Kanazawa Hyakumangoku Pale Ale seems to have slipped under my reviewing radar – perhaps due to so many beers on the go. Kanazawa Hyakumangoku Pale Ale is a 5% American pale ale beer from Hakusan Waku Waku Beer, based in Ishikawa. It’s available in both bottles and cans, though the cans are pretty pricey, at about ¥450 yen, compared to other Japanese craft beers that come in canned form. Besides that, there isn’t much information about the beer as the Hakusan Waku Waku Beer homepage is missing / gone at the time of writing.
Waku waku waku waku waku – pac man in action
Kanazawa Hyakumangoku Pale Ale Aroma and Taste
Kanazawa Hyakumangoku Pale Ale, besides being made by a company that sounds like Pac-man on heat, was sitting at the back of the fridge, looking like a bit of a “billy no mates”. The label didn’t shout at me to drink it nor did it entice in the slightest either. Moreover, having little to no information about it, besides the pale ale nomenclature at the bottom of the label, also left it there. Beer labels really can make or break a beer’s purchase – if it’s funny, informative, attractive, or stands out, then you could consider it a purchase by me. Anything else? Well it might as well be left on the factory floor.
I’m struggling to remind myself from my notes how I felt about this beer besides bland. Kanazawa Hyakumangoku Pale Ale had the body of a typical pale ale with a clear golden colour and on top, a frothy white head that lingered for a while before dropping down to a much more reasonable head. The aroma was more malts than I would expect from an American pale ale, usually I expect something more hop-bursting and citrus-like.
I do remember drinking this and thinking, meh, nothing special. And I stand by that thought still. For a beer that costs almost ¥450 out of a can, and with much better beers on offer for cheaper, Kanazawa Hyakumangoku Pale Ale really didn’t do itself justice by being more maltier and more caramel balanced than hop balanced. If you’re going to go by an American Pale Ale recipe, then don’t skimp out on the hops, ok? It was really too sweet for my liking and ended up being pushed aside for something else.
Kanazawa Hyakumangoku Pale Ale One Line Review
I really can’t recommend Kanazawa Hyakumangoku Pale Ale as a good example of an American pale ale. English pale ale perhaps but even then it ends up being too sweet.
Where to Buy Kanazawa Hyakumangoku Pale Ale
If you really want to try Kanazawa Hyakumangoku Pale Ale to complete your Japanese beer collection, then it can be bought at the following places:
