Sekinoichi Shuzo – Iwate Kura: Kinkura (きんくら) (Japan: Pilsner: 5% ABV)
Visual: Golden yellow clear body. Large loose fluffy bubbled head and some carbonation to the body.
Nose: White crusty bread. Mild sulfur. Orange skin.
Body: Watered down golden syrup. Mild chalky character. Vanilla. Gritty bitterness. Mild orange notes. White grapes
Finish: Brown bread. Light chalk. Moderate bitterness. Light sulfur. White grapes. Orange skin.
Conclusion: This beer is a tale of two halves, like football, but I actually like discussing it.
First impressions were not so good. The aroma was muted with a slight sulfur note, the body simple and slightly chalky with a slight gritty bitterness in the finish. So some roughness, and not much flavour, not what I was looking for.
Time and slight warming, while not solving these issues, did bring out some more positive notes. A gentle orange citrus note and a pleasing white grape sweetness gives it a fresher character and a more rewarding pep to the beer. It means it actually has a character rather than just being empty.
However it does not hide or offset enough the sulfur and chalk like notes, which, while not heavy, do hurt the beer significantly. It means it is not an easy drinking one, nor anything with real depth.
A pity, I tried some other Iwate Kura beers while I was in the prefecture and they were very nice. This one, well this is sub optimal at beast.
Ah well.
Background: When I realised (with help of my guide) that the “Kin” in this things name related to gold, I kind of hoped this was a golden ale. It is not, various sites have it under different things – from a rice beer to varied types of pilsner. It does not seem super pilsner like to me, but that seems to be the general agreed style so I have put that here. I am open to changing it though. This is another beer I found in a railway shop, as an example of a local brewery in the Iwate prefecture so grabbed for a bit of the local style. As said I hoped for a golden ale as another style to try here, but ended up with their lager. Ah well. As mentioned I tried a few other Iwate Kura beers while I was in the area, including Iwate Kura Nagisa – an unusual beer made with yeast harvested from a lilly flower that was feared lost in the 2011 earthquake. It is listed as a wild or sour beer due to that odd brewing nature but tastes a lot closer to am amber ale and was quite nice if not as unusual as its concept.
