 TimE (1019), Tokyo, Japan
Dec 5, 2005 Hazy orange amber color with a syrupy nose of oranges, alcohol and brandy. Surprisingly light bodied for 25%, with oranges, brandy, candy sugar, bread, caramel in the syrupy mouth. Rich warming finish of oranges and brandy and I swear to god after a couple of sips this thing almost put me on my ass. I felt like I was going to fall over.
Best line at a beer festival ever:
Me to random girl: You should try the 28% from Hakusekikan it is interesting.
Her: No, that is too strong for me, I am going to order this beer instead.
natrat (66), Naka-shi, Japan
Dec 1, 2005 Freshly tapped cask at Popeye’s in Tokyo. Pour was nice golden amber colour...very light for what you expect! There was a thin head that quickly disappeared, leaving chunks of floaty head bits like bergs. Aroma was big and fairly hoppy, something anstringent, like Chinook or Challenger. A caramelly smell kept it from making my eyes water. Taste was a real surprise, with less hoppiness than the smell promised. Very caramelly tasting, with a hint of big beer molasses flavour. It smells and tastes dark, so you check again to find out how light this cloudy beer is. It tastes more alcoholic than their 28% Eisbock, amazingly. All in all, I think I prefer it to the dark one, it tastes more blended and mature. The mouthfeel was a bit thin, but that was refreshing...gives me an idea for a brew....
aceofhearts (1373), San Francisco, California, USA
Nov 23, 2005 Updated: Dec 6, 2005Tap.
THIS IS A WHOLLY DIFFERENT BEER THAN THE 28% SO PLEASE DON’T DELETE ME :)
I’m not just adding this to be a ratings whore...well, I am one for sure, but it’s not just a different year’s brew that happened to have a different ABV. This one is actually light in color which I found very strange for anything calling itself an eisbock (that’s a-i-su-bo-ku for those of you wondering how they spell it in katakana). In fact, TimE got it for me and when I first looked down at the table I thought it was the remnants of some weaker, 8% ABV beer from the lineup at the Storong (sic) Ale Festival. Yep, it’s golden with an eggshell head. Sweet, candylike aroma with prominent taffy and it doesn’t smell anywhere near 25%. Lots of sweets and alcohol...apples, peppermint candy, sugar-cane. Mouth-witheringly dry but not in a bad way. Not quite as good as the 28% but still nice!
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