Cycle 16 – Item 112
Post 5,591
27 (Sun) April 2025
Japanese Beers
3.5
by me
at home
-Changgok, Sujeong, Seongnam, Gyeonggi, Republic of Korea-
with IZ
With Japanese beers surging in Korea these days (no geopolitical drama between the 2 countries), many brands widely available, especially at convenience stores, I conducted a blind taste test to gauge my preconceptions and determine my true favorite. Foregoing the higher end versions, I went with entry level products from 6 mainstream breweries: Asahi, Kirin, Orion, Sapporo, Suntory, Yebisu. Each was poured into the same type of glass and shuffled into random order (IZ helped). Each was tasted twice: first a quick big chug then a slower sip. Each was rated on 3 metrics: flavor + texture + finish. A sip of water to cleanse the palate before moving on to the next.
Living in the States from college through law school, I don’t recall harboring a loyalty to any particular brand of beer or preferring any particular country of origin, though I did have regular exposure to 3 Japanese brands that were stocked at my aunt/uncle’s sushi restaurant in Pacific Beach: Asahi, Kirin, Sapporo. At the time, I preferred Kirin, which I had perceived to be the richest of the three, more European in character, followed by Sapporo as the most balanced, and finally Asahi as refreshing but otherwise boring.
I encountered Suntory or Yebisu for the first time more recently in Korea.
Orion was entirely unknown to me before today.
Following the first round of tasting, I attempted to match each of the blind ratings to a beer, based on taste memory. I was correct on Asahi (7.0) (“neutral, clean”), and essentially correct on Sapporo (9.0) (“hoppy, light, rich”) and Suntory (9.0) (“balanced, rich”), though transposed. I was surprised that Yebisu, which I’m not very familiar with, scored highest (9.5) (“long aftertaste, lingering”). I was shocked to find that my old favorite Kirin scored the lowest (6.0) (“sour, light”).
The final round comprised a head-to-head-to-head elimination match-up between the 3 highest scoring beers: Sapporo, Suntory, Yebisu. IZ passed one glass to me at random, then another, and I chose which one I preferred. Each beer was tasted twice. In the end, Suntory prevailed. So, I have a new favorite Japanese beer.
IZ: “Why should I help you in pursuing your addiction?”
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