rDev -15.7%
look: 3 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.75
L- Pale to mid gold, clear and pours with a 5mm white head.
S- On first whiff I got a blast of 'fruit'. Further sniffs and I struggle to get any clear and more identifiable smell bar a sense of 'richness' that might suggest apple...?
T- Yes, this does have something of a dry-cider facet to it. Otherwise it's a typically middle-road JPnese beer, none to hoppy or intricate.
F- It's like a medium dry lager with a touch of fruit (apple?). Carbonation in the mouth is good, though the JPnese market expects that.
O- Interesting to try, though at a jaw-dropping price such that I will never be buying this again. Overall It's uninteresting and would be even at a more regular UK price.
BBE: 05/2020 350ml can £7.99 from Ichiba, Westfield, London
Feb 19, 2020S- On first whiff I got a blast of 'fruit'. Further sniffs and I struggle to get any clear and more identifiable smell bar a sense of 'richness' that might suggest apple...?
T- Yes, this does have something of a dry-cider facet to it. Otherwise it's a typically middle-road JPnese beer, none to hoppy or intricate.
F- It's like a medium dry lager with a touch of fruit (apple?). Carbonation in the mouth is good, though the JPnese market expects that.
O- Interesting to try, though at a jaw-dropping price such that I will never be buying this again. Overall It's uninteresting and would be even at a more regular UK price.
BBE: 05/2020 350ml can £7.99 from Ichiba, Westfield, London
Reviewed by monkist from Hungary
4.24/5 rDev +28.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
4.24/5 rDev +28.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
This is the third of the Grand Kirin series from 2017 that I had this season in Japan. This one is a white ale but the style posted here on BA is misleading: it is NOT a witbier, nor a weizen, or at least not of the usual ones. It is a white/wheat ale, or perhaps rather a pale ale made with wheat? It looks and smells rather like a pale ale, quite fruity and hoppy! It also tastes quite fruity and clear, you can only faintly recognize hints of wheat in there - but nothing of the usual toothpaste taste. It is pure and clear and tastes excellent, refreshing.
I must ait that I loved this beer and it is the best wheat(-based) beer that I had so far (I am not really fond of wheat or weizen...) but this one I could keep drinking again.
Well done Kirin, this one was the most outstanding/original this year!
Jan 06, 2018I must ait that I loved this beer and it is the best wheat(-based) beer that I had so far (I am not really fond of wheat or weizen...) but this one I could keep drinking again.
Well done Kirin, this one was the most outstanding/original this year!
Reviewed by flyingpig from Scotland
3.34/5 rDev +0.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
3.34/5 rDev +0.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
350ml Can from Family Mart, Sin-Okubo, Tokyo (¥297):
This one was actually quite an enjoyable offering from Kirin & one of the better from the brewery that I've tried, although it wasn't quite a classic or one that I'd run back to on a regular basis. It started with a solid wheat beer nose that had plenty of citrus & wheat coming through but the taste was closer to an American IPA at times with more grassy hops & bitterness than usual for a wheat beer. It was quite a drinkable offering that had a pleasantly zesty feel, although it was definitely basic for the most part.
Nov 08, 2017This one was actually quite an enjoyable offering from Kirin & one of the better from the brewery that I've tried, although it wasn't quite a classic or one that I'd run back to on a regular basis. It started with a solid wheat beer nose that had plenty of citrus & wheat coming through but the taste was closer to an American IPA at times with more grassy hops & bitterness than usual for a wheat beer. It was quite a drinkable offering that had a pleasantly zesty feel, although it was definitely basic for the most part.
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