Koshihikari Echigo Beer
Uehara Shuzou Co. Ltd. / Echigo Beer Pub

elNopalero from California

3.32/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.25

Pours from the can clear and gold. Thin foaming. Light aroma, only a faint hint of toasted brown rice. Crisp, finishes clean. Enjoyable, if unremarkable.

Aug 06, 2020

GreesyFizeek from New York

4.03/5  rDev +18.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

This one pours a clear pale yellow color, with a small head, and lots of lacing.

This smells like crisp and clean malt, floral hops, and maybe a touch of lemon.

This is surprisingly solid, with a really crisp dryness to it. There’s crackery malt, and a nice light floral hop character. It’s not mind-blowingly flavorful, but it’s certainly well done.

This is really crisp and really drinkable. It’s just well brewed all around.

I don’t really have this style often, but it seems to be well done.

Feb 15, 2020

BergBeer from Virginia

3.87/5  rDev +13.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Out of a can into a shaker glass

Look: Pale yellow gold with a thick white head. As a lager like this should look.

Smell: Bready toasted malt, clean floral hops, fruity lager yeast.

Taste: Color me impressed. This has a very nice depth of flavor. Bready malt, toasted rice, floral noble hops, fruity lager yeast. Really pops.

Feel: Here is the one glaring fault. It’s not as crisp as it should be. Medium body that has depth instead of snap. Fine carbonation. No alcohol. Mild plus bitterness.

Overall: A rice lager with a ton of intresting depth of flavor just lacking that crisp lager note that would really set this over.

Oct 13, 2019

Cylinsier from Pennsylvania

3.6/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

11.2 oz bottle

Pours clear golden, white lacing.

Aroma of light rice and cereal malts.

Flavor is of rice malt and fresh grassy malt.

Light body, fizzy carbonation on the tongue.

Bright, refreshing rice lager. The flavor is distinct from some of the other well known Japanese lagers. Worth a try if you can get it.

Aug 16, 2019

StevieQ from California

4.7/5  rDev +38.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

This is the best tasting (and most expensive) Japanese beer I've ever had. I bought it in a bottle form at a Chinese supermarket. Compared to typical American craft beers, this beer has little bitterness, but to my personal palate, it has the perfect balance of sweetness, acidity, and bitterness. It has a strong malty aroma with good hops. I love it.

Apr 22, 2019

chitoryu12 from Florida

2.92/5  rDev -14.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.75

Look: Very clear pale yellow. Very small white head that quickly reduces to a ring, then nothing.

Smell: Virtually nothing.

Taste: Extremely mild malt with a tiny hint of rice.

Mouthfeel: Carbonated water.

Overall: Like beer-flavored water.

Oct 20, 2018

Nass from Florida

3.25/5  rDev -4.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Quite dull for a Japanese rice lager. I barely like it better than the Asahi I had & considering that I paid $9.99 for a pint this beer has probably been sitting on the shelf for months on end maybe even over a year. I would not pay $9.99 for this again. Orion Premium Draft Beer is a much better choice in this style. I am not going to knock this beer too hard because I don't think that I am drinking it at its full potential since it is sort of old. A little malty, a little flavorful, the body is on the thin side. I recommend that you try this beer out if you are into pale lagers. Cheers! B-

Jul 18, 2018

Cthulhusquid from Washington

4.62/5  rDev +35.9%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.75

Look : One finger white head, yellow body.

Smell : See below.

Taste : Grains, mild noble hops, and some kind of nondescript richness, is that the rice? Tastes extremely similar to Bitburger (that's a good thing).

Feel : Light-medium body, medium carbonation. Balanced upfront with a dry finish.

Jul 04, 2018

Tone from Missouri

3.34/5  rDev -1.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 3.25

Pours a clear straw color. 1/4 inch head of a white color. Decent retention and slight lacing. Smells of slight wheat, slight rice, slight citrus hops, and pale malt. Fits the style of a Japanese Rice Lager. Mouth feel is smooth and clean, with an average carbonation level. There is an elevated dryness. Tastes of slight wheat, slight rice, slight citrus hops, hint of corn, and pale malt. Overall, decent appearance and feel, but weak aroma, body, and blend.

