Baird Hatsujozo 2016 IPL is a 7% India pale lager from Baird Beer that is part of their seasonal list of craft beers. Its release coincides with New Year’s day which is where the name hatsu-jozo, or first brew, stems from. India pale lagers, besides Chateau Kamiya IPL, aren’t that common in Japan it seems. They are brewed using an Indian pale ale recipe but fermented with lager yeast instead of ale yeast. The 2016 recipe has the addition of Munich malt and Northern Brewer hops compared to the 2015 which did not have them. The other ingredients are the same; however, the quantity used is unknown. It’s available in both bottles at Baird Taprooms where applicable and also on tap at all Baird Taprooms.
First the Bakayaro then the Hatsujozo…
Baird Hatsujozo 2016 IPL Aroma and Taste
We missed out on the Baird Hatsujozo 2015 IPL edition as due to family commitments, by the time I got to the Bashamichi Taproom, it had sold out in both bottles and on tap. There was no problem this year as I was on a Kannai barmeguri or hashigozake, or a bar tour. While walking from Living Yokohama to Sakura Taps, I popped to the Bashamichi Taproom and managed to get a couple of bottles, though there were only about fifteen left.
Baird Hatsujozo 2016 IPL poured out a deep copper orange with a fair amount of slightly off-white head on top. It had a really nice floral and citrus aroma along with a crisp malt follow-up taste which had a slight biscuit aroma to it. Overall, a really nice balance of aromas going on.
The body was less carbonated than your regular run-of-the-mill lager, but it was certainly more carbonated than your run-of-the-mill-IPA. The flavours in Baird Hatsujozo 2016 IPL matched the aromas bang on – there was a large floral taste initially that segued into a citrus flavour and biscuit malts with some pine flavours too. In the aftertaste though, the malts were more forthcoming and left the biscuit taste with a slight bitterness to it.
Baird Hatsujozo 2016 IPL One Line Review
Baird Hatsujozo 2016 IPL is a really nice beer with a good twist on the usual IPA formula. Looking forward to trying it in 2017.
Where to Buy Baird Hatsujozo 2016 IPL
Baird Hatsujozo 2016 IPL can be bought online at the following places:
- Baird Beer online store (Rakuten / Yahoo)
- World Beer Market
