Ishigakijima Weizen by Ishigakijima Beer

Guys, guys, guys. I’m back, it’s been so long. I’m easing myself back into the ocean of Japanese craft beer with something of a gimme: a self-described “Ji-beer” from Ishigaki island in Okinawa. It’s a Weizen, although I’m willing to trust the label about as far as I can throw a delicious Okinawa Aguu pig (seriously, Aguu is the Kobe beef of pork. Try some.) The bottle also says “since 1997”, if you needed any more indication that this is a first-wave craft beer and therefore may not meet the standards of quality and innovation we’re used to from the current generation.

Ishigakijima Weizen Aroma and Taste

So, Ishigakijima Weizen opens with a little burp of air and the telltale plop plop plop of a beer on the flat side of carbonation. It’s also a dark, unappealingly murky brown, and completely devoid of head. It reminds me, like so many bad beers do, of one of my own homebrew misfires. At least it has the estery, banana nose.

Tasting it, there’s the estery, bananery, slightly sour Weizen we all know and are slightly tired of. But there’s also an odd, woody, spicy, dry flavour as well. Now, let me admit that I am afflicted with a trifecta of problems in reviewing this beer. I haven’t reviewed anything in aaages, I’m not at all au fait with weizens, and I have a life-threatening case of the sniffly wiffles. So I just couldn’t put my finger on this extra flavour.

Ishigakijima Weizen One Line Review

So, what we have here, then, is a serviceable if uninspiring (and unappealing) Weizen that failed to knock my socks off. I’d be interested to try other beers from this brewery, but I’m willing to guess there’s a Pilsner and a pale ale and they both taste the same.

Where to Buy Ishigakijima Weizen

Ishigakijima Weizen can be bought at the following places online:

• Ishigakijima Online Store at Yahoo.