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The "pecking order" of Japanese beers?

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JR8
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Post by JR8 » Mon, 20 Jun 2011 3:14 pm

aster wrote:Sorry, I've mistake it for the Baron's strong beer that I've seen here and there. :)

Not much of a fan of sweet beers, I prefer the taste of Japanese lagers and especially the likes of Yebisu for my first beer - after that one any beer will taste like it has "added sugar."

The Japanese must be brewing their beers the traditional way, not like the turbo-brewing processes that have turned major beer brands into a "beer-like drink." Just check out the froth from Jap beers, that's a certain give-away, and compare it to Western lagers.
Not sure about that, all the major Japanese brands taste like a 'beer-like drink' to me! Compare to say a German weissbier, English real ale, or some of the US micros.

The Japanese like a lot of head on their beer, in fact perversely they equate it with quality (the more head you get, the higher quality it must be). So in a bar you'll easily stand for ten minutes while they pour a lager, and still end up with a glass half-full of froth. We got so tired of this in our Tokyo office we trained the staff in our local bar how to pour 'London-style', i.e. slowly, down the side of the glass. The long and short of it though is that if you put a crazy amount of nitrogen into a beer you'll get a crazy head, I mean just look at Guiness :twisted: :)

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Post by poodlek » Mon, 20 Jun 2011 3:51 pm

<3 this thread, very informative so far. Thanks for the ratings links, JR8.

Now, I haven't had a beer in over a year, since a week before I found out I was pregnant. I wasn't in SG long enough before that to find anything worth drinking. Given that I don't get out to bars to often these days, where can I get a good variety of bottled imports bring home and try? Are any of these http://www.tobp.com/review/country.asp?t=1 available in Singapore?

I'm open to all suggestions. I like lagers, IPAs and the occasional wheat beer (but the Hoegaarden here seems a little effed somehow...?)

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Post by x9200 » Mon, 20 Jun 2011 4:25 pm

JR8 wrote:Not sure about that, all the major Japanese brands taste like a 'beer-like drink' to me! Compare to say a German weissbier, English real ale, or some of the US micros.
Yeah, but this is like comparing apples to pineapples. I like Asahi, Kirin or Yebisu with sushi but I don't know whether there is some real fit here or I am rather doing autosuggestion.
Witbier/weissbier/biere blanche (Belgium preferred) are so far unrivaled on top of my list.

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Post by JR8 » Mon, 20 Jun 2011 4:37 pm

x9200 wrote:
JR8 wrote:Not sure about that, all the major Japanese brands taste like a 'beer-like drink' to me! Compare to say a German weissbier, English real ale, or some of the US micros.
Yeah, but this is like comparing apples to pineapples. I like Asahi, Kirin or Yebisu with sushi but I don't know whether there is some real fit here or I am rather doing autosuggestion.
Witbier/weissbier/biere blanche (Belgium preferred) are so far unrivaled on top of my list.
Ok comparing apples with apples, Hitachino Nest vs Asahi Dry. Ooh slam-dunk! :)

That said it should be noted that Asahi Dry in the US/Canada is brewed under license and is even worse than the Japanese version (which at one time I quite liked, perhaps as the best of a poor choice). So US website reveiews of it are going to be grim reading.

It's funny, you look at the cans and it has in big bold letters the reassurance of 'Imported'. It is only reading the small print you find that it is brewed by Labatts in Canada!

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Post by x9200 » Mon, 20 Jun 2011 4:56 pm

poodlek wrote:<3 this thread, very informative so far. Thanks for the ratings links, JR8.

Now, I haven't had a beer in over a year, since a week before I found out I was pregnant. I wasn't in SG long enough before that to find anything worth drinking. Given that I don't get out to bars to often these days, where can I get a good variety of bottled imports bring home and try? Are any of these http://www.tobp.com/review/country.asp?t=1 available in Singapore?

I'm open to all suggestions. I like lagers, IPAs and the occasional wheat beer (but the Hoegaarden here seems a little effed somehow...?)
I am not sure if there is any specific non-bar outlet selling variety of beer but some interesting places are mentioned here:
http://forum.singaporeexpats.com/ftopic ... asc-0.html

Brewerkz offers a reasonable selection of locally microbrewed ales (also bottled) but this you probably already know.

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Post by JR8 » Mon, 20 Jun 2011 5:08 pm

I've seen bottled Coopers in Cold Storage, plus the likes of Duvel and Chimay.

Also there is a wine/beer shop on Cuppage Terrace. I didn't go in but from memory it had some pretty exotic/boutique stuff on offer. Maybe halfway down the terrace on the left as you walk away from Orchard...

p.s. A conundrum.
If Asahi beer stopped brewing in Japan, but continued brewing from their other location in Canada would it still be popularly considered a Japanese beer?

(If you answer yes to that, then Guinness is an English beer).

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Post by poodlek » Mon, 20 Jun 2011 5:31 pm

JR8 wrote:I've seen bottled Coopers in Cold Storage, plus the likes of Duvel and Chimay.

Also there is a wine/beer shop on Cuppage Terrace. I didn't go in but from memory it had some pretty exotic/boutique stuff on offer. Maybe halfway down the terrace on the left as you walk away from Orchard...

p.s. A conundrum.
If Asahi beer stopped brewing in Japan, but continued brewing from their other location in Canada would it still be popularly considered a Japanese beer?

(If you answer yes to that, then Guinness is an English beer).
Cool, thanks, I'll check that out. I'm a noob when it comes to world beers as growing up (well, since I achieved the age of majority ;-) ) in Ontario I was fortunate enough to have a delicious variety of local brews that kept me quite happy. I really only know Canadian and American beers. Looking forward to branching out.

