Sakai Kashi Scotch Hopper is, in spite of using the adjective “Scotch” in the name, a 5% rye pale ale from Sakai Kashi Brewery, based in Sakai, in Ibaraki, Japan. It’s part of their winter lineup and can be found in both bottles and on draught. Sakai Kashi Scotch Hopper is brewed using rye malt and is a single hop beer, with domestic and imported Cascade hops being used in the brewing process. As for the name? Sakai Kashi Scotch Hopper is named after the children’s game “hop scotch”, which is known as “kenkenpa” in Japanese.
Sakai Kashi Scotch Hopper : At A Glance
Basics
- Alcohol : 5%
- Style : Rye pale ale
- Hops : Japanese / US Cascade
- IBU : Unknown
Sale Information
- Availability : Winter
- On Sale : From November 2021
- Size : 330 ml
- Price : From 600 yen
Aroma & Taste
- Notable Aromas : Subtle peppery aroma but dominated by an oxidised, wet cardboard aroma.
- Notable Tastes : Lacks bitterness and mostly oxidised flavour that came through.
Sakai Kashi Scotch Hopper : Aroma & Taste
Sakai Kashi Scotch Hopper poured out a hazy golden brown colour with about a finger’s worth of white head on top – and that is probably the best thing I can say about this beer really. Well, there was some semblance of a peppery aroma from the beer but it was rather muted and dominated by an oxidised, wet, cardboard aroma throughout drinking. The beer was well within its best before date but the smell was unmistakable.
Daring to go on, I was left unsurprised with the familiar taste of an oxidised mess of a beer – not knowing whether the hops had gone bad, or the bottle was not properly sealed, or just that perhaps, someone does not how to brew a beer properly. Sakai Kashi Scotch Hopper ended up being awful and, though it contained alcohol, made its way to a place where it belonged – cleaning drains.
Sakai Kashi Scotch Hopper : The Bottom Line
Sakai Kashi Scotch Hopper joined one of its siblings down the drain – how can a brewery make a beer like this and genuinely be happy to sell it?
Sakai Kashi Scotch Hopper : Where To Buy
Sakai Kashi Scotch Hopper can be bought online at the following places:
