Yamabiko
New Hokkaido Beverage Company

 

 

 

this is a shadow project from mountains walking, and this lager ranks among the best in this style i have ever had, especially from an american brewery, truly astounding in terms of overall quality, and it immediately has a wow factor and relevance for me, truly special stuff here. incredibly dry and flavorful rice lager with a modern hop profile, wonderful refinement and proportions. the rice has a wet floral note to it, jasmine and lavender and white tea all at once, but adds almost no body to this, it only feels like beer because of its effervescence, its delicate beyond belief, but also hyperactive! the hops have melon and meyer lemon notes, also somewhat delicate but distinctive too, trace coconut and lemongrass as it warms, but i hardly let it, this is so drinkable and refreshing, even addicting to me, light bitterness but appreciable, new school vibes with tradition here. i am amazed by both the crispness and overall texture, and the uniqueness in such a subtle and approachable beer, this shows a certain amount of expertise and attention to detail that has not materialized in any of the mountains walking stuff so far, at least to nowhere near this extent. i could drink twenty of these, heck i want to right now, this really is beer for people in the know, nerdy lager, perfectly tuned, absolutely blown away by this! perhaps the beer surprise of the year for me!

Very pale yellow body; very clear; lots of lively carbonation; soapy, frothy, white head, specks of foam dot the glass interior. Delicate nose; mild cereal grain elements with a suggestion of soft floral scents. Very light cereal grain flavor; gentle sweetness offsetting a subtle hop bitterness; delicate floral quality in the taste, too; very clean. Light body; crisp and delicate on the palate; light warmth and quiet dryness.

This phantom brewery (it's the same folks at Mountains Walking in Bozeman, MT) have created a light and refreshing beer. The beer is delicate and subtle throughout yet certainly satisfies the taste buds, too.