Jun 10, 2018

beertunes from Kiribati

3.27/5  rDev -3.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25

11.8oz can poured into 12oz tulip. Poured a clean, clear bright yellow color with just a thin cap of white head that almost instantly dissipated, and left no lacing.

The aroma had some light grain scent, and a bit of a yeasty tang. Same on the tongue, grain and yeast, with maybe a slight bit of floral hops. The body was light and crisp, with a semi-sweet finish. Drinkability was fine, for what the beer is.

Overall, a solid enough "Industrial Lager". Worth grabbing if you want a different lawnmower beer, or, like me, going for the style tick.

Feb 13, 2018

Beginner2 from Illinois

3.54/5  rDev +4.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Not being a rice eater (except with some Indian dishes that are too soupy for bread), I don't think about the quality of rice and rarely can taste the difference. But when rice is used as the base for beer, suddenly the taste of rice becomes important to me. And Koshihikari claims to use the best rice. And miracle of miracles... I can taste the difference in rice !

Bought at a high-end Japanese supermarket in Honolulu (which has a different importer than its 4 for the continent), my bottle of Koshihikari has a much prettier label than the can shown. (Mine probably is a late 19th century painting of peasants harvesting rice and more delicate characters than those emblazoned on the can.) Yet despite the packaging, I find its Looks are no big deal. The same goes for how it Smells, I get sweet malt but not lots. Tastes are better, richer than I expected; so I conclude it can only be from better rice... otherwise this would taste like an American adjunct. Right ? And unlike the Big Boys, Koshihikari ends with a nice, semi-dry after-taste and doesn't hide its brewing skill with too many bubbles.

If you are venturesome about rice done well, try this Echigo.

10/16/20 Bought from Chicagoland's super-store, Binny's. I've edited the review and increased the rating for Looks. This rice lager has a generous head and color as good as a Helles. For my brewer review... Echigo claims to be Japan's first micro-brewer; made possible by a change in laws in 1994. After English finally came up on Echigo's website, it was enjoyable to scroll through. They use a very interesting web-like triangle to describe the content of their beers. For all this, they get good OA Hugs... but I now keep score on UnTappd.

Jan 31, 2018

andrewh995 from Arizona

3.35/5  rDev -1.5%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25

Pours a clear straw with a quickly dissipating white head. Smells of malts and grains. Tastes of malt and non-bitter light earthy hops. Light bodied with high carbonation. Overall this is a good and refreshing light lager.

Jun 12, 2017

Victory_Sabre1973 from Minnesota

3.78/5  rDev +11.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

This beer pours a very light, clear golden color. The head is white, frothy, 1 finger. There's lots of carbonation bubbles rising in the glass.
The nose is lighter smelling, but there's a malty aroma to it, that's pleasing.
The taste comes off as sweet. it reminds me of a hefe, in a way.
The body isn't watery, it has a nice body to it.
Overall, delicious. Glad I got it.

Apr 25, 2017

AgentMunky from New York

3.85/5  rDev +13.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.75

Poured from a half liter bottle into a tall, footed glass.
A: Clear, effervescent gold with a finger of tight head.
S: Funky wheat.
T/M: Crisp apples and pungent yeast. Clean. Appealing; one of the better rice lagers.
O: Enjoyable and mild.

Mar 02, 2017

Sludgeman from District of Columbia

4.1/5  rDev +20.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

From a bottle at a Japaneses steak house.

Pale yellow, dry with little depth but the best rice beer I have tasted. So eating to style this beer gets an excellent rating.

Feb 12, 2017

Sheppard from Virginia

3.06/5  rDev -10%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

It pours pale, white head. Very little aroma if any. It tastes like Budweiser. Not offensive, but certainly far from full flavored. There's a touch of rice, light bitterness, and that faint AAL flavor. It's light, light, light. This is not a beer that I'd seek out.

