Kirin Ichiban

March 12th, 2012 by in Walt Disney World Beer Reviews

Ichi for short?

Kirin Ichiban

Now I have to admit I did not have too much knowledge about this brewery or beer. Then on my trip to Trader Joe’s I found they have a few of these. I couldn’t help myself but pick a couple of bottles up since one of my favorite things about TJ’s is they sell the bottles individually not just by the six-pack. The one thing that caught my eye from the label was that this is a 100% malt beer. Unlike many other light lagers that add corn or rice to make the beer cheaper, I was looking forward to tasting this as I believe it could have a more prominent bread or toast like flavor. Let’s examine this beer details.

Aroma: Crisp clean malt sweetness. There is a faint bready character and almost unnoticeable yeast scent that adds to the bread aroma.

Appearance: This is like most other light lager in that it’s brilliantly clear. This has less bubbles than most light lagers (especially the Corona) and a thin white head that is staying through the tasting. It is lighter than the pale yellow of the Heineken, but more yellow/golden than the Corona from earlier today.

Flavor: The balance of this beer is a malt sweetness that last through almost all of the tasting experience, then at the very end there is a hint of hop bitterness.

Mouthfeel: There is a light body, but you should find this to be a more enjoyable lager as the more pure ingredient selection will help provide the balanced experienced.

Overall: As expected the sweetness does have a different taste profile than the other light lagers I’ve tasted and reviewed recently. This is a higher quality beer than most american lagers and as I hope/expect from what the label says the beer is closely observed in the process from a Brewery rep at the A-B brewery in California. So as long as A-B doesn’t change the process this should be a good beer for years to come.

I’d say this is a good all-around beer that you can enjoy with just about any meal or for when your thirsty and want a light crisp refreshing beverage. Now hopefully I can scratch up enough time to review another beer tonight as I have a few more that I really enjoy in my fridge.

With that in mind, what’s in your fridge? Leave a comment and tell us what you have that you enjoy.


  • Josh G

    The last few beers I’ve tried:

    Liked:
    Stone Pale – Really enjoyed this one. Looking forward to trying Stone Arrogant Bastard someday.
    Saint Arnold Santo – Not a big fan of this one but it was decent.
    Saint Arnold Weedwacker – wasn’t a huge fan of this one either but it was also “okay”.

    Disliked:
    Abita Purple Haze – Not a fan of the raspberry flavor.
    Samuel Adams Black & Brew Coffee Stout – Not a fan of the coffee flavor.
    Samuel Adams Chocolate Bock – Strongly disliked the bitter chocolate flavor.

    I’ve had Kirin Ichiban a few times actually and I like it. Always order it when I’m at a Japanese/Chinese restaurant. Love the Beers & Ears March Madness by the way!

    Reply

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