Ushiku Brewery are catching up with other breweries in Japan that once focussed on traditional German styles and have produced their version of an IPA: Chateau Kamiya IPA. Unlike other breweries though, Chateau Kamiya IPA is a summer seasonal only with no plans to extend it’s life to throughout the year. It is a 7% American IPA style beer that won Asia’s Beer IPA award back in 2011.
A bit flat for an American IPA even though it was well within its life.
Chateau Kamiya IPA Aroma and Taste
The first thing I noticed when I poured Chateau Kamiya IPA into the carbonation glass© is that there wasn’t much life to it. There were some bubbles coming off of it and a little bit of head on top, but nowhere near as much as I expected from an American IPA. The body was a light golden brown colour with some semblance of life in the heard but not much. The two main aromas coming off it were malts and hops, with the malts being the more dominating of the two aromas, followed up by some citrus notes too. Strange as when I had it on tap at the festival at Chateau Kamiya, it was very much the reverse with the hops being the dominant aroma.
The body was more like an American IPA than the aroma and thankfully so. Not that I have anything wrong with English IPAs it’s just that when you want a hoppy hit, only hops will do. The citrus aromas had developed into a bitter, grapefruit taste that stayed on the tongue for a long long time. There was a touch of sweet, caramel flavours as well to back up the bold hoppy taste as well. Chateau Kamiya IPA finished off with a huge bitterness that left me perplexed. It had gone from a subtle IPA to a full on assault on the tastebuds.
Chateau Kamiya IPA One Line Review
Chateau Kamiya IPA started off slowly but as I drank more, I began to like it more and more. It’s a shame it’s not on all-year round across Japan.
Where to Buy Chateau Kamiya IPA
Chateau Kamiya IPA can only be bought at the Chateau Kamiya shop or online store here.