Jan 19, 2017

Marius from Netherlands

3/5  rDev -11.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Bottle shared at Pre-Borefts Ratebeer Tasting 2016. Pale yellow pour with a thin white head. Notes of cooked rie, pale malts, grains, light pilsner hops.

Jan 03, 2017

chinchill from South Carolina

3.63/5  rDev +6.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

From a 350 ml can in Osaka.
High clarity in the light amber body. Topped by a decent head.
Flavorful for style and with a distinctive aroma.
Mouthfeel: Light body but not watery. Good carbonation.

Sep 04, 2016

josanguapo from Spain

2.72/5  rDev -20%
look: 2 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

From Wasabi. In Bavaria glass. Watching Los Soprano 2x06-07. Very drinkable, with some sweetness. Better than typical industrial lagers and, of course, other japanese beers but nothing memorable either

Sep 02, 2016

EMH73 from New York

3.12/5  rDev -8.2%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

I've had this a couple of times and it is now my go to beer with sushi at Japanese restaurants. It has more flavor than the typical Japanese lager. That being said as this is the only rice beer I have ever tried I am comparing it to Japanese lagers. It pours a clear straw color with a thick, white head that leaves nice lacing. Smells of rice and malts. Tsate follows the smell with a nice hop balance. Smooth and crisp, well carbonated.

Aug 07, 2016

JISurfer from South Carolina

3.18/5  rDev -6.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.25

It's been a while since I've had a rice lager, but this is decent. I was looking for a rice lager I hadn't tried before, this fit the bill. Not much to write about it, other than it taste like what you'd expect. Kind of a slight creaminess to the taste, no harsh "edges", slight hop bitterness on the back end. Probably would go well with sushi.

Aug 07, 2016

RonaldTheriot from Louisiana

4.1/5  rDev +20.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Echigo Koshihikari has a thick, slightly off-white head, a hazy, straw-gold appearance, some bubbles, and significant lacing left behind. The aroma is of sharp, sweet boiled rice and pale malts. Taste is of those two elements, with balancing hop bitterness, grass, and unsweetened rice pudding. Mouthfeel is high medium, and Echigo Koshihikari finishes decently crisp and and on the clean side of things.

RJT

Apr 05, 2016

StonedTrippin from Colorado

3.53/5  rDev +3.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

as japanese rice lagers go, this is about as good as they get, at least in my experience. it might be the most clear beer i have ever seen, bright golden in color, tons of racing carbonation, lasting over an inch of white head, fluffy and enticing. its sexy to look at for sure. the rice is not that evident in the beer to me. i dont find it starchy or earthy or anything, instead it has a consistent sweetness through it that tastes a bit like well refined honey. the lager yeast is pretty flavorful too, and may cover up some of the nuance from this apparently very special type of rice. it just tastes like a well made lager. i wish i got more of the character of the rice out of it, but i like the beer rather well as it is. perhaps a little sweet for a lager, but its awfully well carbonated, much fuller bodied than the industry standard, and smooth and easy to drink. i like the packaging a lot, thats what sold me in the first place. simple beer, but if you are a world lager fan, this is a pretty tasty one. versatile with a lot of different foods as well.

Mar 05, 2016

MacMalt from New Jersey

3.45/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

Poured into cylinder glass. It pours a pale tangerine color with a thin, milk-whit head and lacing. It smells of grass, malt, and something else (perhaps the rice). It's not a very pleasant smell to my nose. The taste is better than the smell: grassy malt, green tea, and a honey sweetness. It's crisp and the flavor is delicate. It's light in body, moderately carbonated, and very drinkable with a low ABV of 5% I have to admit that the smell isn't very appealing but I enjoyed the taste. This beer would be fun to drink with sushi or other Japanese food. I wouldn't hesitate to drink it again.

Jan 07, 2016

stevoj from Idaho

2.44/5  rDev -28.2%
look: 2.25 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.25

Bottle from Brewers Haven. Smells and tastes like an adjunct lager, possible a little light struck funk to go with it. Pale golden with musty grain aroma (rice?). Taste is more grain, export lager quality.

Dec 22, 2015