More Beer

Ok, so as promised, have some more beer pictures.



Asahi Super "Dry"

This is Japan's favorite beer, supposedly, and it would seem like it from its prevalence. It's alright, not great. I don't really get why they put "Dry" in quotes. It's like some kind of joke that we don't know that dry has more than one meaning, maybe?



Asahi Style Free

Another beer with a name that makes no sense from the good people at Asahi. It does not lack a style. It has a style; it's just that that style is fairly boring. It's not bad at all, probably better than Super "Dry," just sort of a typical Japanese/American style beer.



Asahi Prime Time

This is Asahi's real classy beer, and I have to say it is pretty good. It's not really as good as some of the other ones I'll get to later, but certainly better than the other varieties of Asahi, excepting the limited edition Clear Black. It's got a very light taste, plus it gets bonus points for having a super classy can and commercials that advertise it as if it is a champagne. The writing on the can beneath the name, which is probably too small to make out in that picutre, reads,

ORIGINAL ALL MALT BEER
FOR THE BEST MOMENTS
IN LIFE, LET YOURSELF GO.

Well said, Asahi.



Desert Pepper Salsa

Not a beer, but a beer snack. I had this with a couple of the beers and it was excellent. Mad props to Marisa, who is pretty much the greatest, for sending me food. If you have ever had blue corn chips, then you know they are incredible. The salsa really lives up to the devil on the jar, as it is surprisingly spicy. Maybe I'm just not used to spicy food because of eating Japanese stuff all the time, but I don't think so.



Kirin Classic

This beer rocks. It is even better than Kirin Ichiban. Fortunately, it is a staple of beer supplies here, so I don't have to worry about it disappearing like all the seasonal ones. At least three thumbs up.



Kirin Ichiban

This is Kirin's number one beer, which isn't a surprise if you realize that ichiban means number one. It is pretty good and absolutely blows Super "Dry" and Sapporo out of the water as far as the big three here go. Not quite as good as Kirin Classic, but this one is actually available with some regularity in America, so check it out if you're into that kind of thing. It's an American style beer through and through, though, so beer snobs need not apply. Also, if you get in America, it will most likely be brewed in California instead of actually imported, but it is the same.



Kirin Ryoushitsu

Ryoushitsu means good quality, but I think Kirin is playing a joke on us here because this is their cheapest and least good beer. Classy can, though.



Yebisu

Yebisu is a sub-brand or something of Sapporo, I believe. I've been told that they are a cheaper line of beers, but that was from somebody who didn't know what she was talking about because they are actually on the pricier end. I don't have a whole lot to say about this one, but here's what the can has to say

YEBISU BEER is a rich and mellow premium beer brewed from 100% fine malt and select hops with Sapporo's traditional art.

So, there's that.



Yebisu Black

That may not actually be the name of this one, but it is from Yebisu and it is black, so that is what I will call it. I've mentioned before how dark beers aren't really my thing, though I don't dislike them, so I'm going to say this one is ok. It's not as good as the other dark beers I've had here, though. In the can's words,

This premium black beer is brewed using dark roasted malt and caramel malt in good balance, and fine malt and select hops for a rich aroma and hearty roasted flavor.



Yebisu The Hop

I hadn't seen this variety before this year, and I really dig the green can. All the varieties of Yebisu have this fat looking guy with a big fish on them. The guy has long earlobes, so I believe he is wise, according to Buddhist traditions. Anyway, this beer is alright. I don't really remember any specific details.



Suntory The Malt's

Bizarre punctuation aside, this beer kind of sucks, but I would expect that from a mid-range beer by Suntory, who is much better at cheap whiskey than cheap beer.



Suntory The Premium Malt's

This beer just taunted my at the top shelf with all the other classier beers for a while, but I had low expectations for it after The Malt's. I was pleasantly surprised, however, as it turned out to be pretty good. Probably top five beers here. Sweet color scheme on the can, too.



Suntory The Premium Malt's Black

I didn't even know this beer existed until a few days ago, when I had to walk to a store I hadn't been in before to get a Yebisu black, because I noticed that they were the only place carrying that as I walked by one day. Anyway, this beer is top notch, even better than Suntory Premium The Malt's. The store is also top notch, as the shopkeep started a conversation with me, which was neat.



Asahi Gubinama Winter Brew

Apparently winter starts in October here since all the beer companies have already put out their winter beers and I think stopped distributing the fall ones. This is the winter version of Asahi's Gubinama beer, which is pretty craptacular but cheap. I thought I had already taken a picture of it, but I guess I forgot. I'll put that on the list for later. The winter version is better, and they get points for changing the blue on white color scheme to green on white. Classy.



Shirokirin

I was excited when I saw Kirin's winter brew through the window as I walked by a store one night, so I walked a bit more and bought it on my way home. I was a little disappointed because it didn't quite live up to the awesomeness that was Kirin's fall brew, but it was pretty decent. Shiro here means white, by the way.



Sapporo Fall Brew

I got this one on sale because they are switching to the winter ones, and I didn't realize it existed until I happened to see it. It was pretty good, but I have nothing else to add to that.



Sapporo Winter Brew

Pretty good. That's it.