Shizuoka Summer Mikan Ale seems to have slipped under the radar here at BeerTengoku as we found a bottle of it languishing in a fridge at Baird Beer Taproom in Nakameguro. It was originally released on June 27th, 2014 and is brewed using natsumikan, or summer oranges, which are grown locally in Shizuoka, where the brewery is located. The base of Shizuoka Summer Mikan Ale is an American Pale Ale.
Bursting with oranges, it’s a case of how many can you fit into one bottle?
Shizuoka Summer Mikan Ale Aroma and Taste
Shizuoka Summer Mikan Ale certainly lives up to its name as the beer is a nice vibrant orange / brown colour with plenty of particles floating around in it that settle to a fine sediment at the bottom. Do I really need to explain the aroma? Really? Ok, Shizuoka Summer Mikan Ale smells like that burst of aroma you get when you split open an orange and juice comes out and smacks you in the eye. The good thing is there is also a nice waft of malt too that is carried on the aroma.
It’s a shame that there is such a strong orange aroma to the beer as Shizuoka Summer Mikan Ale’s taste is lacking. I was expecting something citrus that would make me pucker up and be so lip-smackingly sour that my face would contort. But it wasn’t. And my face didn’t. The oranges taste is more subtle than I expected as the malt and grassy tones come to the forefront instead.
Shizuoka Summer Mikan Ale One Line Review
Shizuoka Summer Mikan Ale starts off well and is refreshing but not as orangey or sour as I had hoped for.
Where to Buy Shizuoka Summer Mikan Ale
Shizuoka Summer Mikan Ale is on sale from June 27th, or thereabouts, annually, and can be bought in either bottled form or draft from Baird Beer taprooms. Else, GoodBeer usually stock it but at the time of writing, it had sold out.
