Japanese Beer You Say??

Well I am happy to say that I finished my classes, I have caught up on sleep and am now ready to catch up on blogging! (Insert imagined cheering here).
Blake and I celebrated our five year wedding anniversary last night (our actual anniversary was last week). Blake surprised me by taking me to Tokio Sake, a Japanese restaurant and sushi bar that I have been begging him to take me to for years. Let me tell you, it was well worth the wait! But I am not here to gush about the food or the service, I am here to tell you about the beer. I can't claim that this was my first time having Japanese beer, but I can say that it was one of my favorite times (I know that is sappy).




I ordered Sapporo, which I have tasted before. According to Wikipedia, "The origins of this company are in Sapporo, Hokkaido during the Meiji period, where the Hokkaido Development Commission (Kaitakushi) established many businesses. Seibei Nakagawa, a German-trained brewer, became the first brewmaster of the Kaitakushi Brewery in June 1876, and the first Sapporo Lager was produced at that time. Privatized in 1886, the Sapporo brewery became the centerpiece for the Sapporo Beer Company." While the history of this  long standing brewery is very interesting, and colorful as you can see by this example of vintage Sapporo Advertising, the taste is even more interesting.


Sapporo has a very clean and crisp taste, with the malt and the yeast the most prominent flavors. There isn't a lingering taste, which makes it easier to drink and a great companion to delicate sushi. The flavors aren't anything new or groundbreaking, but that makes drinking Sapporo all the better, because it is delicious and comfortable. My favorite part was the fact that they served both a16 oz. and 22 oz. bottles! 


Blake ordered, equally delicious, Kirin Ichiban. You can check out some of the history of Kirin here if you want. I wanted to share Blake's thoughts on Kirin Ichiban with you, because again I had tried it before, but his trying it was a first. So, this is what Blake had to say:


"I was surprised by Kirin Ichiban, I expected it to be much different than it was. I guess never having had Japanese beer before I wasn't sure what to expect. It was very light and clean, I thought it was going to be heavy and hoppy, but it wasn't. It was very good."


I don't think I could say it any better myself! Maybe this is motivation to take me there again, say in 3 weeks for my birthday?


Now, for a video that was shared with me from Carlo in London! I wasn't sure what to expect because of the awesome use of mustaches in this video... oh and FYI, there is a lot of sexual innuendo, so be warned

Hope you enjoyed that! I love British humor! Or is it humour?

Speaking of British humor, I got one of my brother-in-laws Monty Pythons Holy Grail Ale for Christmas! Shh... don't tell him. I am super excited about it! I know I always say don't buy beer based on the label, but how can you not when it says Monty Python on it?!? I sure hope that it doesn't suck.

 I sure bought a lot of beer for our Christmas Eve dinner... I can't wait to open them up!


 Do you have any suggestions, comments, videos you want to share with me? Want to write a guest post or buy me a beer? Then you should email me at sarah@hoppybeergirl.com