Hikone Pale Ale is a 5.5% English pale ale from Hikone Brewing, based in Hikone, in Shiga, Japan. It’s part of their bottled and draught lineup and is also available all year round. Like other beers from Hikone Brewing, Hikone Pale Ale comes in a variety of labels, though the one shown below is their standard label.
Hikone Pale Ale : At A Glance
- Alcohol: 5.5%
- Style: English pale ale
- Hops: –
- Adjuncts: –
- IBU: 24
Sale Information
- Availability: Regular
- On Sale: October 2021
- Size: 330 ml
- Price: From ¥660
Aroma & Taste
- Notable Aroma: Earthy aroma with light citrus and floral notes. Slight caramel nose along with a hint of diacetyl when warm.
- Notable Taste: Low bitterness with an earthy and citrus note. Diacetyl present with caramel tone when warm.
Hikone Pale Ale : Aroma & Taste
Hikone Pale Ale poured out an amber colour with no real semblance of head besides a few bubbles on the top that left nothing along the sides. The aroma was more of an English pale ale – something that I wasn’t expecting from a relatively new brewery at the time of writing. There was an earthy and citrus aroma with some floral notes but all of them seemed to be muted. As Hikone Pale Ale warmed up, the malt sweetness came though with some caramel nose and a touch of diacetyl also noted. If this was supposed to be an American pale ale, I would hazard a guess to say that the brewer had not tried one fresh.
The body of Hikone Pale Ale had a low bitterness throughout drinking, though it was earthy along with some citrus notes of lemon but none of the flavours were punchy or bold. It almost seemed like someone had just put the hops in for the briefest of moments rather than a long, lingering bath. The diacetyl aroma that was present in the nose reappeared in the body, along with the caramel malt flavour but by then, I had begun to get bored with Hikone Pale Ale and just finished it as soon as I could.
Hikone Pale Ale : The Bottom Line
Hikone Pale Ale was a bland and boring beer and I’m not in a rush to try it again.
Hikone Pale Ale : Where to Buy
Hikone Pale Ale can be bought online at the following places:
