One of my favorite foods right next to Breakfast, Omelettes, Tacos, Pizza, and Chinese, is Sushi. Since moving to NC I have not been to many sushi places but I have to find somewhere to get my fix every so often. It was a plus that they had a very small beer selection as well. They had the common beers like, Blue Moon, Bud, a local BMC-esque beer, and a few imports. Kirin Ichiban was one of them.
I like that at places like this they usually have a Chinese or Japanese beer on the list. Before I got into beer I thought they were all Japanese at sushi places, but I was wrong. Being this one was on the list it seemed like a better time than any.
Kirin Ichiban Shibori boast a unique claim to fame, one happily uncontested by the majority of beers in the world. It is , says its brewers, the world's most expensively produced beer. Unlike other beers that sparge the mash with hot water to extract lingering fermentable sugars, for Kirin Ichiban this practice is eschewed. Instead, there is only one draining of wort from the mash. This wort should contain less bitter tasting tannins, arguably resulting in a beer that is mild and smooth to taste.
This beer came to me with everything I expected. I find the brewing process of this beer quite interesting and it gets a few points for that. Honestly, this was a decent brew. It was just right for the occasion. The flavors of the beer did not distract at all from my food. If anything, I feel they accentuated it. The higher level of carbonation, and dryness of this beer were just great and it was very easy drinking.
As you can see, or maybe not because of the dark environment, a very clean straw color with a white head. Some lemony flavors but you get more green apple than anything. It had a better body than I was expecting. I thought it was going to drink fairly light, but that was not the case. Maybe because in 2010 they moved away from using about 25% rice and corn and it is now an "all malt" beverage. This beer even had just the right amount of bitterness. Noticeably there, but not overpowering at all.
Some people would write it off as being similar to Budweiser or maybe give it extra points because it is imported. But I think this one, and where I had it, goes to show you that each beer has it's own situation. I mean, there are some bad beers out there that should just never be touched but for others, you just have to find that time. Would this beer have been great out one night tasting a whole lot of craft? No. Sitting down for dinner where my main focus is on the food and I wanted something that would not distract, Yes. I feel some of my favorite beers may have destroyed this same experience.
957 Bottles Of Beer To Go!
Cheers!
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