Yakurai Tohoku Damashi is a 5.5% American IPA from Yakurai Beer, based in Miyagi, Japan. It’s part of an 8 brewery event where breweries in the Tohoku area all brewed beers to remember the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami that affected so many. At the time of writing Yakurai Tohoku Damashi can be found on tap only with no plans for it be bottled either.
Yakurai Tohoku Damashi Aroma and Taste
Yakurai Tohoku Damashi came up a hazy golden colour with a fluffy white head on top that faded fast. The nose to it reminded me of soapy lemon washing up liquid aroma. It also had some wheat and biscuit notes to it, followed up with a slight sour kick to it. It wasn’t unpleasant but a tad weird on an American IPA.
The body to Yakurai Tohoku Damashi was initially bitter, with a soapy lemon kick to it, that also felt dry. To say it was dry would be an understatement I guess, as I could feel the moisture from my mouth disappearing as I drank the beer. The hops also brought a piney after taste to the beer but the lingering sour flavour lasted right through, even when I had finished the beer. Yakurai Tohoku Damashi had a slight oxidised taste to it – was it deliberate or had the keg been kept in pour condition? Who knows…
Yakurai Tohoku Damashi The Bottom Line
While Yakurai Tohoku Damashi is just about drinkable, it wasn’t really what I expected from an American IPA.