Tateyama
Aslan Brewing Company

 

Abundant foam on the crystal clear golden amber brew poured in the Stella Artois goblet. Faint alfalfa aroma. Plentiful suds on the tongue. Clean and a little resiny. Malty cereal taste with a slight sweetness. Warm with a scratch of hoppiness, but not really bitter. Just a wee nibble. These American-style Japanese rice lagers all taste good to me. From the 12 oz can purchased at Elizabeth Station.

an extraordinarily refreshing rice lager here, super well refined, simple in a lot of ways, not pushing a big jasmine floral bouquet or dry hopped all wildly, but subtle and poundable and near perfect to me, especially in high summer, i think these guys are capable of epic quality at times, which is why i get disappointed when they hoppy stuff middles out periodically, this is expert top to bottom. very pale soft yellow colored beer with a pretty white head from the tap and some web lacing as it drinks. the nose is minimal, crisp isnt really a smell, but if it was, this would be it, a pretty close to neutral lager yeast, maybe even a mexican type lager yeast, is faint, the malt is impossibly light, and the hops are for balance only, its like enhanced water. the flavor is a little more robust, but still delicate and snappy. good underlying mineral profile and water chemistry, light bitterness through the back half, soft clean lemon and springy bloom vibes too, light fruitiness in the hops like pear or green grape but its only there for a second, the rice isnt starchy at all, and there is absolutely zero residual sugar, great proportions. champagne-like carbonation is always flattering to the style, and the refreshment value here is sky high without it being boring in the least. i loved this, a top lager from these guys, and one that probably shouldnt be flying under the radar. in a portfolio of fashionable and trendy beers they make, this still stands out to me. really well done. another please!