Shiga Kogen IBrA is a 6% India Brown Ale (I know – new for us too!) from Tamamura Honten, based in Nagano, Japan. It’s part of their limited edition range, and can be found in both bottles and on tap and it was first released in November 2016. It was brewed as part of an inspiration – if that can be said – by the recent PPAP boom. If you haven’t heard it, then don’t worry as you’re not missing out on much besides an earworm of a tune. As such, they took inspiration from the Domestic Dry Stout and their So Sexy Brown to make DDSSSB. Shiga Kogen IBrA is brewed with eight different malts and oats, with some of them being domestically grown, and a variety of hops, to give it an IBU of 56
PPAP proved to be an inspiration for some.
Shiga Kogen IBrA Aroma and Taste
Shiga Kogen IBrA poured out identical to a brown ale – a hazy deep brown with a slight off-white brownish head on top that didn’t last long – in fact it disappeared soon after I had taken the photo above. It left some bubbles around the side of the glass that remained until the end but there was no lacing so I don’t know how many sips or gulps it took me to drink. It had a decent IPA front to it, with a dank resin-like aroma to it with some citrus grapefruit too, interspersed with a nutty, caramel aroma too. There was no hint of alcohol to it at all, even when warmed up though the malts did come through stronger then.
The body though was far more IPA than brown ale – the initial bitterness was citrusy with a large resiny kick to it soon after. The malts in Shiga Kogen IBrA came through eventually, with a slight nutty chocolate twang to them, along with a hint of coffee to it as well, but it felt like to make it more IPA, the malts had to suffer. The bitterness lingered throughout drinking, right into the aftertaste, along with a faint amount of malts.
Shiga Kogen IBrA The Bottom Line
I couldn’t help and think that Shiga Kogen IBrA was a brown IPA and not a hoppy IPA. It’s a shame the malts suffered due to the hops
Where to Buy Shiga Kogen IBrA
Shiga Kogen IBrA can be bought online at the following places:
