Hyappa Ieyasu B by Hyappa Brews

Hyappa Ieyasu B is a 5% ESB, or extra special bitter, from Hyappa Brews, based in Aichi, Japan. It’s part of their all-year round range of bottled beers and has also been seen on tap, most notably at Craft Beer Bar iBrew. If it’s not clear, the person on the front is Ieyasu, more formerly known as Tokugawa Ieyasu, who was the founder of the first shogun of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan, ruling until the Meiji Restoration period, with the B standing for bitter, so if you say the name carefully…well you get the pun (i-easu-bi)

Don’t let the image on the front put you off.

Hyappa Ieyasu B Aroma and Taste

Hyappa Ieyasu B poured out a hazy orange brownish colour with a large amount of lively head that was a slight off-white colour. I guess not having drunk too many of these beer from ESB styles, the only one I have to compare it against in Japan is Fuller’s ESB, which Hyappa Ieyasu B looked similar too. However, it had a stronger hoppy and fruity aroma than what I remember – almost verging on phenolic – a most peculiar flavour for an ESB style beer.

The body was malt forward, and unashamedly so as well. Hyappa Ieyasu B had strong hints of breadiness to it, and a sweetness that could not be ignored – it lasted from beginning to end, without stopping in between. Heck, it’s so malty that I had no indication of any hops in the beer. If there were, then they should have been signposted as they were missing completely. Hyappa Ieyasu B finished off as it started, with a hefty dose of sweetness that lingered, followed by a faint bitterness.

Hyappa Ieyasu B The Bottom Line

Hyappa Ieyasu B is an ok beer if you like full on malt in your beers. For me, it’s a miss.

Where to Buy Hyappa Ieyasu B

I got my bottle of Hyappa Ieyasu B from Le Petit L’Ouest