Shiga Kogen Ore No Sake Ga Nome Ne Noka is a 9% sour ale brewed by Tamamura Honten, based in Yamanouchi, in Nagano, Japan. It’s part of their Yamabushi range of beers and is also a collaborative effort with Oxbow Beer, an American brewery that specializes in sour ale. Shiga Kogen Ore No Sake Ga Nome Ne Noka is first brewed and then allowed to ferment in Ichiro’s Whiskey oak casks for seven to eight months, before being transferred to white wine casks to then age for up to a year. It is then bottled and aged for another year, meaning it takes almost 3 years to make one bottle of this beer. At the time of writing, it’s unknown whether Shiga Kogen Ore No Sake Ga Nome Ne Noka is a one-off or whether we will see it again.
Shiga Kogen Ore No Sake Ga Nome Ne Noka Aroma and Taste
Shiga Kogen Ore No Sake Ga Nome Ne Noka (crikey – they could have gone with an easier name!) poured out a ruby brown colour with a plump white head that lingered on for a good five minutes before fading to a much thinner layer on top. For something that had spent considerable time in whisky cask and also white wine casks, Shiga Kogen Ore No Sake Ga Nome Ne Noka lacked the punch of either alcohol – a disappointment really. What it did have though was a massive sour funk which evoked a woody nose with some hints of cherries and plums. It was definitely a sour beer as once it warmed up to warm temperature the sour notes really permeated through the living room.
If you’re new to sour beers, the initial lip-puckering may be a weird, and unwelcome, flavour. It certainly takes a lot to get to and Shiga Kogen Ore No Sake Ga Nome Ne Noka is the same. At 750ml, it’s a lot of beer to get through by yourself – I know because I did! – and the flavours didn’t really evolve or develop as it warmed up. The sourness is the strongest one by far, but with some woody notes also came through. The flavours were then decimated as the sour flavours came screaming back in for recognition, leaving a lingering sour, cherry flavour on the palate.
Shiga Kogen Ore No Sake Ga Nome Ne Noka The Bottom Line
I’m not a big fan of sours, and Shiga Kogen Ore No Sake Ga Nome Ne Noka didn’t convince me otherwise – no doubt the Untappd drinkers would love this beer and its rarity.
Where to Buy Shiga Kogen Ore No Sake Ga Nome Ne Noka
Shiga Kogen Ore No Sake Ga Nome Ne Noka can be bought at the following places