- Brewery: Baird Brewing Co.
- Country: Japan
- Style: Imperial IPA
- ABV: 7.5 %
- Size: 360 ml
- Bought from: Online, 3.5 euros?
- Beer Advocate
- RateBeer
I have never tried a Japanese beer before (well I have had an Asahi Dry, but it is brewed under license in the Czech Republic here in Europe), so am really looking forward to trying this Imperial IPA from Baird Brewing. Baird Brewing was founded in Numazu, Japan in the year 2000 by Bryan Baird (American?) and his wife Sayuri Baird. They are one of the more famous craft breweries in Japan, and brew a wide selection of beer. This Imperial IPA has been hopped with American hops to an IBU of 90 and should be quite dry (85% apparent attenuation). I really like the colorful and artsy label, and they use a similar style for all their beers. Let’s see if they can brew a tasty IPA in Japan!
[easyreview title=”Baird Suruga Bay Imperial IPA” cat1title=”Appearance” cat1detail=”The beer pours with a hazy orange-amber color, and a slight off-white head is formed, that disappears quickly leaving no lacing and an oily surface” cat1rating=”3.5″ cat2title=”Smell” cat2detail=”The beer has a caramelly, floral and slightly resinous aroma, that also features some tones of tropical fruits. No alcohol is detectable.” cat2rating=”4″ cat3title=”Taste” cat3detail=”The flavor begins surprisingly sweet, with tones of caramel and bready malt, that are then joined by a juicy, fruity and floral hoppiness, that ends with a quite subtle resiny bitter finish. The flavor reminds me more of a (American) barleywine, with its sweeter tones and subdued hop flavors. Still an enjoyable and balanced beer.” cat3rating=”3.5″ cat4title=”Mouthfeel” cat4detail=”The beer has a medium body and a medium-low carbonation level. It is quite easy to drink, as the bitterness is well balanced by the strong maltiness.” cat4rating=”4″ summary=”Overall a good beer, but nothing spectacular. Either this was a little old (best before 3/2013), or it was less hoppy than I expect from an Imperial IPA. The aroma was nice, featuring nice hop tones, but the flavor was dominated mostly by the caramelly malt and the resiny bitter finish. Still better than any hoppy Finnish beers I’ve tried.”]