Satsuma Gold
Satsuma Beer, K.K.

*not sure about the style here. i looked as much as i could on their website but i couldn't find any information. i will beermail naerhu - naerhu if you see this review and i still haven't beermailed you, drop me a line. maybe it should be a happoshu like the miso beer? the other beer web site has a dortmunder listed for this brewery, but the name of the beer is helles whereas this bottle i have is clearly labeled gold.

pours into my full sail pint glass a pretty nice color. sort of a dark golden honey, clear, very little head. no trace of head after a minute, leaving this looking almost like a light brown tea. it is also pretty flat-looking.

sweet potato smell. this beer is obviously made from sweet potato, it's pretty much the name of the beer and it's listed in the ingrediants on the bottle. and it is very obvious right away. i also get some good lager malt smell, and almost a butterscotch sweetness. it's a unique smell, not wonderful but not bad.

the taste and mouthfeel make me want to get this again. there is a surprising amount of character here. i get a nice smooth beer with lots of flavor and body. nice from start to slightly bitter finish. unlike any other beer i've had, probably due to the sweet potato. this reminds me of nagoya's landbeer miso beer, another japanese specialty craft brew. pretty good. i've never seen this one before, until the other day when it suddenly showed up at my nearest convenience store. recommended.