The Premium White Beer
Kirin Brewery Company, Limited

This one caught me by surprise when I was in my local convenience store. Good call.

I've had a few of kirin's premium bottle brews however I don't recall any of them being especially good. This one is however, quite good.

Looks pretty nice, cloudy pale yellow, nice 2 finger thick head, some lacing. Nose is good too, although just a liiiitle too bready for what I think a white beer should smell like. Very subtle sweet and spicy notes in the nose. I'd like these to be a bit stronger.

Taste and drinkability is where this beer shines. I could down 6 or 7 of these and be very happy. The sweet and spicy notes that I'd like to see in the nose come through great in the actual beer. Obviously coriander and citrus dominate with a nice bitterness. It's not the most complex witbeer in the world but its a solid one. Perfect for these ridiculously hot humid days/nights.

Recommended.

what a pleasant surprise coming from kirin! this witbier is something you'd expect to come out of a classy belgian brewery. instead, it came from a japanese macro more famous for its rice-based lagers.

words fail to adequately describe this beer. a great balance of spicy and mild, not too carbonated, and an overall great finish from this beer.

do yourself a favour and cool down with this beer this summer (if you're in japan). unlike most kirin beers, it will NOT disappoint you.

The newest Kirin "pop-top" pours out an ever-so-slightly hazy, pale gold with a very impressive, thick white head. I notice a good amount of yeast settled at the bottom of the bottle, give it a good swirl and add it. WOW. This is an absolutely amazingly gorgeous brew considering it has the Kirin dragon on the label!

But, looks aren't everything. Give 'er a whiff and ... OK. Not too shabby. A little strange, as the macro label (and price) has a Pavlovian effect on me, and I expect a boring lager. But this is definitely a witbier! Spicy and fruity nose as advertised, not too strong, but I'll give it some time to open up before I judge.

The mouthfeel is remarkably unlike the typical boring j-mac. Almost chewy full body (considering)! Taste is a lot like the smell, somewhere between decent and outstanding (considering). It's anything but unique. Very standard take on the style, but not bad at all. After warming a bit, the beer doesn't improve significantly. But it could be that I just don't have the patience, as today was a long, hot day and I'm really thirsty.

Yikes, this is easily the best beer available at a convenience store, and it's just a little bit more expensive than Asahi Super Dry !!!! The Kirin Premiums never let me down!