Looks like bunch of stores are putting in orders for Kiuchi Breweries Hitachino Nest beers with the distributors. I found this among four varieties at Marukai, and also saw some at Whole Foods a week or so ago. Decided to go with the most conventional sounding one to start with, the Japanese Classic Ale. Continue reading ‘Beer Is Good – Hitachino Nest Japanese Classic Ale’
Archive for the 'Food' Category
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Saw the Foodland weekly ad just now. Apparently, they currently have the exclusive on Speight’s from Paradise Beverages. It’s still at the introductory price of $11.99 USD plus tax and HI5 deposit fees. Go pick some up! I worry a little that too few people will buy it and Paradise will stop importing it.
After work tonight, Root and I stopped by Nihon Noodles on South King Street for dinner. Located in the building where Bunmeido used to be, this ramen shop opened recently, and only came to our attention a couple of weeks ago. Sharing parking with a couple of bars, the small parking lot was full to over capacity with double-parked cars. We luckily found street parking. Keep this in mind when you come here. Outwardly, the storefront didn’t really match the ramen shop atmosphere, and on entering, the interior was even more unnatural. White marble walls and dark marble tables with indirect lighting and icicle Christmas lights seemed more at home in a lounge or bar. Perhaps when they moved in, they inherited the décor from the previous occupants. We were seated quickly and given water and menus. I wanted the Hakata ramen, but I figured I’d try a combo to get a taste of some of their other offerings. My Noodle Combo came with three “Yokohama gyoza”, a mini curry rice, and a standard size bowl of Hakata ramen for pennies under $11 USD. The ramen alone would have been about $8 USD. Continue reading ‘Edible Briefs – Nihon Noodles Ramen’
Unlike “Oyster stouts” which generally don’t contain oysters, but were meant to be quaffed with oysters, milk stouts – also known as sweet stouts – are actually brewed with the adjunct of lactose, a sugar derived from milk. This sugar is indigestible by the brewing yeast, so it remains intact in the brew after fermentation, retaining its added flavor and nutritional value. The lactose generally imparts a mild sweetness to the stout, and adds a moderating smoothness to the flavor. This sweet stout from Kiuchi Brewery in Ibaraki Prefecture in central Eastern Honshuu, Japan, is a fine example of this relatively unusual variety. On opening, there is very little carbonation – only enough to generate a moderate but short lived head. The color is a deep, opaque, coffee brown. There is a distinct sweet aroma. The initial taste is lightly bitter. The lactose imparts a smoothness to the middle, moderating the bitter and smokiness from the dark malt. The malt is present, but moreso as an aroma rather than a flavor. It isn’t sugary sweet, but the combination of the roasted malt flavor and the lactose, yields a taste almost reminiscent of coffee with cream, especially in the finish and aftertaste. The mouthfeel isn’t thick, but it is smooth. This is a warm, flavorful, and smooth beer. Excellent. I look forward to trying their other offerings. Continue reading ‘Beer Is Good – Hitachino Nest Beer Sweet Stout’
I saw this the last time I rode my bike to Foodland for Wernesgruener. I forgot about it until I saw it pop up in the Foodland sale ad today, so I did a little online research. The official Speight’s NZ site indicated it was not sold on the USDM because of some issue with registering the name. Was Hawaii not part of the USA again? It was a twelve pack, which worried me a little – if it was just a six pack and it sucked, it wouldn’t be too bad to finish – suffering through twelve bad beers would bite! My apprehension stemmed from having tasted Steinlager, the only other beer from Aotearoa available here that I know of. The weather was terrible when I came through the Wilson Tunnel, so I headed straight over to Foodland to grab some. Continue reading ‘Beer Is Good – Speight’s Gold Medal Ale’
That is a general statement, however the statement all beer is good is not true. Fortunately the past couple I’ve had were good. Here’s my quick take on them.
Echigo Stout – Sorry, image lost somewhere. Echigo’s dark beer. Like many Japanese beers, a very clean tasting beer. On the flip side of that, not much distinct flavors either. Has the smoky flavor of a dark, but not very strong. Makes it a go good with food. Not worth the $4 price of admission though. 2 out 4 monkeys.
Serious Madness Winter Seasonal Black Ale – Yes I know, it’s not winter. A California microbrew. This is a dark beer, no doubt about it. Creamy dark goodness, very much like Guiness Stout. Excellent. 3.5 out of 4 swigging monkeys.
On a shopping visit this past week to Marukai, spotted something new, a sparkling soda version of one of our fave J soft drinks, Momo no tennensui. We like to call it heavenly peach water because of the ten kanji, but really tennen means natural. We love it because the flavor is of real peach, and it’s not as sweet as your typical soft drink. So when I saw this soda version, I had to grab it. Unfortunately when it came to checkout time, it wouldn’t scan. I guess it was so new it wasn’t in system. After going to the customer service counter, they said it was $3. Ouch. I decided just this one time I needed to try it. The veridct? A refreshing carbonated version of the Momo no Tennensui we love, but at $3 a pop, that’s sticker shock way in excees of the highest vending machines in Japan.
2 out of 4 empty wallet monkeys at this price point, I can’t see them being able to sell much of this if that is the correct price. If it were a reasonable normal price, then it would be 3.5 out of 4.
Root, Fabio, and I dropped by Raraya tonight for some noodles. Root and I saw a menu item that we had never seen before – Hiyashi gomadare ramen. The summer heat made something cold sound very attractive, so we both tried it. Volumetrically, it is similar to having the Tsukemen. The goma (sesame seed) sauce is creamy, and slightly sweet. The loosely wrinkled noodles were topped with cooked spinach, corn, char-siu, wakame, three pieces of nori, and half of a seasoned egg. I got it as a rice set, which added a chawan of rice and a plate of kimchi for $2 USD on top of the base $10 USD. The flavor was interesting. The sweetness threw me off a little at first, but I enjoyed it. The value meter needle hangs a little low on this – It was a little light for the money. As a postscript, I ended up having a slight histamine reaction in the bronchial area, usually an indication of the presence of MSG. I hope they’re not starting to cut corners…
Give it a try
Two-and-a-half grinning dining monkeys out of four
This Stout from Hokkaido Beer Pirkawakka brewery in Chitose, South of Sapporo, is a thickly rich example of the variety. The aroma is mildly hoppy, and the flavor malty, with an almost chewy mouthfeel. Since Guinness is the base standard by which other stouts are often judged, let me compare the two. Being in a non-widgeted can, this stout is slightly carbonated so it can form a head, not unlike the Guinness Original Extra Stout. Similarly, there is the associated bitter, dryness from the carbonation, and less of the creaminess of the nitrogen enriched Guinness Draught. When poured, it forms a 15mm head, but beyond that, there is no “bubbling” from the light carbonation. The color is almost opaque dark chocolate. The chosen hops are more bitter than flowery, so like Guinness, the dark roasted malt flavor takes the forefront. The initial taste is smoky, with a malty middle with a bitter back-throat undertone, with a unbelievably smooth, sweeter malty finish. The taste is generally more bitter when cold, and more sweet as the temperature rises. Insofar as Japanese Stouts go, this is the best I’ve experienced, although this is a more uncommon variety amongst Japanese brewers. Compared to the most recent example that I tried, Kirin Stout, this one is significantly better. I would rank this one closer to the Irish Beamish, Guinness, or Murphy’s counterparts. This is a delicious, well-balanced stout. After this and the Pirkawakka Pilsner, I have become thoroughly impressed by Pirkawakka brewery! Continue reading ‘Beer Is Good – Hokkaido Beer Pirkawakka Stout’
Barleywines are strong ales with origins tracing back to 19th century England. They have generally higher alcohol contents than standard ales. The convoluted rules of the US BATFE require that barleywines sold in the USDM be labeled as “barleywine-style ales” since consumers would be confused by the word “wine” and think grapes were somehow involved. The color of this example is a dark honey amber. To go with this appearance, the aroma is slightly smoky with a hint of passionfruit. The flavor also reflects these attributes. The initial taste is on the sweet, fruity side from the hopping. There is a thick, smoky, molasses quality that fills the mouth in the middle, fading to a bitter finish. If you’ve ever experienced a Sam Adams Triple Bock, this has a similar flavor, but it is nowhere near as syrupy. Continue reading ‘Beer Is Good – Sierra Nevada 2009 Bigfoot Barleywine-Style Ale’