Home Beer Review Hansharo Ochaya-san’s Hōjicha Ale by Hansharo Beer

Hansharo Ochaya-san’s Hōjicha Ale by Hansharo Beer

by Rob
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Hansharo Ochaya-san’s Hōjicha Ale, besides being a mouthful to say, is a 5% speciality beer from Hansharo Beer, based in Shizuoka, Japan. It’s part of their limited edition lineup and was first released in 2018. Hansharo Ochaya-san’s Hōjicha Ale is brewed using hojicha, a kind of green tea that has been roasted instead of steamed, that was grown on the premises of the Kuraya Narusawa complex.

Hansharo Ochaya-san's Hōjicha Ale・反射炉お茶屋さんのほうじ茶エール

Hansharo Ochaya-san’s Hōjicha Ale Aroma and Taste

Hansharo Ochaya-san’s Hōjicha Ale poured out a dark brown orange colour with a tiny amount of white head on top. The head faded to leave a few large bubble around the outside, but Hansharo Ochaya-san’s Hōjicha Ale resembled an English bitter ale in the end. There was a strong roasted tea element to it – unsurprising with the addition of tea that went in it. There was also some caramel and buttery notes coming through once it had warmed up, but nothing overpowering or unpleasant to note.

The roasted tea was also the most pervasive flavour coming through in the body – so much so that I had to check that I wasn’t drinking some cold hojicha. It was a little disconcerting to be tasting that much tea in a beer without much else going on. The malts were muted in comparison and left me wanting more to balance out the strong tea flavours. The aftertaste was a lingering roasted bitterness with some hints of caramel and butter but by that point, I had become bored with Hansharo Ochaya-san’s Hōjicha Ale and was wanting something else.

Hansharo Ochaya-san’s Hōjicha Ale The Bottom Line

The tea flavours in Hansharo Ochaya-san’s Hōjicha Ale are just too strong and mute out everything else.

Where to Buy Hansharo Ochaya-san’s Hōjicha Ale

Hansharo Ochaya-san’s Hōjicha Ale can be bought online at the following places:

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