Hakodate Kita no Ippon is a 5% English bitter from Hakodate Beer, based in Hokkaido, Japan. It’s part of their all-year round range of craft beer and can be found in both bottles and on tap. Hakodate Kita no Ippon is also known as Hakodate Ale, with the Kita no Ippon roughly translating to ‘North One’ in English.
Hakodate Kita no Ippon Aroma and Taste
Without really knowing what kind of beer Hakodate Kita no Ippon was, meant looking on the Hakodate Beer website and being more confused than before. The blurb on the site states “Ale and (ALE) is a beer of the generic name in the United Kingdom, (with light-colored / rich) veil ale, bitter ale (brown / bitter), dark ale (dark / plump taste), and the like, really, including the color and taste.” Helpful. Hakodate Kita no Ippon poured out a deep brown colour and was topped off with a foamy, off-white tan head with a slightly fruity and caramel malty aroma to the nose. It reminded me of an English style bitter.
The body of Hakodate Kita no Ippon was bitter sweet – a nice layer of caramel and fruits were punctuated nicely by the hops that brought an edge of bitterness to it, which was neither overpowering or dominating. However, when it started to warm up a bit, it did end up being a smidge too cloying for my liking. The aftertaste was of the sweet malts and though it didn’t stay long before dissipating away and leaving a bitter edge to it.
Hakodate Kita no Ippon The Bottom Line
Hakodate Kita no Ippon was a decent enough beer but a bit too sweet for me when it had warmed up.
Where to Buy Hakodate Kita no Ippon
Hakodate Kita no Ippon can be bought online at the following places:
