Posts Tagged ‘suntory beer’
Tokyo’s Suntory brewery was incorporated in 1899 and is currently the second highest selling brewery in Japan, but among beer drinkers it is a first class brew. Suntory specializes in all malts beer with their other offerings such as Suntory The Malts in the middle, and Suntory Rich Malts on the low end happoshu offerings. Be forewarned in Japan beer prices are high, so 6 pack of Suntory Premium Malts goes for around 13 US Dollars.
The German Pilsner style Suntory Premium Malts has a nice deep yellow color, great foamy head and is incredibly drinkable. Feels good in the mouth, and very easy to drink. Finishes clean as most Japanese beers do. For me, the finish is the dealbreaker for beers, any skunky aftertaste simply won’t do!
As stated by Suntory the beer is the 2005, 2006, and 2007 winner of Group I in the Monde Competition, a food and drink convention held in Brussells. Suntory The Premium Malts uses 20% more malt than beers in its category, and double the hops compared to the rest of their catalogue!
Clocking in at 5.5% abv, this is a beer to be savored, though you may find yourself getting a bit tipsy because it is so easy to drink.
TL;DR-
Pros:
Easy to drink with little aftertaste
Taste is not too bitter or strong, and has a certain sweetness
Great balance of Malts and Hops
Cons:
Price. Japanese beer is high in price anyway and Suntory Premium Malts is one of the highest out there. It is my only criticism to this delicious brew.
Sapporo, Suntory, Asahi, Kirin.
These are the names that Japanese beer drinkers know best. Due to the fact that microbrewing is a relatively new concept here in Japan. Luckily there are few products as terrible as the American macrobrew’s usual offerings. I am not some elitist from that “other” beer review site, and I want to give the real information about these 4 brands that you will be able to find in every store in Japan.
Thankfully, Japanese beer is varied and experimental, and suits a wide price range. There are beer styles similar to Malt Liquor on the low scale, and on the high scale there are German Whitebeers, Doppelbocks and Lagers that would rival any microbrewery you can find. As Microbreweries are still not that popular, and are very regional, I will be focusing on the 4 major brands of Japanese beer.
I will admit that I prefer some brands to others, but I have tried most of the modern offerings from every company (cir 2008-2009) and will continue to do so as long as I stay in Japan.
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–Ryan