This altbier from Kyoto’s Machiya Brewery has the eponymous qualities that distinguish alts – a bitter, ale-like flavor and matching color. When poured, there is a finger-thick head, which quickly dissipates. Although the head is not persistent, the carbonation is actually reasonably high for a Japanese craft beer: From beginning to end, the bubbling can be felt on the tongue and lips, and each tip of the glass excites new outgassing from solution. The initial flavor is bitter with no flowery or sweet hop note. The bitterness moderates in the middle, allowing a light flowery aromatic to bloom before the bitter fully fades to reveal a maltiness that subsides into a clean, even finish. The color is a light reddish brown, somewhere between a pale ale and a red ale. Compared to the Onuma Alt reviewed here earlier, this one has more carbonation and a stronger bitter. Continue reading ‘Beer is Good – Machiya Brewery Hanamachi Beer Jibiiru’
Archive for the 'Food' Category
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Not quite sure if these are new, or just new to McBike, but I found two new flavors of GU energy gel the other day. I bought one of each to try and tested them on this Sunday’s ride. The Jet Blackberry with double caffeine had a nice, rich berry flavor that didn’t taste like “chemical berries” or some kind of cough medicine. The double caffeine didn’t hurt. I’d buy that again. It didn’t quite give me a euphoric sense of well-being, but the berry flavor gave me a momentary bit of happiness during the grueling, humid ride. Continue reading ‘New GU Flavors’
The second exclusive flavor in the SA Harvest variety pack is this Harvest Pumpkin Ale. Pours a medium dark amber with medium head that quickly dissapates. Lingering carbonation is light. Mouth feel still fairly crisp, but a bit more weight. Unfortunately I can’t say much about aroma with my current hampered condition. Not a whole lot of bitterness, none of that lingering in the back of mouth and tongue. I can’t taste the pumpkin, but can detect the faintest hint of the spice. I don’t know if this is in combination with the earlier Hoegarten I had and busy day, but it seems to pack a little punch. Anyway, all in all I’d have to say I enjoy this beer, despite misgivings of thoughts of pumpkin in my beer. I’d give it a 3 out of four boogie woogie monkeys.
Another from the Harvest Collection variety pack is this the Black Lager. Pours a opaque and true to its name, pretty much black. Moderate head that dissapates quickly but the carbonation persits, which contributes to its crisp mouthfeel. I don’t get a strong aroma, but my sinuses prevent that. There is a strong bitter that persists throughout with a bit of roastyness lingering. I’m not sure what to say about this beer. I’m a fan of darks, but this one seems to lack any complexity. While not bad and I’d certainly drink it, it’s not one I savor and go out of my way to find. I guess I’d have to give it a 2 out of 4 dark roasted monkeys.
Whoa! What do I see here?
On one of the several weekly stops I made to Lion Coffee’s ‘Iwilei cafe and factory, I spotted something different in the premium rack. The apparently managed to get their hands on some rare Jamaican Blue Mountain beans, and peaberries (single bean per berry) no less! The vast majority of this production goes straight to the Japanese market, so it is rare to see it outside of Jamaica or Japan. I’ve had Blue Mountain blends in Japan before, but being blends, they were unremarkable and indistinct. Here was some 100% stuff, so now was the chance to taste what the fuss was all about.
Grinding a serving and brewing up a cup, the flavor was fantastically smooth but still richly full-bodied with a clean finish that left a hint of a chocolatey taste from the abundant oils. Even simply handling the beans leaves a lingering dark chocolate aroma on your fingers. The medium roast that was selected was perfect, bringing out the best flavor without any hint of bitterness or burnt taste. Wow. I’ll have to do a side-by-side with some Kona peaberry, but if my flavor memory serves me correctly, the Blue Mountain brings more flavor to the table while carrying less bitter baggage. They’re both good, but they are different. Now to find some Kopi Luwak… Continue reading ‘Lion Coffee 100% Jamaican Blue Mountain Peaberry’
Chikusho! Kuso! WTF?! This is the worst Napoleon’s Apple Napple I’ve ever had! POS! MF-er! There is no apple filling, but there is this sweet, white, grainy stuff inside that tastes suspiciously like coconut… Darned part-timers!