In response to the Asahi question, whatever you do, don't call it Canadian, we have a reputation to uphold :-P Labatt's doesn't put out anything worth drinking, except for 50 (as we call it cinq-oh), which is a total guilty pleasure. Rien que la bat! :lol:

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Post by JR8 » Mon, 20 Jun 2011 5:44 pm

poodlek wrote:
JR8 wrote:I've seen bottled Coopers in Cold Storage, plus the likes of Duvel and Chimay.

Also there is a wine/beer shop on Cuppage Terrace. I didn't go in but from memory it had some pretty exotic/boutique stuff on offer. Maybe halfway down the terrace on the left as you walk away from Orchard...

p.s. A conundrum.
If Asahi beer stopped brewing in Japan, but continued brewing from their other location in Canada would it still be popularly considered a Japanese beer?

(If you answer yes to that, then Guinness is an English beer).
Cool, thanks, I'll check that out. I'm a noob when it comes to world beers as growing up (well, since I achieved the age of majority ;-) ) in Ontario I was fortunate enough to have a delicious variety of local brews that kept me quite happy. I really only know Canadian and American beers. Looking forward to branching out.

In response to the Asahi question, whatever you do, don't call it Canadian, we have a reputation to uphold :-P Labatt's doesn't put out anything worth drinking, except for 50 (as we call it cinq-oh), which is a total guilty pleasure. Rien que la bat! :lol:
Well if it wouldn't be Canadian, then Guinness is English. In fact the case for the latter is even stronger. Brewery founded by Englishman, initially brewed in England and then by his own brewery (not under license) in Dublin, and still is (English owned too). It is quite fun telling Irish Guinness drinkers that their tipple is English :P :cool:

Poodle.... why not give Chimay and Duvell a try... they're $ but heaven sent. Brew-works (sp?) )is good if eating out. Also the German place at Raffles City.... Brotzeit... has a nice range of beers (and sausages!)

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Post by JayCee » Mon, 20 Jun 2011 5:48 pm

I sampled one or two (or 5) too many Kirins at the beer festival on sunday night, good stuff but I still prefer the Asahi dry I used to drink in Tokyo.

Sampled the worst beer I have ever tasted on saturday night too - North Taiwanese lychee beer, like drinking a bottle of perfume!

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Post by JR8 » Mon, 20 Jun 2011 6:09 pm

JayCee wrote:I sampled one or two (or 5) too many Kirins at the beer festival on sunday night, good stuff but I still prefer the Asahi dry I used to drink in Tokyo.

Sampled the worst beer I have ever tasted on saturday night too - North Taiwanese lychee beer, like drinking a bottle of perfume!

Do you think the Kirin was their standard product, or a special edition?

I used to drink Super-dry as we had one of these machines at the end of the street :)

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Lychee beer..... eugh, no thanks!

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Post by JayCee » Mon, 20 Jun 2011 6:24 pm

JR8 wrote:
JayCee wrote:I sampled one or two (or 5) too many Kirins at the beer festival on sunday night, good stuff but I still prefer the Asahi dry I used to drink in Tokyo.

Sampled the worst beer I have ever tasted on saturday night too - North Taiwanese lychee beer, like drinking a bottle of perfume!

Do you think the Kirin was their standard product, or a special edition?

I used to drink Super-dry as we had one of these machines at the end of the street :)

Image

Lychee beer..... eugh, no thanks!
I think it was just the standard one, it was the one in the bottle on the right on this link. We were on one of the vip tables with free-flow beer and a choice of 18 beers (hence trying the taiwanese one) for $150 each, so doubt they'd give us any special editions.

http://www.asianbeerguide.com/kirin-beer

I used to love Asahi super dry, the guy in our local bar would just automatically open one and hand it to me when he saw me walk in, now that's service :D

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Post by JR8 » Mon, 20 Jun 2011 6:39 pm

JayCee wrote: I think it was just the standard one, it was the one in the bottle on the right on this link. We were on one of the vip tables with free-flow beer and a choice of 18 beers (hence trying the taiwanese one) for $150 each, so doubt they'd give us any special editions.

http://www.asianbeerguide.com/kirin-beer

I used to love Asahi super dry, the guy in our local bar would just automatically open one and hand it to me when he saw me walk in, now that's service :D
Ah I see, that explains why you were at a beer festival and had more than one Kirin! :)

p.s. Nothing like good bar-staff eh.

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Post by x9200 » Mon, 20 Jun 2011 7:16 pm

JR8 wrote: Poodle.... why not give Chimay and Duvell a try... they're $ but heaven sent. Brew-works (sp?) )is good if eating out. Also the German place at Raffles City.... Brotzeit... has a nice range of beers (and sausages!)
German Market at Bukit Timah also have some choice of German beer including weiss and weiss dunkel.

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Post by revhappy » Mon, 20 Jun 2011 8:29 pm

The other day I took my folks to Sentosa and while they were enjoying the underwater world I was waiting outside getting bored. The beer there at most outlets was damn expensive, like 5$ for a can of Tiger. I then remembered the good old 7-11 at the beach station and headed straight to there.

Most beers were expensive at 7-11 compared to outside. Only Sapporo 500ml was like 5$ and Breda 300ml 2$ picked up both of them and had a good sip 8-) Sapporo is preety light and tasted much better than Tiger/Carlsberg. I would pick up a crate next time if I get a good deal :wink:

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Post by JR8 » Mon, 20 Jun 2011 9:15 pm

Reminds me a bit of the situation at Changi. Despite the airport wishing to be thought of as the best in the world, you simply cannot buy an alcoholic drink at any of the terminals until you're though immigration (i.e. airside).

Unless you go to the basement Cheers convenience store and do it ghetto-style.

:?

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