Hop Japan Abakuma Fresh Hop is a 6% American IPA from Hop Japan, based in Fukushima, Japan. It’s part of their seasonal lineup, with this one being available from Autumn onwards. In spite of being promoted as a fresh hop beer, Hop Japan Abakuma Fresh Hop uses Chinook hops – which I assume were grown locally.
Basics
- Alcohol : 6%
- Style : American IPA
- Hops : Chinook
- IBU : Unknown
Sale Information
- Availability : Autumn seasonal
- On Sale : From September 2021
- Size : 350 ml
- Price : From 620 yen
Aroma & Taste
- Notable Aromas : Musty oxidised with cardboard aroma. Some citrus but faint.
- Notable Tastes : Musty flavour with a dusty texture and some lemon notes.
Hop Japan Abakuma Fresh Hop : Aroma & Taste
Hop Japan Abakuma Fresh Hop poured out a dark orange amber colour with a fluffy white head on top. Perhaps the only positive thing to say about this beer as Hop Japan Abakuma Fresh Hop did not give off a pleasant aroma. Massive musty oxidised aroma with the smell of wet cardboard meant that this beer had: not been stored properly, the hops used were not appropriate for aroma, or the hops were off. Seeing as Chinook hops were used, I hazard a guess that someone went a bit OTT with them thinking they can be used to flavour a beer. Chinook is great for bittering a beer, but I don’t think I have ever had a beer with Chinook being used as the aroma. There was the faintest of faint citrus aroma to the beer but Hop Japan Abakuma Fresh Hop was not fairing well.
The body started off with a sucker punch of bitterness – it’s Chinook and it’s a bittering hop. Perhaps the second, and final, good thing about this beer. Everything else was just bad. A wet oxidised cardboard flavour that lingered throughout drinking and only relented when some lemon came through. Besides that, there was nothing else of note to come through.
Hop Japan Abakuma Fresh Hop : The Bottom Line
I couldn’t stomach this oxidised mess of this beer so Hop Japan Abakuma Fresh Hop joined the drain pour club. A wide miss from me.
Hop Japan Abakuma Fresh Hop : Where to Buy It?
Hop Japan Abakuma Fresh Hop can be bought online at the following places:
