Choryo Rice Lager is a 4.5% Japanese rice lager from Choryo Shuzo, based in Nara, in Nara, Japan. It’s part of their regular lineup and can be found in both bottles and on draught across Japan. It won gold medal at the International Beer Cup back in 2021, when you know, beer competitions were being held, and uses locally sourced rice from Nara prefecture. Coincidentally, the rice used in making Choryo Rice Lager is also the same rice that Choryo Shuzo use in the making of their nihonshu.
Choryo Rice Lager : At A Glance
Basics
- Alcohol : 4.5%
- Style : Japanese rice lager
- Hops : German.
- IBU : 18
Sale Information
- Availability : Regular
- On Sale : From May 2021
- Size : 350 ml
- Price : From 500 yen
Aroma & Taste
- Notable Aromas : Light floral aroma, with slight nihonshu rice nose. Dry with a touch of pilsner sweetness.
- Notable Tastes : Initially sharp bitter but fades to a floral flavour with some rice quality to it.
Choryo Rice Lager : Aroma & Taste
Choryo Rice Lager poured out a light golden yellow colour with a tiny amount of white head on top – that picture above (yes I know about the bubbles on the glass, I honestly did wash it) was taken as soon as I put the can next to it and the head had pretty much dissipated immediately. The aroma though was a nice surprise – Choryo Rice Lager didn’t smell like a cheap beer made from rice that is supposedly the King of Beers. It had a clear floral aroma to it, with just a touch of nihonshu rice-like nose going on. A nice balance between the German hops used (though which ones elude us) rice the Japanese rice. Once the beer had warmed up, there was just a touch of pilsner sweetness going in, just enough to be noticed.
Choryo Rice Lager looked like a lager but how did it taste? Pretty damn good really – both chilled and warmed up. The body started off with a sharp, bitter quality though that faded fast to leave the hop flavour. The hops were floral in the body, like in the nose, with the rice bringing a smooth texture to Choryo Rice Lager, with the body also being quite dry, in spite of a light dusting of pilsner sweetness once it had warmed up. The rice flavour was milder than expected and lingered into the aftertaste, with a touch of floral flavour.
Choryo Rice Lager : The Bottom Line
Choryo Rice Lager is a premium lager at a premium price – is it enough to justify its cost considering that macro lagers are just as good, but almost 200 yen cheaper? I’ll leave that for you to decide but I enjoyed this and would buy it again. As a treat.
Choryo Rice Lager : Where To Buy
Choryo Rice Lager can be bought online at the following places:
