Flipping the birds

I made a special return visit to the Yamamori Izakaya when I heard they'd got the Hitachino Nest Red Rice Ale in. It's brewed using a mold-dyed rice known as "red rice koji" and the Kiuchi Brewery claims on the label that this turns it pink, but it didn't look that way to me: more of a hazy orange, I thought. There's an interesting sort of strawberry flavour to it, the sort you find in the better class of Irish red ales. The texture is smooth and wheaty and it's all very jolly up to a point. It finishes abruptly, however, with no proper aftertaste: an unforgiveable sin in a beer of 7% ABV.

I had heard disparaging comments about it from various sources but having tasted it now I can't agree with them. It's just not really as interesting as the vital statistics ought to make it.

The way the beers are listed on the Izakaya blackboard leaves it unclear whether the Pale Ale is a separate beer or just a description of one of the others. Turns out it is a beer in its own right: 5.5% ABV and dark gold in colour with a large fluffy head. No half measures here: it starts out with a blast of bitter and pithy orange, overlaid with an intense waxyiness I associate most with English bittering hops in large quantity. And then in the middle there's a surprising acrid funk, almost lambic-like in its vinegary sharpness and a long way from the flavours best associated with pale ale. It's not that I didn't enjoy it -- it's definitely a beer that makes you take notice -- but it was just one of those that's a bit too confusing to really impress.

Kiuchi's Japanese Classic remains my go-to in this line-up, with an honorable mention for the Nipponia.

The owl ones

Cheers to Special Agent Richard for the intelligence that Dublin's landmark Japanese restaurant Yamamori is now selling beers from the Kiuchi brewery. It took a few months to get round to it, but on Monday last I met up with Dave and Laura for an evening of sushi, sake and Japanese ales.

I'll leave the food aside, only to mention that the four course set menu is great value and the sake tasting tray is well worth it. There's also soju, and a few other, more sedate, Asian beers. But the main reason we were there was for Kiuchi's Hitachino Nest range, with their dinky 33cl bottles and impossibly cute owls on the label.

First up the White Ale. It's surprisingly spicy for a witbier. A look at the ingredients shows that, along with the coriander and orange peel, they've added nutmeg and it really adds an extra dimension. A bit more typically there's a lemony perfume to it which balances the spices without being overpowering or artificial. Witbier with a twist, this, and a great match for my tiger prawns.

The Weizen is a long way from its purported style. Bavarian heritage and banana flavours are promised, but I couldn't find them. Laura got lemons from this one, and I think she's closer than the label copy is. It's piquant to an unusual degree, while also pumping out earthy, funky vibes. Add this to a brown body, lighter and fizzier than your typical weizen, and the word that springs to my mind is saison. And who wouldn't prefer a saison to a plain old weizen anyway?

The funk jam continues with the Japanese Classic Ale, though it's no louder for the beer being 7.5% ABV. The chilled glassware in Yamamori did a lot to take the edge of the flavour (as, in fairness, did the banoffi pie). After a few minutes' warming and a palate-cleansing sake, however, the complexities were more apparent. More saison-like spice, but it's deeper and edgier with strong elements of incense and aftershave. Had I read the label, the reason would have been obvious: it's aged on cedar. I don't think I've knowlingly had a cedar-aged beer before (Baladin Nora, maybe?) but I approve.

I'm very pleasantly surprised with this lot. Given what generally passes for Asian beer around here Yamamori's imports are a welcome addition. It would be great to see them in off licences and more restaurants.