Hachimitsu Mai
Deschutes Brewery

Tasted at Deschutes Public House. A wow beer for me. Easy drinking lager where the honey shines but not overly so. Mouthfeel is a bit light, but overall very crisp and enjoyable.

this totally blew me away, for something so light and crushable its so well made, so distinctive, so flavorful, so crafty, wow, this won a gold medal at gabf and rightly so, definitely among the best honey beers ive had, no surprise it won this medal. a rice lager done with jasmine rice and a special honey from chile, really elite stuff. shiny golden clear brew, very light and delicate looking in the glass, short white head. the nose is amazing, a highly aromatic floral aspect to the honey, im sure some floral jasmine influences it, but the honey is distinct to me, it has blossom and pollen notes, highly organic, like an alpine meadow in april, wow. maybe some real light pils malt in there supporting the rice, slightly crackery, even just a little european to me, and there is some apparent sweetness from the honey, so appealing, light, and intentional! the flavor is awesome too, just like the nose the honey leads the way, fresh cut flowers, lemon verbena, apple mint, and just the most pure honey flavor itself, without this being crazy sugary or weighted down at all, and i can fully appreciate what the rice brings, it keeps this light, is so neat with this special honey, and really allows it to finish dry. the lager yeast doesnt have a ton of character but it dries this way out, while leaving the honey flavor in place, this is so professional and dialed in its crazy, very little hops but i dont miss them. as good a rice lager, honey beer, or anytime ripper as ive had in ages, i hope they package this one, i would be first in line to buy a fridge full! this is really impressive!