Johana Masaji the Great! Ore no Aji is a beer brewed annually as part of the Masaji Beer Project, an annual celebration to the life of Masaji. The 2015 version is the second time that it has been brewed and Johana Masaji the Great! Ore no Aji is a 6% IPA beer. We tried to get it on tap once at Craft Beer Market in Toranomon but ended up with Johana Masaji the Great! Ore no Aji Fruits beer – a massive peach infused mess. Less said about that the better.
Hail Masaji! Hail The Great one!
Johana Masaji the Great! Ore no Aji Aroma and Taste
With the peach monstrosity behind us, though still lingering in our nightmares, Johana Masaji the Great! Ore no Aji was triple checked to make sure we had actually bought the right drink this time. Even with a sniffer dog employed, well a labrador that would eat anything, it was opened carefully and slowly. Thankfully, or luckily, none of the peach whiff came out of the bottle so we were safe.
This bottle of Johana Masaji the Great! Ore no Aji was definitely an IPA. It certainly smelt like one, with the pungency of the hops coming through straight from the bottle, with a distinct pine aroma coming through along with some sweet malts too. It poured out with a fluffy head, like altocumulus clouds that hung on to the sides of the glass for dear life before leisurely slopping back into the hazy copper body.
Johana Masaji the Great! Ore no Aji tasted very much like an IPA too and you would not believe how happy I was when it did taste like an IPA. You can never be too sure as by this point, the trusted sniffer dog had had enough and curled up on my feet. Thanks! There was a great balance between bitter hops, and they are bitter, along with the sweet tang of malts that swirled around. Bitter. Sweet. Bitter. Sweet. But never bittersweet. It wasn’t too carbonated either and the aftertaste was a gentle bitterness that dissipated away slowly but strongly.
Johana Masaji the Great! Ore no Aji One Line Review
It’s a great shame that Johana Masaji the Great! Ore no Aji is only brewed once a year as it’s a solid IPA.
Where to Buy Johana Masaji the Great! Ore no Aji
I got my bottle of Johana Masaji the Great! Ore no Aji from Yamaoka beer shop in Kyoto and haven’t seen it since. A great shame.
