Hooray for 7-11! To provide gratification for myself (as to not burn out from all these days of INTENSE studying, heh heh), in conjunction with 7-11’s “Beer Festival”—21% off any three cans of beer—thus was born my beer journal. Never underestimate the power of beer and the amount of motivation it evokes during the darkness that is medical book and damn past exam questions. Normally I think, “Just a few pages more… “ then “Just another chapter more…” then “just a section more…” Such similarity to dangling a carrot in front of a horse. (Beer is so much superior to carrots, but of course.) Never mind what horrifying effects it has on the little marshmallow mound that is my brain; at least it moves me through the detested pages in a semi-pleasurable state.
I have to say that the beer range in Taiwan is surprisingly small, in some sense. Unless you have the urge to go to a specialty shop or prepared to fork out a fortune at up-style supermarkets, the average day-to-day beer range comprises of the following: Kirin, Asahi, Heineken, Miller, Budweiser, Tsing Dao, and of course the great Taiwan Beer/Gold Label Taiwan Beer. While not comparable to Dan Murphy’s, it’s not too bad of a range because tycoons like Kirin and Asahi all have different ranges (For example, Kirin Ichiban and Asahi Dry) and “appendage” ranges (“Bar” beer is apparently licensed in association with Kirin but not manufactured in the actual Kirin brewery—hearsay courtesy of Brandon.) However, regardless of the number of brand names, the worrying fact remains that only lagers and pilsners exist in the range. Oops, my mistake, there is ONE brand that actually makes dark beer of such ambiguous flavour I don’t even know what the heck it’s meant to be. (Trouble is, I remember when I was about 15 I actually liked that very beer, and it was what got me onto dark ale in the first place… Somehow now it tastes like petro…)
Imagine my elation when the beer festival, boasting newly imported European brands, was advertised on TV. Imagine my disappointment when I actually stood in the shop and realized only three European brands existed, one being Heineken and one being Hoegaarden. Bodington Pub Ale I have yet to try—at least it’s different from pilsner! The rest of the so-called “new” range consisted of more subspecialties from Kirin, Asahi, and Sapporo. Never mind that, I was determined to drink and compare all the beer that is there (while the 21% off is available!)
My first venture was Yebisu The Hops by Sapporo. The can didn’t actually say what kind of a beer it was, except to expect a lot of hop flavour. (That’s the trouble with beer labels—they don’t really tell you what you need to know…) To me, it tasted definitely like some form of ale. The colour was a clear, dark golden/almost reddish colour that reminds me of haematuria. (I sense shaking heads…) The froth was delicate, and worthy of its namesake it smells just like hops. The flavour totally took me by surprise: strong malt and hops flavours in good balance and—get this—an almost “salty” taste that is not unpleasant but drives you to eat lots of snacks instead. It’s something that I would have expected to find in a dark corner of a specialty shop, like an aged, experienced, quirky gem that only those in the know will appreciate. 3.75/5 for this one.
Kirin The Golden—boasting 100% pure malt; being a Kirin lover, I had expectations about this beer. The colour was a lovely clear light gold, perhaps slightly darker than the normal Kirin (dehydrated urine, ha ha); the froth was not overly delicate, which is actually how I like it. While I love Kirin because it’s light and refreshing, I had expected the Golden to be a stronger in flavour, or at least to be a lot “maltier” in fragrance; alas I did not find those to be true. It’s really not a bad beer, to say that much; but it’s average, and you forget about it as soon you’ve downed the last drop. 2/5
Good old, reliable Heineken. I was so pleasantly shocked by the fact that they made dark lager that I had to try it. I’m a big fan of dark styled beers, like dark ale and swarzbier (stout I don’t like as much), but most varieties on the market I find are going towards the ale path rather than lager, so I thought this would be interesting. And it was! Imagine the crisp, light normal Heineken—except now with 10 times more malt flavour. The colour, true to its name, was dark, yes. I was surprised by the amount of froth, but it was delicate and smooth to palate. The whole beer was very, very smooth and a great balance between body and flavour. I can drink this all day. 4.25/5
The next “beer” was somewhat a mistake. If you see a can with “Asahi” on it amongst a whole fridge of beers, what would you think? If the docket read, “fruit beer” what would you expect? That it would be beer, wouldn’t it?! If you think so, then you would have been fooled—just like me! I NEVER drink artificially flavoured beers; I don’t even like Hoegaarden that much, which is my upper limit of sweetness. But just because I was adventurous, and it was ASAHI I thought I’d give it a try. How wrong I was. At first glance, it was a clear golden pilsner-looking colour. Then the warning bells sounded: how come the froth is like the froth from a coke?! The pungent sweet smell of peaches could be smelt from a meter away. As soon as I took sip I knew it wasn’t beer! Then I found, written discreetly on the can “chu hi”!!! 0/5 because IT AIN’T A BEER!!!
