The Beer Retard

Who made it: Echigo Beer Co. from the Niigata Prefecture of Japan. They were the first Japanese craft brewery (founded in 1995) and are known for making a tomato beer.

What kind of beer is it: Rice lager. Named Koshihikari for the type of rice used; it’s a variety common to Niigata. Comes in a 500 ml. bottle and weighs in at 5% ABV.

What I thought of the beer: Not a lot to say about beers like this. Looks like a pale lager, smells like a pale lager, tastes like a pale lager. Can you taste the rice? Yeah, I guess so. Maybe not if you weren’t already aware that it’s in there. Unfortunately, there’s a weird sweetness to this beer that doesn’t hit me right. It’s too bad because otherwise it’s an easy drinker.

Rating: *½
The best thing I can say about Hoshikari Echigo is that it’d probably be good to throw down with Japanese food or to quench your thirst on a hot day. But the high craft beer price and the intrusive sweetness make me wonder: if I were out eating noodles or sushi, would I choose it over Japanese macro stuff like Sapporo or Kirin? I’m not sure that I would.