Kizakura Brewery - Matcha IPA

I came across today's beer at Irving Wine & Spirits, and it's not something I've ever seen before - a "Japanese-style" IPA with matcha (finely ground green tea leaves.) It's made by Kizakura Brewery, a beer / sake brewery in Kyoto City, located on Japan's big island of Honshu. Kyoto is the capital of Kyoto Prefecture and served for 1100 years as the capital of Japan. Now, it's a major metropolitan center and considered the most important cultural city in Japan. 

In terms of Japanese beer, most people are familiar with the big guys: Sapporo, Kirin Ichiban, and Asahi. Smaller breweries do exist, such as Kiuchi Brewery (see my 2015 review of their "Hitachino Nest" beer), but don't account for the lion's share of beer production in Japan. Kizakura isn't new, and has been making sake for a long time, but it became Kyoto's first craft brewer in 1995. And I should also note that today's beer is 8.50% ABV, a marked divergence from the typical, commercially-available attenuated lagers of Japan, China, and Southeast Asia.

So, let's give this a go. The 11.15oz bottle opens via a pull-tab, which is fun, and I poured it into my Craft Brewer's Conference commemorative glass (such good memories of that conference). Whoa!!! Check out that color!!

Sadly, the color is artificial. But it is very cool and striking, and one of the more unique elements of this beer. But how does it taste? I really have had little experience with matcha, and never in a beer, so this is somewhat new territory. Let's dive in: the nose is super herbal, very potent aroma. Looks like swamp water.

Oof, OK, this is weird. This is so strange. It's probably the most bitter beer I've ever had - not just bitter from hops, as there's definitely some of that in there, but the matcha is just so overwhelming. It's chock full of heavy herbal flavors that really uppercut the taste buds. Some IPA characteristics come through, mostly initially (first half second), but then the matcha takes over and really serves as the main tasting note and deliver a sharp, heavy bitterness throughout. The finish is very dry - not creamy like a matcha latte, which serves to balance out bitterness and makes the beverage somewhat palatable. This beer has none of that, and really is somewhat tough to get through. The dryness and herbaceous quality likens to to a cup of overly-strong green tea, and the bitterness of the tea leaves compared with the relative high-proof of the beer make it a potent concoction. 

I think for the most part this is in the territory of unapproachable to most people, frankly. Cool concept, but what's under the hood makes it unique. Although this beer isn't something I'd seek out again based on my personal tastes, I'd recommend it to anyone seeking an out-of-the-box beer experience. Hopheads will love the bitterness, which exceeds most hop-forward beers on the market today. I wonder what the IBUs are?

Oddly, it's quite expensive online - one retailer in Oregon sells it for $47 for four bottles! I don't know about that, but it was certainly cool to try. 

Upland Brewing Co. - 2018 "Latitude Adjustment" pale ale

Today I'd like to comment on perhaps one my favorite refreshing beers, a winter seasonal called "Latitude Adjustment" from Bloomington, IN-based Upland Brewing Co. And yes, this pineapple coconut pale ale is a winter seasonal beer! Formerly released in December, it's the perfect counter to the heavy, sweet stouts that seem to permeate this season. Similar to Caldera's "CocoNutty Blonde", it's light, bright, and full of flavor. This is supremely refreshing and definitely in my top 20 beers of all time. I could drink this all day!

But I won't have the chance. Not to bring this party down, but when I had pre-pandemic drinks with Sam, the DC rep for Upland, he broke the bad news to me over a pint of Upland "Dragonfly" at Zeppelin bar - 2018 was the last year for Latitude. They've discontinued it! Hugely disappointed and a major bummer. Winter 2018 was their final batch, I'm told. I'll never see it again. 

But wait.

I was at [redacted liquor store] recently, and as I was perusing the IPA section, saw a very lonely six-pack behind some Bell's stuff that I thought I recognized. I took a closer look, and yes! I couldn't believe my eyes. The blue six-pack box. The dude sunning himself. The familiar words. Could it be?

It was perhaps the last Latitude Adjustment six-pack this side of the Virgo Supercluster.

I immediately extracted it and brought it up to the counter. This was it! A wonderful afternoon of drinking one of my favorite beers was ahead of me...or so I thought. Then I remembered the beer was last brewed almost two years ago. Which meant that this beer, in my hands, was also brewed two years ago. My heart sank, and upon further investigation, the beer was in rough shape. The bottles had a small film of beer mold on them from some other leaky bottle somewhere (not harmful, but best to wash off) and each bottle was labelled "Best by July 2019." Not good. But the store owner gave it to me for free, due to the condition, so nothing lost really. I'm mostly going to have them as an experiment, as light and fruity ales don't age well. 

Good hiss opening the bottle, so that's fine. Poured it into a tasting glass; no discernible off flavors here and in fact a touch of coconut.  

Yeah, it's pretty stale. Not revolting, but definitely a mere specter of its former self. The flavors here are definitely muted with a heavier malt flavor and a thick taste of stale hops. It's pretty dry and dusty, and while it's got a touch of that coconut and pineapple, it's not a presentation of what the beer should be. The back end has a fleeting grasp of pineapple and a dusty finish. 

Well, this sucks. But I'm actually kind of surprised how much of the original flavor is actually there. Obviously let this be another cautionary tale to not age your beers!