This beer is awful. Really bad. I doubt there was any malt used at all. I would imagine it is based on corn, rice, and stale potato chips. Perhaps some dryer lint as well. However, this beer is significant as, as of last month, it is the top selling beer in the world. Out-selling Budweiser, Heineken and similar crap. Anyways this beer was hand carried to us by friends visiting from the wilds of northern China. When I first saw the can I read it upsidedown as Mons and thought the Chinese had named it after the small Belgian town made famous in World War 1 for being where the Genmans and British first crossed sabres in 1914.

The glass is a Baccarat crystal beer glass.

This beer isn’t as bitter as the label threatened but it is not for the meek. Also has high enough alcohol that you can taste it. Dogfish Head has a whole series of these overpowered IPAs that someday, given the budget, I’d like to do a comparitive tasting of. This beer was aquired at Tanaka-ya.

The glass was aquired on ebay. The other side has a cool slogan which I’ll show next time a Dogfish Head is up for blogging.

A favourite chick beer of the wife’s. I had a sip and can confirm that it it seriously fruity. Also has a low alcohol content for those who worry about such things. This beer was aquired at the import food/booze chain store Yamaya. They pretty much always have it in stock.

The glass was aquired from the Belgian pub Frigo in Shinjuku. The glass is cool as it has the logos for three of Lindemans different fruit beers on the glass. For the photo I just faced the appropriate side forward.

Keen observers will notice Faramir the cat in the background haming for the camera.

Ahhh. Fine beer in a matching glass. What could possibly improve this sublime moment. A naked lady on the label (and the glass and coaster as well!) What makes this particular naked lady even cooler is the fact that she is not just depicted holding a beer but drinking it. Note the guy on the label holding out his glass, one can imagine him saying “Cheers baby” and waggling his eyebrows in that special way that women find singularly unattractive. Our heroine, if her mouth was not preoccupied with the consumption of fine beer, would certainly reply “Sod off you horny bugger I’m busy. And stop staring at my fig leaf!”

Hoegaarden, well known for their ubiquitious wheat beer, also make this treat. It has a slightly fruity bouquet but a full bodied belgian ale flavour. This fine beer is available in import food shops like Yamaya, Seijoishi, and in some department store basements. To my dismay online beer vendor Beer Cafe Ueda has a note on their website saying this beer will no longer be imported so stock up now.

I bought the glass at Yamaya. Not where I normally look for glasses but every once in a while they have some for sale.

I once had Urthels three standard brews at a Belgian beer pub in Tokyo called Frigo (near the south exit of Shinjuku station.) Based on that fine memory I snapped this up when I saw it at Tanakaya. With the hop intensive label and “superior hopping blond” written on the label I was ready for it to hop my socks off. Well, truth told, it’s not so hoppy. There is a hop aroma but little bitterness and punch. It does, however, follow through on the belgian blond side. A misrepresented but nice flavour.

The glass is an old Westmalle glass with the logo facing away. It’s the closest I have to what I remember of the shape of the official Urthel glass. This glass was aquired on ebay for a pittance (shipping was more than the cost of the glass.)

Keen observers may note my kick-ass antique Kabuto Beer crate in the background.

Edelpils is a fine limited Pilsner from Sapporo.Nice hop aroma and bitterness. Reminds one of a Czech beer. Sapporo turns out a batch of cans about once a year and when its out you can get it pretty much anywhere you get beer. However some of the classier beer halls have this on tap year round. This particular beer was purchased at my local supermarket.

Glassware: There is an official Edelpils glass which my collection currently lacks. To do this fine beer proud I served it the oldest Sapporo galss in my collection from sometime in the Showa era. I picked it up in an antique store in the Broadway building in Nakano, Tokyo.

Kibidoteshita is a little micro-brewery in Okayama. I visited there recently and tried three respectable beers and three that… well… three that needed work. I bought six bottles to bring home and this is one of them. The label says “Onzaki medium　吉備土手下 御崎ミディアム.” The label also names this beer as “Zen pale 然ペール.” Even a less than sober individual can see that this brewery has labeling issues. Anyways, medium is the best name as it is a fine medium bodied beer but sadly not so memorable. I wouldn’t go out of my way to get more but there are some cools things about this brewery which I will comment on in the future so I will  keep my eye on them.

This beer had the honour of being served in a genuine English pub glass that I aquired long ago in a pub in Surrey called The Duke of Wellington.

While I wish no disrespect to Autralians I have problems with their beers, even those made by micro-breweries just don’t seem to have much character.This beer has a cool name but it’s sadly inaccurate. As you can see in the picture it ain’t cloudy. Whether it is an ale or not is debatable. This beer at first tastes a bit like an IPA but then just disappears in your mouth. No finish at all. Definitely a lawnmower beer. If I were given a case I wouldn’t throw it away but I’d never spend my own money on it.

This beer is not available in Japan. It was purchased in Melbourne and made the trip here in my wife’s suitcase.

The glass is a Baccarat crystal beer glass. Every house needs a set of these.

A Lovely and very drinkable Belgian Blond from the brewery De Arrend in Flanders. No surprises here just a nice respectable blond. The only place I’ve ever seen it is at Tanakaya where I purchased both it and the matching glass.

Anchor has been putting out their annual Christmas brew for over 20 years now. Every year the recipe and the label are different. The 2008 is a nice heavy beer with a good amount of holiday spices and a malt finish. It’s not an ideal first beer of the night but a great finish.

Anchor Chritmas is never difficult to get in Japan. Lots of department stores and bigger liquor shops carry it every year and some of the the more beer-centric supplieｒs can get you a magnum bottle. As I write this Beer Cafe Ueda still has some in stock. I can’t recall where I got this particular bottle.

The glass is a Baccarat crystal beer glass we got two of as a wedding gift from an exceedingly tasteful friend.