Boddington Pub Ale—sounds like a proper British beer to me! I’m surprised that I never encountered this beer before in the Australia. It comes with the same “click” system (this is just a name I made up because it clicks when you crack open the ring—NOT the proper name of the system, which is called “flow”-something…) same as Guinness; when you open up the beer, a capsule is triggered, which creates a lot of froth. The froth is rich and creamy, almost velvet-like on the palate. The colour is a medium gold. Although there is no memorable fragrance, this beer is very smooth with a lot of substance, which is what I like. I’ll definitely buy it again. 3/5
I’ve had Budweiser a few times before and wasn’t going to buy it again, until I saw “Olympic edition” written on the tag. Yes, the packaging is different—bright red can with a tiny Olympics symbol that you can hardly notice. Does it taste any different from the usual Budweiser? No. One part of me was disappointed with the lack of difference in this so-called special edition, but the other part was rejoicing, “Ah, that’s a great beer!” The same medium-body froth, the same fragrant malty smell, the same clear golden goodness… It has just a little bit less body than what I consider perfection, but in the same token it’s oh so refreshing. A great thirst-quencher. 3/5
Kirin Ichiban—the golden ruler in my heart, the beer which all other beers are measured against. I think I first tasted it before I was even 10, but it wasn’t until I was about 14 or 15 that I really started liking Kirin. I think my cousins Wayne and Chia Yong had a lot of influence over this, as that was predominately what they bought back in those good old days. Kirin is like a great song that I never get tired of listening to. It has rich froth that is stimulating and not too delicate; the nose is a good balance of hops and malt, and the taste is flavour-some without being too overpowering. Kirin Draft and Kirin Bar are beers that are foreign to me, however; in the confusion of “who has endorsement but different recipe and who has same manufacturer but different factory” the only way to tell the difference is to TASTE them! How I love doing things in the name of science and justice. Alas, I didn’t really like either—both have less taste than the original, and Bar definitely tasted watered-down! Draft is very light, both in colour and flavour; it’s one of those drinks that you drink without remembering afterwards (like a one-night-stand!) Bar beer is a bit terrible… To me it has a slightly sour aftertaste… (A really bad one-night-stand?!) I wouldn’t drink either of them unless I have no other beers. Or red wine. 2/5 for Draft and 1/5 for Bar
I never knew Asahi made dark beer. Straight away I thought of my happy encounter with Heineken dark lager and bought Asahi Black. This one didn’t clearly label what kind of dark style it was, but I’m guessing it was a dark lager too. The froth was medium thick and to my liking, and the beer was obviously dark; however, I would have expected more malt fragrance and more body as well. While it was refreshing, it wasn’t quite as smooth as other dark styles I’ve had, and it has a slight bitter tinge near the end—almost similar to that of VB (Victoria Bitter, for those who are non-Aussies). I actually like VB, but I just didn’t expect this in Asahi Black. It’s definitely not bad, but somehow it leaves me wishing for something bit more… 2.5/5
Sapporo Original is probably a close second to Kirin Ichiban in terms of my favourite beer; more recently I think it may even be first now! Similar to Guinness and Boddington, it comes in the click system; and the froth is lovely creamy and delicate, and there’s certainly plenty of it. The colour is pale gold. Besides the usual “beer” fragrance of hops and malt, this one has a lingering smell that reminds me of green tea. The whole beer is very smooth and full-bodied, without any bitterness or sourness or unpleasant aftertastes. I can drink one litre in one casual sitting. 4.5/5
After being tricked by Asahi a few times, I was wary about Asahi Style Free, which boasted lowered percentages of sugar and purer concentrations of malt. Actually I’m wary about anything that claims to be lower in fat or sugar or calories—usually that means it will taste bad… I was also afraid it will turn out to be something like Asahi chu hi. However, this time it was definitely beer, much to my relief! I found it to be slightly lacking in the amount of froth; the texture of the froth was a bit rough too, but I personally don’t mind too much. The colour was very light, as well as the flavour—in fact, the only outstanding flavour I could discern was a not particularly pleasing “tarty” bitterness. The nose was surprisingly pleasant, however, with notes of fruit and tea balanced in with hops. I guess that was the saving grace. 2/5
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