Never had a good Asian beer

I've yet to try an Asian beer I truely enjoy. Any suggestions?

Michael_Currie said:

I've yet to try an Asian beer I truely enjoy. Any suggestions?

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Fresh O.B. from South Korea is pretty good drank it a lot over there.

I haven't either but I bet just like in the U.S. they have their special beers.

I think all mass produced American beers are discusting. Busch, mich, Bud, Miller... I think they all suck.

I do really like sake!

Sarra King said:

I haven't either but I bet just like in the U.S. they have their special beers.

I think all mass produced American beers are discusting. Busch, mich, Bud, Miller... I think they all suck.

I do really like sake!

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(Homer Simpson immitation)....MmmmAhhhh Sake. I agree the big comercial beers are not fit anything but maybe an industrial solvent or something.

The "Saporo" Japanese Beer is good....

What is sake? I've had it before once but never ventured to ask exactly what it is.

Michael_Currie said:

I've yet to try an Asian beer I truely enjoy. Any suggestions?

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Sake.

I don't think there are good Asian beers. There are just imitations of crappy Western beers. I don't think there's any brewing tradition there (please correct me if I am wrong).

Sake. Rice wine. Strange, but a groovy accquired taste. Try it warm (yes, I said warm) with some sushi at a good place. It grows on you.

When in Rome...

Janx

Rice wine? Wow can you home brew it easily?

Michael_Currie said:

Rice wine? Wow can you home brew it easily?

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I know you can. I never have, so I wouldn't know where to start. Well, I'd guess you mash some rice and other stuff and pitch sake yeast, which you can definitely buy.

Maybe someone else here has made sake before?

Janx

Sake is difficult -
but there are traditional asian rice wines which are easier.

For sake, check out Fred Eckhardt's book, Sake (U.S.A.) (available from AHA, amazon.com or many other sources, probably including your local homebrew shop).

For SaTho - thai traditional rice wine, which is far easier, check out my recipe here: SaTho Thai Rice Wine

I worked in the Philippines for a couple of years and I really enjoyed there localy brewed San Miegal... They also had another popular beer called Red Hourse, it didn't tastle all that well but it sure had a kick.

Chang (pronounced "Chung") is a great Asian beer. Its from Thailand and I think it is brewed in an old Carlsberg owned brewery.

OB from Korea...Oriental Brewery, but it's also nicknamed Oriental Budweiser.

Tsing Tso from China

Saporro from Japan

Yes, I like warm Sake too. I have plenty of homemade Sake recipes. I am finding it difficult to find the right ingredients. There's a special fungus you have to use to add to the rice.

it is not so hard to find - many homebrew shops are now carrying a kit that contains the 'seeds' of koji and sake yeast you will need. In addition to the kit, you will need plenty of rice, of course.

If you want complete instructions, google 'homebrew sake' - there are a few sites out there - or you can check out Fred Eckhardt's book SAKE (U.S.A.) available at many homebrew stores. I just checked, it is not in Beertown's bookstore or on amazon.com.

here is a sake recipe (in PDF format)

Have fun

homebrewer_99 said:

OB from Korea...Oriental Brewery, but it's also nicknamed Oriental Budweiser.

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I've been stationed in Korea twice so I've had my share of OB. Nasty stuff. Hite and Cass were both much better, and that's not saying much......
The Korean bar proprietors would just keep crates of OB sitting in the sun and scalding temps....like every 3rd OB you got was skunked.....Yecchhhh.....
Now Soju...now you're talking!!!!!

orrelse said:

I've been stationed in Korea twice so I've had my share of OB. Nasty stuff. Hite and Cass were both much better, and that's not saying much......
The Korean bar proprietors would just keep crates of OB sitting in the sun and scalding temps....like every 3rd OB you got was skunked.....Yecchhhh.....
Now Soju...now you're talking!!!!!

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Yeah, I know. I spent 8 days in Itawanand Camps Carroll and Casey. Also spent a day at the Air Base.

Sake is really interesting in that by all technical definitions, it is a beer. Beer is a drink made from fermenting grains and wine is a drink made from fermenting fruits.

But that's neither here nor there. I spent three years in Japan and I'm here to tell you, Sapporo, Kirin and Asahi are all similar to our Bud, Miller, Coors etc... All of their good beers over there are all in symbols so I'm not sure what any of the names are. But, every beer I've had over there that isn't Sapporo, Kirin or Asahi is excellent. I haven't seen anything like those over there in the US though, I've only gotten them over there.

I spent three years in Japan, and never came across anything really special. My fav of the big three though was by far Kirin Ichiban. There was one beer they would have occaisonally at the NCO club that was by far the best, but I'll be damned if I can recall the name of it!

Mmmmm.....soju!!!! Never did care much for sake.

