Yuki-Onna
New Hokkaido Beverage Company

you just have to respect this upstart operation! everything so far has been fun, inventive, affordable enough for what it is, and stupidly well executed across the board, although i feel like this one, and this style, falls in a little more samey than their impressive lager types, but still, good, flavorful, and distinct, even if it could be newer and cleaner, thats the style right?! funky packaging, cool art, very dense and cloudy looking beer, on the more robust looking end of the spectrum, good head though and apparent carbonation. smells like melted orange and tastes like that too, a little lime with it, vanilla and marshmallow too, makes me think lactose but i dont know if thats really part of this one or not. starchy in body from the rice, and i like the way it extends this, but its also still sweet and would be well served by being fermented down more or dropping out some malt, a tad clunky in its bigness, tasty as can be, but like, not the way i want it to feel. overall this is solid, could be fresher maybe, but seems less japanese and more in line with what is happening in america right now, haze for haze sake, bitterness because its obligatory, trendy vibes, i dont know, i think i love what they are doing but then it also seems a touch forced this time...

Medium golden and hazy with a rocky white head, this brew looks nice. Pineapple and ripe citrus fruits on the nose, still going good here. Flavor doesn’t disappoint, juicy with just a touch of grapefruity pith on the end. Guess the rice gives it some body, dunno but this is quite decent.

 

Excellent soft and cloudy peach yellow body topped with a thick white head; thick, sticky sheets and rings of foam coat the glass. Beautiful nose filled with ripe peach and pears; perhaps some oats in the background. Balanced taste; moderate fruity sweetness offset with a bold hop bitterness; yellow stone fruits; tropical; noticeable alcohol presence at the finish. Heavy body; smooth and velvety; boozy warmth to counteract the residual sugar body.

This beer falls into the double/imperial range for me with its relatively high ABV. The nice thing is, the brewers made a fairly well-balanced beer, offering some complexity and depth without too much boozy mania. This one is slightly better than the sum of its parts and is thoroughly enjoyable.