Quintessential semi-dry Okinawan lager maintains richer rice-grained thrust than most lighter bodied canned/bottled Jap draughts. Lemony floral-spiced orange peel whim and sourdough restraint also separate Orion’s lager from Asahi-Sapporo-Kirin competitors, but corn-dried pilsner malting countering muted hop musk beneath the surface will appeal to less discriminating mainstreamers.
Clean gold-cleared rice lager (circa 2022) with zesty lemon spritz flinging thru pilsner-malted toasted French bread spine depleted somewhat by cardboard base that disrupts pasty rice sweetness.
On tap at Ambulance, thin aluminum yellowed lager lets implied rusticity take hold as dry hay-like barnyard musk and musty herbal restraint retain light earthen acridity securing mild lemon peel zesting above delicate whole grain breading.
On tap at Plank Pizza, stylishly robust lager retains dry raw-grained rusticity, herbal perfumed lemon musk and leafy hop astringency.
On tap at Jealous Monk, crisply easygoing Baja-inspired Mexican lager places sea-salted lime zesting next to peppery agave perfuming in dry corn malt setting.
Crisp ‘East Coast’ lager with hoppy IPA-like citrus luster brings dry lemon-wedged grapefruit tang to floral-bound grassy hops above doughy bread base.
Easygoing yellow-cleared cumulus-headed dry lager brings mild lemony grapefruit-orange tang to wood-toned grassy hop astringency over delicate pale malting of IPA-inspired Celtics fodder. Floral citric spicing tingles dry finish.
On tap at Poor Henry’s, musky lager fermented in Italian oak foeders loads dank herbal graining upon pungent lemon rot and desiccated orange tartness. White-wined Hallertau Blanc hops, tropical Nelson Sauvin hops and aromatic floral-spiced Crystal hops blend well.
Vapid beechwood-smoked Band-aid-wafted soaping and fizzy lemon tartness retreat hastily. In need of better wood-burnt hop graining. Like all Taps brews, it lacks firm body and rich construct.
Typical rice-aided Japanese beer goes down smooth and easy. Thin lead ingredients appear to be rice and barley. But Japan’s “Super Dry’ #1 beer is so clean it barely leaves a delicate sourdough-malted cereal graining. In one-quart can, tinny water presence outlasts grain ebb.
Astringent soft-bodied golden premium gathers crystal malt constraint and corn-dried scruff to gentle metallic hop finish. An unassuming watery pale lager generic amateurs will consume.
Skunked sour malt essence sets the stage for otherwise cloy, indifferent, agave-scented South American pilsner. Salty bottom perks up carbolic hops and juxtaposes corn sugar sweetness by meek finish.