Ise Kadoya Hanakin Citrus, or to give it its proper name of Ise Kadoya Hanakin Shitorasu, is a 5% fruit beer from Ise Kadoya, based in Mie, Japan. It’s part of their Hanakin seasonal range of beers, with this one being their spring contribution. With this effort, Ise Kadoya swapped over the yeast and used yeast harvested from carnation flowers – who’d have thought it. Why carnation? Carnation are often associated with Mothers’ day in Japan and this beer was developed with that idea in mind for sale around Mother’s day. Ise Kadoya Hanakin Citrus also uses 100% Japanese grown citrus fruits, such as sunfruits, mandarins, and iyokan, which is similar in appearance to a mandarin.
Talk about stating the obvious.
Ise Kadoya Hanakin Citrus Aroma and Taste
Not knowing the reasoning behind Ise Kadoya Hanakin Citrus, I jumped in and the first thing that I noticed was the strong citrus aroma – it’s a massive punch in the nose that can’t be missed, with orange, grapefruit, lemon, and some pineapple coming through. Talk about a lot going on before even trying. There was also some semblance of malt biscuit aroma coming through but the fruits just battered it into submission. Oh it’s appearance – a clear light golden amber colour with a medium amount of large frothy clean white head that lasted right through to the end.
I drunkIse Kadoya Hanakin Citrus straight out of the fridge cold – I couldn’t wait as it was hot hot hot! – and the flavours were as potent when the beer was chilled compared to when it had warmed up. The citrus punch from the nose strangle the taste buds with the large orange, grapefruit, and lemon flavours coming through yet again, unbaited and unashamed, with just a faint hint of some malts dragging their heels along for tasting. There was a slight astringent quality to Ise Kadoya Hanakin Citrus which could have been from the yeast as it’s known to produce that effect. It finished off with a flurry of acidity and fruitiness, and there was my dose of vitamin C for the day.
Ise Kadoya Hanakin Citrus The Bottom Line
If you like your beers tart and citrusy then Ise Kadoya Hanakin Citrus would be right up your street.
Where to Buy Ise Kadoya Hanakin Citrus
Ise Kadoya Hanakin Citrus can be bought online at the following places:
