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Picked this one up at Hop City a couple of weeks ago, figured it was a good night to get into this one. I let Kraig and his guys talk me into it after the long discription of what they went through to cultivate the barley for this beer. Why not? Served up in a goblet.

A: Hits the glass as a really nice, matte golden color. I say matte because it has no real shine or gloss to it. Its kinda dark. The body of this beer has a beautiful haze to it. Just perfect in that regard. Nice a bountiful but slow carbonation activity going on. The pour built about a finger of clean, white head. This falls to a very thin, but complete top cap. The foam throws up some nice lace. Just looks really tasty and great.

S: There is a yeasty note that hits you first. Behind that there is a subtle lemongrass presence. There is almost a funk like presence here but it is so mute that I can't get any notes off of it. Its just kind of there. A slight bubble gum presence. Its a little bit all over the place but its very subtle and muted at the same time. I don't know how I feel about the nose.

T: Comes together a bit more than the nose for me. Starts off with the yeast and the bubble gum note. This shifts to a really nice earthiness that I imagine is coming from the barley used in this one. The hops come out nice and slow but have presence. Lemongrass, lemon, and a little bit of candied orange. This really comes together well for me. I like it.

M: Nice and medium in feel, just silky and smooth. The carbonation is a nice medium that just falls into place nicely. Has a little bit of sweetness, a little bit of bitterness that comes in on the back end. Balances nicely on the palate. Little bit of heat coming out from the Abv that builds up deep in the throat and at the base of the belly. Just nice and warming. Aftertaste is a little bit of yeastiness and lemon.

OA: This is a nicely put toghether beer which is expected from Hitachino products. The feel is damn good for this beer and makes this beer very easy to drink. The flavors work well, but my only gripe is the aroma. Its just a bit muddled and too subtle. I like it, but it has room for improvement. Am I upset, absolutely not. If someone put this beer in front of me again, I would be down for drinking it again. But its not something that is going to blow me away. Good stuff though.

Served In: Stange