Tokyo Black Porter - Yo-Ho Brewing (Japan - Nagano) 5.0%

Tokyo Black Porter - Yo-Ho Brewing (Japan - Nagano) 5.0%

Super dark, black and totally opaque in a glass with a brown frothy head. Raisin, grain and coffee, a little dark chocolate and smoke in the aroma.

Delicious dark malt flavours: smoke, coffee, raisins and other dried dark fruit flavours, complete with a dark chocolate backer. The smoke flavour is quite heavy and has a charred characteristic to it. The malt dimension as a whole is thick and delightful, and the mouthfeel is quite smooth and creamy. This porter is not too bitter for all it's smokiness and on the whole is exceptionally well balanced. Tokyo Black is exceptionally good and I heartily recommend it.

Suiyoubi No Neko - Yo-Ho Brewing (Japan - Nagano) 4.5%

Suiyoubi No Neko - Yo-Ho Brewing (Japan - Nagano) 4.5%

Gold in a glass, absolutely clear - not cloudy at all. The aroma is of nectar and malty sweetness. From the aroma and appearance it is fair to say Suiyoubi No Neko is more like a Belgian Blonde Ale than a Beglian White so far.

The taste is sweet and nectary like a Belgian Blonde but with coriander touches and a slightly creamy mouthfeel like a Wheat. While the style may be a bit of a mash-up the flavour is wonderful: sweet and floral with touches of apricot along with the nectar and coriander. It is also well balanced and refreshing. Suiyoubi No Neko really does seem to me like a cross between a Belgian Blonde Ale and a Belgian White but that is a pretty delightful combination and, as a result, this beer is thoroughly delicious. Also the can is incredibly cute.

Yona Yona Ale - Yo-Ho Brewery (Japan - Nagano) 5.5%

Yona Yona Ale - Yo-Ho Brewery (Japan - Nagano) 5.5%

A deep orangey gold colour in a glass with a big off-white head that leaves nice lacing. A pleasantly malty aroma with more than a little roast and some resiny hops.

Quite a sweet taste with nice citrus notes (orange and lemon), a little papaya and a bit of resin all from the hops. This is a very tasty American Pale Ale. Very drinkable with moderate hop bitterness and some light spiciness while the malt gives the ale a bit of a light caramel flavour. Yona Yona Ale is very tasty and would make a great session beer. It would also pair well with many types of food with its pleasant flavour and well balanced bitterness. Not a surprise that Yona Yona Ale has won craft beer awards in Japan.

Aooni - Yo-Ho Brewing (Japan - Nagano) 7.0%

Aooni - Yo-Ho Brewing (Japan - Nagano) 7.0%

A crystal clear rusty orange colour in a glass with a big frothy head with good resilience and it comes in an extremely cool can. A very light hops aroma of resin and cedar.

Quite bitter, a touch metallic, and the alcohol also comes through quite clearly. There really isn't as much in the way of a hops character as I expected; mostly just bitterness and some cedar. The malt dimension is also fairly muted, toasty and somewhat sweet but mostly unremarkable.

This beer is a little bit of a let down. It's not a bad beer by any means but it doesn't have much depth of flavour beyond bitterness with a touch of toasty malt. It is possible that the beer is old and that the flavour has faded but Aooni tastes like it was designed this way; it is not unbalanced and doesn't have any off-flavours. Also, and most importantly, the timing doesn't make sense for it to be too old: it was purchased three weeks ago from a store in Japan and then hand carried to Canada by my fiancee. So I guess it is just a bitter, high-alcohol beer with an otherwise relatively tame flavour, definitely more English IPA than American IPA. However, considering the high-alcohol content, Aooni is very drinkable for a beer this strong.