Originating from London, England, the city of ale and being a stereotypical brit that loves beer, I believed it was about time to review one of the local craft beers available in Aso.
Being both a lover of the mainstream offerings in Japan such as Asahi Superdry, Kirin and Sapporo, I also have a deep interest in the emerging market of craft beer and Japanese microbreweries.
Whilst living in Okinawa I had the opportunity to sample many different local craft beers. Due to the international influence in Okinawa, craft beer seemed to initially gain popularity there as well as Tokyo.
The craft beer trend seems to have expanded throughout Japan and shortly after moving to Aso, Kumamoto I began to notice locally produced craft beer popping up in different shops, restaurants and even at my work place.
As I am often asked my opinion on local products from Aso I decided to taste two of the craft beers on sale at Michi No Eki Aso. Its a tough job but somebody has to do it haha.
Aso cycle beer is currently available in two varieties, the original IPA and a recently available black beer.
I started off with tasting the original IPA in two states, one chilled, which is preferred in Japan and one kept at room temperature to resemble the way IPA is often served in England.
My first impression was a mixture of surprise and nostalgia, the taste closely resembled that of a local beer produced in Suffolk, England known as Green King IPA.
The initial hit is both sharp and dry followed by that signature IPA mildly bitter after taste, that warms your insides.
I must be truthful and admit I was a little biased going into this and did not have my hopes too high but this truly is a delicious IPA that I would regularly drink, especially fit for a nice summer’s day.
I also actually preferred the taste of the chilled version despite being brought up around beer that is mostly served at room temperature.
Next was on to try the stout looking beer that is often called Kuro (black) beer in Japan.
From pouring the beer into the glass it immediately resembled Guinness, the famous beer of Ireland.
Not being a major Guinness fan, I was a little reluctant at first as the thick dark beers were always a little difficult for me to stomach.
This turned out to not be the case at all and the taste was closer to an APA (American Pale Ale) than that of Guinness. It reminded me much more of a Yuengling or Japanese Yebisu.
It is definitely a colder weather beer with a much more deep complex flavour that is well suited to the seasoned beer drinker.
This is represented well with the fiery design on the bottle in contrast to the green grasslands featured on the IPA.
While I would encourage everyone to try both, if you are relatively new to craft beers I would start with the original IPA and advance to the black beer or keep it for special occasions to share with friends.
All in all I was very impressed with Aso cycle beer and I will definitely be drinking it again and gifting to my friends in Okinawa to try.
Thank you for reading and I hope to see you in Aso someday and share a beer.
Oliver
