Kanpai! Nekomatazaka is a 6% wheat IPA from Kanpai! Brewing, based in Bunkyo, in Tokyo, Japan. It’s part of their regular lineup and can be found in both bottles and on draught. Kanpai! Nekomatazaka takes its name from the local area, which is famous for cats and slopes, which in Japanese would be “neko”, for cats, “mata” for and, “zaka” which means slope. I can attest to this as on the day I walked to Craft Beer Granzoo, I certainly came across lots of slopes with cats on them. Kanpai! Nekomatazaka is brewed using Kveik yeast though which hops used during brewing are unknown at the time of writing.
Kanpai! Nekomatazaka : At A Glance
Basics
- Alcohol : 6%
- Style : Wheat IPA
- Hops : Unknown
- IBU : 31
Sale Information
- Availability : Regular
- On Sale : From February 2022
- Size : 330 ml
- Price : From 600 yen
Aroma & Taste
- Notable Aromas : Light citrus aroma of grapefruit, lemon, and orange. Faint wheat aroma.
- Notable Tastes : Low bitterness with some citrus flavours. Light, dry body. Lacks depth.
Kanpai! Nekomatazaka : Aroma & Taste
Kanpai! Nekomatazaka poured out a hazy golden straw colour with a thin amount of white head on top that faded to a few bubbles around the side of the glass. The aroma was mostly citrus, with grapefruit, lemon, and orange coming through but not much in terms of yeast. There was a slight wheaty aroma to Kanpai! Nekomatazaka that cut through the hops, but it was faint.
In spite of Kanpai! Nekomatazaka being an IPA, there wasn’t much bitterness to the beer – well not enough to really screw the face up or be punchy. It had a vibrant citrusy body but that was pretty much all that was going on until it had warmed up somewhat. Once it had done, then a touch of wheat came through but it wasn’t really enough to take away from the hops. There wasn’t any discernible malt sweetness, but that is Kveik yeast for you.
Kanpai! Nekomatazaka : The Bottom Line
Kanpai! Nekomatazaka is pretty straightforward but lacks depth or excitement.
Kanpai! Nekomatazaka : Where To Buy
Kanpai! Nekomatazaka can only be bought at the brewery at the time of writing.
