Style: IPA
Brewery: Karuizawa Brewery
Origin: Japan
Size: 33cl
Alcohol: 7%
Price: 40kr
Systembolaget: 82274 (sold out)
The brewery is the largest craft brewery in Japan and was founded in 1996 in the central province of Nagano. It has since grown into one of the most renowned craft beer breweries in Japan. Aooni means blue demon, hence the label. They also run a chain of restaurants across Japan called Yona Yona Beerworks. I had quite a hard time getting hold of this beer, with the first two orders both being cancelled! Luckily I succeeded with the third attempt though, as this was a really nice IPA!.
This had a deep amber colour with a thick head that held fairly well. The carbonation seemed to be rather low, but I was hopeful that it would be more noticeable when tasted. This had a pleasant fruity and floral aroma, with grapefruit, papaya, peach and a heavy hit of flowers all noted. The taste had a surprisingly big hit of malt in the forefront, with the fruit being pushed to the back. Pine, moss and bitter grapefruit peel notes formed in the mouth, with all of these lingering long into the aftertaste. A thick, almost creamy body helped to enhance the flavours, but maybe a touch more carbonation would have also benefitted the beer.
This was a well-made IPA that had a lovely balance between the heavy malts and robust earthy bitterness. If you are a fan of more traditional IPA styles, I think this would be perfect for you. Smooth and easy to drink, I would love to try some more beers from this brewery on the strength of how nice this is. A great addition to the tasting!