Japanese Name: グランドキリン
Brewer: Kirin
Release: June. 19, 2012
Type: Japanese Beer
Alcohol: 6%
Purchase Price: ￥238 @7eleven
Tasting Notes:
Last month, Kirin Brewery partnering with 7&i Holdings unleashed a new ultra premium beer to a thirsty Japanese population. Grand Kirin is an all malt and hop, true Japanese beer in the legal sense, and weighs in at 6% ABV. Everything from the glass bottle to the classy label screams premium, especially the loss of 30 mL for the price (booo!). Let’s see about the taste.
Nothing out of the ordinary peering into the glass, we’ve got the standard lager color here. The aroma is nice and clean, the glass bottle leaves out any metallic odor, so thumbs up to Kirin here! My first gulp was, WOW! Lots and lots of hop, I felt as if I was back home drinking a local micro brew. If you’ve grown accustom to the usual Japanese beer, your mouth will just be blown away with bitterness. And the bitter flavors do not go away, they stay in your mouth long after drinking. Eventually, you may start to wonder if you’ll ever get your taste buds back.
Grand Kirin truly fits into the premium moniker. It is definitely a craft style beer that is a huge leap from the ordinary big four macro brew scene. If you’re lucky enough to find yourself on this island, you’ll definitely want to hit up the closest 7-eleven and pick up a bottle or two. If full bodied bitter hop flavor fits your pallet, you won’t be disappointed. Thumbs up for me!
On a side note, it appears 7-eleven has the first distribution rights. After a while, Grand Kirin should start appearing at other retailers.