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Picked up the Sam Adams harvest variety pack and this Dunkelweissen was the special edition one that caught my eye. Pours a cloudy brown with a moderate head, persistent carbonation. My sinuses are still suffering congestion, but the aroma has smokyness expected of the darkness, yet its not as strong as might be expected. There’s a citrusy tang and a touch of spice with a bit of bitter taking over, and then a pretty clean finish. I like this, I definitely could get into this beer. I’d almost call it a Hoegarten dark. I give this a solid 3, maybe even 3.5 out of 4 unfiltered monkeys. The only thing holding me back is I can’t trust my lack of nasal capacity.
As a bonus for working on a bike for one of Chris’ friends, I scored 6 German domestic market Heineken pilsener beers. Although carrying the same pils appellation as the green-bottle Heineken sold on the USDM, this brown-bottle Heineken is noticeably different. Instead of the flowery sweet hopping that I expected, there is more of a bitter initial flavor with just a hint of honey before the flavor of malt takes over. The malty middle fades seamlessly into a very clean finish. The color is a clear amber. The carbonation is light, forming a 1cm head on decanting that dissipates quickly. This is much more drinkable! This definitely is different than the brown-bottle Heineken Special Dark Lager sold on the USDM – it is quite obviously a pils. It is less bitter than Wernesgruener, but similarly refreshingly easy to drink. I’m sold. Now I understand why they go through the trouble of bringing it back from Europe! Continue reading ‘Beer is Good – GDM Heineken Pilsener’
It’s been months since I last went to a Taco Bell, but I found myself in need of a quick lunch and decided to visit the Kapahulu one. The featured specialty items caught my interest, what they are calling “Cantina” style tacos. Soft corn tortilla tacos in either chicken, steak, or carnita fillings with chopped onions and cilantro. Each is roughly $2, and thats about all you get, a double soft corn tortilla with those ingredients, wrapped in foil, and a lime wedge. I have to give them credit for actually offering something that is more than just a rehash and recombination of their existing ingredients. I got a two pack of chicken and carnita. The chicken was quite dry, flavor alright. The carnita, being pork, was less dry, however the overwhelming flavor/spice seemed to be salt. Squeezing the lime into them helps, but after taking a few bites to sample the flavor, ended up putting on hot sauce.
That drink is also some new thing, “Sparkling Limeade” or something to that effect. Pretty much lemon lime soda with some syrup that is the limeade component, and a lemon wedge. Not bad, but you don’t get much for the money.
So the verdict? It’s something different to try than the usual whatever supreme, but ends up rather unexciting. And not filling. The more real mexican places have nothing to worry about. 2 out of 4 mexi monkeys.
Similar to Clif Shot Bloks, these gummy energy blocks from the makers of GU gel are a convenient medium between energy gels and full-blown energy bars. The size and consistency are similar to the Clif Shot Bloks, but they seem to be a little less sweet. I’ve seen three flavors – blueberry/pomegranate, strawberry, and cranberry/apple. The strawberry and cranberry/apple have caffeine, but the blueberry/pomegranate does not (boo!). The packaging is like the original Clif packaging, where once opened, there is no built-in way to reclose the bag or otherwise keep the unused portion from escaping. If you don’t eat the whole 60-gram package at once, stash a rubber band to hold the package shut, or tear a hole just small enough to force a single block through and hope for the best. The caloric value is listed as 180 calories for the entire 8-block package, with 100mg of sodium total: The similar Clif product is 200 calories for 6-blocks with 140mg of sodium (for the non-sodium enriched flavors). It’s pretty clear that the GU product was designed to be a direct competitor to the Clif one. On a recent trail ride, I passed around a package of the blueberry/pomegranate flavor, and everyone in the ride group was positive about them. Last year, Root did a review on these also – click here for his review.
Made in The USA
About $2.00 USD retail
Recommended
Three out of four carbo-monkeys