Shiga Kogen Narrow Escape IPA is a 7.5% American IPA from Tamamura Honten that is part of their limited edition release of beers. It was originally released at the beginning of December 2015 in both bottles and on draft form across Japan. It is unique in that during the brewing process of the Shiga Kogen No 10 Anniversary IPA, some issues occurred during letting of steam and as a result this batch of Shiga Kogen Narrow Escape IPA occurred. At the time of writing, it’s a one-off batch, unless Ego-san has problems again brewing the No 10.
Even when Ego-san makes a “mistake”, he comes out with decent beer.
Shiga Kogen Narrow Escape IPA Aroma and Taste
I loved the Shiga Kogen No 10 Anniversary IPA and was delighted that Tamamura Honten decided to carry on making it throughout the year though when I heard about this strange batch I was initially hesitant. Bad batches of beer, whilst rare, are expensive and a waste of product, but to bottle it up and sell it to people smacks of either being very confident in the beer or disrespectful of your customers. Especially a well-known company like Tamamura Honten.
Shiga Kogen Narrow Escape IPA poured out a golden orange colour with a small amount of creamy white head that dissipated quickly away into the beer, far darker than its elder sibling.. As this is based on the Shiga Kogen No 10 Anniversary IPA, it would only be fair to compare it to that. It had a similar aroma of lemons and grapefruits, aka the lemfruit, but far less pop and presence in the nose.
Moreover, while it is bitter, it is nowhere as near as bitter as the No 10. Don’t get me wrong, it still is bitter as it is an American IPA but it is more bearable and pleasurable than I expected. If the steam issues caused a milder version of the No 10 Anniversary IPA to be produced then it did a good job. Shiga Kogen Narrow Escape IPA also had a nice sweetness to it that reminded me of some passionfruit and mango concoction. It finished off a little bitter with a touch of sweetness.
Shiga Kogen Narrow Escape IPA One Line Review
Shiga Kogen Narrow Escape IPA came across as a marketing ploy but actually tasted quite nice. A nice surprise.
Where to Buy Shiga Kogen Narrow Escape IPA
As Shiga Kogen Narrow Escape IPA is a limited edition beer, there is no guarantee that the following online places have it in stock at the time of publishing this article:
