Yubari Coal Mine Dark Lager is another ji-beer from Hokkaido and is a schwarzbier style beer. Originally brewed during the planning process of the Yubari Coal Mine museum near Yubari, Hokkaido, the colour of Yubari Coal Mine Dark Lager is supposed to represent the darkness of inside the mine and the coal seams themselves. It is also brewed from several different malts and is available in both bottle and can form.
Wonder if this is actually made in the coal mine?
Yubari Coal Mine Dark Lager Aroma and Taste
Yubari Coal Mine Dark Lager poured out a nice thick dark brown, if not black, colour that had minimal head to it. The carbonation on it can clearly be seen in the picture above but it was disappointing there wasn’t more head to it. The head was browner the picture does it justice but didn’t last very long either. The aroma was of deep roasted malt, coffee, and some chocolate notes were also present too. Even though Yubari Coal Mine Dark Lager is supposed to be a schwarzbier, it could be a carbonated stout masquerading as a schwarzbier.
Yubari Coal Mine Dark Lager tastes more like a stout than a schwarzbier too. The coffee and chocolates are the two flavours that dominate the drink with a hint of vanilla while some creaminess dominates the texture as well. While not off-putting, the carbonation and the stout is an unusual combination for this kind of beer. The coffee finish to cements its flavour profile more towards the stout end of the scale.
Yubari Coal Mine Dark Lager One-Line Review
Yubari Coal Mine Dark Lager is a peculiar, in a good way, beer; on one hand it is a schwarzbier but on the other it is a stout. Buy and decide for yourself.
Where to Buy Yubari Coal Mine Dark Lager
Yubari Coal Mine Dark Lager can be bought at Le Collier in Tokyo station. It can also be bought on the Susukino Brewery online store here.
