Shiga Kogen Shoubu Miyama Blonde is a 6.5% spiced / herb seasonal special from Tamamura Honten that contains the roots of sweet flags. That’s not a typo. I hadn’t heard of the root either and I’ve lived in Japan for over a decade. It seems that the closest word to it in English would be a beewort or a bitter pepper root. It is usually on sale from July onwards though it sells out relatively quickly.
Bitter and a flowery fragrance to it.
Shiga Kogen Shoubu Miyama Blonde Aroma and Taste
Shiga Kogen Shoubu Miyama Blonde poured out a light golden colour that had a slight haze to it. A meagre head adorned the top, no matter how much flicking of the wrist. The aroma veered towards the funky weird end of the spiced / herb scale with a pungent lemongrass, ginger smell topped off with some citrus notes too. It’s even more impressive when you see a picture of a sweet flag and wonder what on earth convinced the brewers at Tamamura Honten to use it.
The body was a tad on the watery side after such an interesting introduction. Shiga Kogen Shoubu Miyama Blonde had a grapefruit-like bitterness to it that wasn’t unpleasant along with a floral hint to it as well. The bitterness was one of the main flavours throughout drinking and carried on right into the aftertaste too.
Shiga Kogen Shoubu Miyama Blonde One Line Review
Shiga Kogen Shoubu Miyama Blonde is an intriguing beer that I would drink again but it’s best served chilled as the astringent flavours were a bit too much when it had warmed up.
Where to Buy Shiga Kogen Shoubu Miyama Blonde
Shiga Kogen Shoubu Miyama Blonde can be bought at the following places:
