Vacan Craft 05 : Background
Vacan Craft 05 is a 5% American pale ale from Utsui Brewery, based in Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi. It’s part of their regular lineup and is available in both bottles and on draught. The beer is brewed using imported Amarillo, Cascade, Idaho 7, and Sabro hops as well as something called Utsui Fresh Hop though what that means is unknown at the time of writing.
At A Glance
- ABV : 5%
- Style : American Pale
- Hops : Amarillo, Cascade, Idaho 7, Sabro, Utsui Fresh Hop
- Adjuncts : –
- IBU : –
Sale Information
- Availability : Regular
- On Sale : From May 2024
- Size : 330 ml
Vacan Craft 05 : Appearance, Aroma, and Taste
And here we go again with the crap shoot of beers from Utsui Brewery. I had to double check with their Instagram account as to what the beer was supposed to look like, versus what came out of my bottle.
A turgid amber brown colour. How can it have been so different compared to the picture on the right? Ah yes, poor quality control. I wonder how many of these smaller breweries in Japan have made batches of beer too large, and have some bottles hanging around for ages before someone picks up a case.
It reminds me of the early days of craft beer in Japan and the problems it faced. Locally made beers that were poor quality and everyone and anyone thought they could make beer. It almost killed the industry and took some time to recover. No matter what you hear about people in Japan taking pride in their product, take a look at the picture above, and compare it to the right again.
This should not have left the brewery.
Vacan Craft 05 : The Bottom Line
Let’s be honest, it was a drain pour. Nothing redeeming about this beer.
Vacan Craft 05 : Where to Buy
It can be bought online at the following places:
