Beer Review: Kirin Ichiban Special Premium Reserve

My First Review!

I would like to start my blog off by stating first that I am very partial to the great taste and lower price of the fantastic Matt Brewing Company family of beers. They give me variety, flavor, and the magic of mountains... All in a 12 oz. bottle. Anyway, just got back from the local overpriced bodega in the glamorous City of Jersey to try a new delightful beer. The decision to pick a new beer is always one of the hardest I make in a week which could be a very telling thing.

Rather than pick up yet another variety of mediocre but pricey Samuel Adams I thought a new order of beer might be required. I quickly browsed through the usual suspects of Guinness and Heineken to arrive at a new face: Kirin Ichiban Special Premium Reserve. The bottle looks exotic and worldly with an animal that could have been the love child of a buffalo and a furry dragon on the front of it.

I opened up the first bottle and poured it slowly into my trusty stein. The head quickly dissipates to the atmosphere and I am left with a yellowish malty beer. The first sip is actually pretty refreshing with a light taste and a hint of rice. However, after a couple lackluster sips I quickly feel that I am drinking a fancily packaged Budweiser with perhaps more rice than barley. I quickly look over the print on the beer bottle to discover that the beer is bottled under the supervision of the Empire of Beer (Anheuser-Busch). Its times like these which make me wish I could start a Rebel Alliance and shoot a proton torpedo down the exhaust shaft of a power hungry monster. Ignoring the truly boring nature of the beer (which is hard) I feel betrayed. Never again will I purchase a beer without checking to see if the Empire has converted it to the macrobrewery side.

Rather than waste more time rambling about Star Wars references (though trust me I could) I will get to the bottom line. This beer is overpriced Budweiser with all the leftover money going to deceiving packaging. Do yourself a favor and if on a budget buy Saranac and if not buy almost anything else.

FINAL SCORE: 40% (Nothing Special)