I've tried Kirin Ichiban before they sell it here in Texas. I really disliked it. Taste was awful.

I picked up a six pack of some japanese beer that was killer about six months ago. I can't remember the name of it, but I remember that the label said it was black rice beer. Next time I go the the beer store I'll see if I can't find the name of it. I've tried lots of different japanese beers, and this is the only one that I enjoyed.

I found it! It's not Japanese, It's Chinese. It's called Yinpu Black Rice Beer, and it is some good stuff. If you want to try a drinkable asian beer, I would highly recommend trying this stuff.

TxBrew said:

I've tried Kirin Ichiban before they sell it here in Texas. I really disliked it. Taste was awful.

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To me the stuff wasn't awesome, but the most drinkable of the three. It wasn't bad, though. Maybe an age thing? It's a long haul from Japan to the US!

I like Singha, Tsingtao (although I heard someone explain that it stood for "This **** Is No Good Try Another One!), Asahi, Tiger, Kirin and Saporro. Also had another Thai one that I can't remember the name of in a Thai restaurant in the UK once. Actually now that I think of it I've never had an Asian one I didn't like yet. Course these are just the exported ones, never been out that way yet.

I have only tried Kirin and Tsingtao (both taste like sweat from goat nads), but I wouldn't mind trying some of these.

http://beerblog.genx40.com/archives/2004/december/thedarkbeersof

Ed_Savage said:

I have only tried Kirin and Tsingtao (both taste like sweat from goat nads), but I wouldn't mind trying some of these.

http://beerblog.genx40.com/archives/2004/december/thedarkbeersof

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I have tried the Yinpu Black Rice beer mentioned in the link and it is excellent !

I agree with the "haven't ever had a good Japanese beer"... they taste like an austailian beer that isn't too tasty. But Tsingtao is pretty has a lot of flavor... I enjoy it.

mmm...sake. yeah sake is one of my fave wines

The beer I was trying to think of is called Yebisu. It's the best of all the lagers I tried, but still isn't anything worth writing home about.

S & S (Sushi & Sapporo). Not like Sapporo is very good. It's kind of like those dry beers the macro guys were doing in the states but its japanese in origin. Think I heard AB owns Kirin? Anyway it's my tradition if I'm eating sushi. Yep, you either love it or gross out... and that could be for both Sushi And Sapporo

I always like to try a beer that is related to the restaurant ethnicity. Italian - I gotta drink italian beer (can't remember what; the one with the mafia dude on it). Greek - Keo (actually Cyprus there).

Basically, I like beer.

There are many different ways to brew rice wine. Korea alone has about 300 different types of rice wine(most of them is probably same as other asian rice wine)and other liqueur. Most of them has been lost during Japanese invation, Korean war, Government policy and brewing law and only few of them survived. So far I have home brewed 10 different types of rice wines and keep on trying differet rice wines.

Makgully / Takju / Moju
Unsettled milky rice wine. Normally add water to make about 8%. unmatured.

Dongdongju
settled semi clear rice wine. few rice float on top. about 12-18%, unmatured.

Yakju/ chungju
settled clear rice wine. about 16-20%, normally aged for week to months.

Bubju
Made during certain time of the year with certain way. Normally make starter with rice gruel, add rice cake or steamed rice after certain days. Takes about 100days to brew and mature. 18-20%

Soju
distilled liqueur. Similar to vodka. 18-45%

desertBrew said:

S & S (Sushi & Sapporo). Not like Sapporo is very good. It's kind of like those dry beers the macro guys were doing in the states but its japanese in origin. Think I heard AB owns Kirin? Anyway it's my tradition if I'm eating sushi. Yep, you either love it or gross out... and that could be for both Sushi And Sapporo

I always like to try a beer that is related to the restaurant ethnicity. Italian - I gotta drink italian beer (can't remember what; the one with the mafia dude on it). Greek - Keo (actually Cyprus there).

Basically, I like beer.

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The chef at my fave sushi restaurant was laughing at me and my friend for drinking Sapporo. He told us it's crap beer. We asked why he overcharges us for it.

He later told us his favorite beer is Budweiser. We told him to hang his head in shame. He reminded us that in China, Budweiser is an import and has a high perceived value, but then laughed and admitted it's crap beer. He also told us his fave meal is a Chicago style pizza from Uno's and a bottle of Bud.

Nice guy. He gave us free sushi, including a joke piece he gave my friends which was almost pure wasabi.

Sapporo is pretty crappy, in general. They have a higher end line which is difficult to find, even here, it's pretty good though.
Bottled or draft Yebisu is my all around recomendation for Japanese beers.
Singha for Thai
333 for Vietnamese

There's a long story behind why we only have Easy-drinkin-beers in Japan, but it's a history lesson.
You do get 20 packs of 633ml bottles full of beer for less than $50 US.

Catfish

I always liked Tiger beer from Singapore...especially the special edition one.

catfish said:

Sapporo is pretty crappy, in general. They have a higher end line which is difficult to find, even here, it's pretty good though.
Bottled or draft Yebisu is my all around recomendation for Japanese beers.
Singha for Thai
333 for Vietnamese

There's a long story behind why we only have Easy-drinkin-beers in Japan, but it's a history lesson.
You do get 20 packs of 633ml bottles full of beer for less than $50 US.

Catfish

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If you're in the typing mood, I'd love the history lesson.

It's taken me a while to get around to it but here is my understanding of why Japanese beer is Japanese beer. First let me mention that all of my facts are unchecked for factual value, most of them come from the former owner of a sake/ alcohol wholesaler who now runs a bar. When I talk to him he is usually pretty drunk (as am I) also our converations are in Japanese so my understanding may skew the facts. (Also there may be plenty of misunderstanding and conjecture).
OKay.
Japan has 4 major breweries, Kirin, Asahi, Sapporo and Ebisu... but Ebisu is distributed by Sapporo, and Ebisu don't seem to get the numbers the other breweries do. I don't know when these breweries opened, or when they forced the competition out of business. All 4 of the breweries contribute massive sums of money to the government... Massive. In return the government makes it prohibitively expensive to open a mircobrewery. With the money to be made in Japan you would expect a few brave (rich) people to shell out the money and open the brewery. But, until recently (I think the last couple years) it has been illegal to homebrew anything above a 1% alcohol content, who wants to brew near beer? By preventing anybody learning to homebrew they effectively stop the potential brew pubs from opening. Even now the gerneral idea of homebrew (jibiru, ponounced G-beeru) is more similar to the Mr.Beer uncooked fermented wheat juice.

No homebrewers mean no aspiring brewpubs... no microbrews make a stagnent market. It isn't so much that Japanese people want light beer, just that their only choice is light. Because of an increase in Import beers (exposure to something hoppier, darker, etc.) the major breweries have released their own "black beers" Kirin has just (last month) put out a line of faux-microbrews. Things are changing here, but slowly, and once they change it won't do anything to alter the image of Japanese beer abroad.

So that's my understanding of beer in Japan. It goes without saying that Japanese beer in Japan tastes better than the exported stuff... any beer in a storm, I guess.

Thank you. Interesting to know.

But, with the advent of the internet, isn't it easy to just order supplies online and make it at home? I'm sure that shipping charges would be pretty high (or would they? Are there other homebrew countries nearby?) but it might be worth it.

I am truely sorry Cheesefood, but i will need to start a new thread in the Asian Beer section.

i bought Saporro once, took one drink and poured it in the sink

Tsingtao is the only asian beer i can drink at all and thats only if they don't have any thing else

hoonaberry said:

Makgully / Takju / Moju
Unsettled milky rice wine. Normally add water to make about 8%. unmatured.

Dongdongju
settled semi clear rice wine. few rice float on top. about 12-18%, unmatured.

Yakju/ chungju
settled clear rice wine. about 16-20%, normally aged for week to months.

Bubju
Made during certain time of the year with certain way. Normally make starter with rice gruel, add rice cake or steamed rice after certain days. Takes about 100days to brew and mature. 18-20%

Soju
distilled liqueur. Similar to vodka. 18-45%

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I just got home from 2 weeks in Korea last night. I was in Seoul 3 times, Waegwan and Uijonbu.

I had a whole bowl of dongdongju at one of the Korean restaurants last week. It tasted good, like sweet sake. I didn't think there was any alcohol in it from the way I didn't feel anything (no, I was not numb). I took some pictures of the ddj that I'll post on the net later.

I had some OB, and you're right Cass and Hite, even Prime is better.

I brought back a bottle of Soju (made with potatoes, more like a light vodka)and 2 bottles of Hite.

I can't get Mockly past my nose because of the sour milk smell (and I like Kimchi a lot - go figure) and the rice gruel they served at breakfast was unfermented of course.

homebrewer_99 said:

I just got home from 2 weeks in Korea last night. I was in Seoul 3 times, Waegwan and Uijonbu.

I had a whole bowl of dongdongju at one of the Korean restaurants last week. It tasted good, like sweet sake. I didn't think there was any alcohol in it from the way I didn't feel anything (no, I was not numb). I took some pictures of the ddj that I'll post on the net later.

I had some OB, and you're right Cass and Hite, even Prime is better.

I brought back a bottle of Soju (made with potatoes, more like a light vodka)and 2 bottles of Hite.

I can't get Mockly past my nose because of the sour milk smell (and I like Kimchi a lot - go figure) and the rice gruel they served at breakfast was unfermented of course.

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I love soju. You can mix it with anything. It's best with fresh squeezed fruit juice over ice, though.