Beer Challenge: 007: Strongbow Apple Ciders Elder Flower 330mL Bottle

A week passed.

It has been so fast!! Can't even remember what I have done! JEZZZ!

But 1 thing can be sure, as promised, that I tired the other flavour of Strongbow: Elder Flower

I was confused. As I have heard Elder Flower (Yes, from Harry Potter), but have never known or seen the real thing.

So I asked the magic mirror, "what is elder flower?", and it answered.

Elder flower comes from Elder plant or Sambucus. It is frequently used for its medicinal benefits and its flavouring in beverages and foods.

Elder flower is used to make elderflower cordial and syrup in Europe. Elderberry, the fruit of elder plant, is also used to make wine or food.

So, elder flower is widely used, and what I should expect in the Apple Ciders, is the Elder flower aroma as well as its taste. VERY WELL.

As you can see, under different levels of light, the cider has a light pear colour.

and so I tried.

- No obvious aroma, which means no elderflower aroma

- Not sweet, even less than strongbow honey, less sour

- Less bitterness but still obvious when passing thru, minimal after taste.

In R Scale, it is 7/10.

The character of elderflower does not really stand out.

OR is it the character of elderflower? Helping everything to match, but not its character?

That has to wait until I tried the real elderflower foodie or beverages.

Actually, it is easy to mouth, and also good for chit chatting. I would also suggest for girls, and for parties.

You know, everyone taste differently, so give it a try even though I say its not really good, it's just for me, it's subjective.

Have a good weekend! Cheers and Drink Safe!

Beer Challenge: 006: Strongbow Apple Ciders Honey 330mL Bottle

This week, our challenge, on the red corner, ISSSS - the STRONGBOW APPLE CIDER HONEYYY

What?! You said apple cider does not count as beer? HUH? What are you talking about? I can't hear you, hello? he..ll...o?

Oh, something weird happened, whatever, let's start our challenge!

Strongbow is a cider originated from England since 1962. So, there is a second website, I mean the official UK website for Strongbow (or choose UK in location in the global website).

Strongbow has earned the highest selling cider in Australia and the second highest in N. American in 2012, it is pretty well known, popular

However, in RateBeer.com, the rating is so low! It's 24/100, basically is a fail drink (well, compare to its brother Strongbow Cider who gets only 11/100, Honey did pretty good).

WHY is that?

Is it because people who like Strongbow cider doesn't rate it? OR

Is it because only whose who don't like Strongbow cider rates it?

Hmm, very good question though.

For sure, I cannot judge one product by only one website or in a very small pool. It is just a critical thought which everyone has its own taste.

One thing can be sure tho, how good was the marketing of Strongbow?

Take a look of its commercial from the Global website published on Apr 2015

"Strongbow over Ice", personally felt this name fail so much.

And then another one, from the UK Strongbow from Jul 2014

Much better. At least you can see a story.

Although I personally like the one in 2011 better.

It attracted me to try.

Right, then here I tried:

- Golden brown amber color, light apple acidic smell

- Sweet but not too sweet compare to Somerby (Yes, I tried it), minimal of honey favour can be tasted; 

- Sour, like apple and more than that, less than apple vinegar; 

- Medium bitterness, very obvious when drinking down.

- Carbonation, mild. Serve with ice or no ice are fine.

Good for drinking alone

Sweetness: 6/10
Sour: 6/10
Bitterness: 7/10

R Scale: 7.5/10
I think it's an okay cider, tho nothing special :P


When cider typically means the alcoholic drinks made from fermented apple juice, Strongbow has added other favours for more production lines (Go to the UK website, you can see 3 more favours that the global one didn't show!)

Next week, we will be challenging the other Strongbow product - Elder Flower, let's see if it is more special than this.

Hmmm...I should try the original one first, right eh?

Cheers! Have a great drink ever! Drink safe!

Beer Challenge: 005: Hite 355mL Bottle

Kpop and Korean artists are so popular around the world in nowadays, so as the Korean Beer - The top selling beer in Korea (surely we are talking about South Korea, what are you think about?): Hite

First, I have to admit, as I have ZERO knowledge about Korean (except I love you ;)), it's pretty difficult to dig information directly out from the official website. In fact, I have minimal interest of Korea.....(Yes, I know PSY, so what? I also know Eunsol in Bambino :P but Korea is just not my love.)

An Euro Pale Lager with 4.5% alc./vol. content (I like infographics, save time! No, no, no..I don't want to end this earlier because its Korean Beer)

Well then, here are my unprofessional tasting test:

- Fresh, like carbonated water

- Easy to mouth, very little taste of bitterness

- Hmm..nothing else is special


Although it's very normal, in R scale, it is rated as 7/10. Very good one to drink alone (Pusss, who drink beer alone?)

Cheers! Have beer in weekend!

Beer Challenge: 004: Corona Extra 355mL Bottle

Although we haven't gone through the big four of Japanese Breweries (yes, I left Sapporo out...), we are going to try one of the most popular beers exported from Mexico, the Corona Extra

Corona (or La Corona), is obviously Spanish, means The Crown, which you can clearly see in its logo on the label.

Corona Extra was started brewing in Mexico by the company Grupo Modelo in 1925, which around 90 years of history. Grupo Modelo sold part of its business to AB InBev in 2013 that made AB InBev owns Corona Extra now (Financial stories, I skip it for now).

Grupo Modelo also has other production lines including the following:

Back to Corona Extra, this pale lager has a light amber color with a blue label that I like its design in the first sight. The beer has an alcohol content of 4.5% Alc./Vol. which obviously not strong.

Looking at the label for the Ingredients content, it's included Water (obviously), Barley Malt (well, you may find wheat in other beer), Corn and Rice (Huh?) Hops (for sure).

Hmmm...why are corn and rice added into the beer?

So I did a little bit of digging.

Mike Reis stated that Corn and Rice are used to the lighten the colour and the body of the beer without adding too much flavour. Some (in the comment section) also stated that Corn and Rice are used to lower the production cost as these two ingredients provide sugar for the fermentation.

I see. I thought corn and rice are used for adding more flavour to the beer, but obviously I am not right. Hell, Let's just drink beer.


For my unprofessional tasting test, it is:

- Malty, pretty strong too

- Low carbonation, as very little foam formed (I used a glass to test)

- The bitterness is so outstanding when passes through the taste buds, and it stays there for some time.

- Stimulate my saliva gland, in order to cover the bitterness

- Actually, in some degree, it tastes like San Miguel to me.

In R scale, it worth 6.5/10, however, if I need lime in the beginning of the drink, it is more likely to be 7.5. Lime adds acid to the beer, just like adding freshness into it.

I guess I should try Corona Light too in order to distinguish the differences between two, but generally speaking, I am not choosing Corona is Kirin is an option :P

Coz I'm NOT Dom.

There is an interesting phenomenon when I was digging about the ingredient of Corona. People who have Celiac disease are able to drink Corona Extra. Though Corona Extra is made of barley malt, those who are sensitive to gluten are not affected by Corona Extra. They guessed that the amount of gluten in the beer is so little that does not cause any unhappy moment when they are drinking it.

It's good news! For all the gluten related allergies persons, can enjoy the joy of beer!!

Have a great day and drink safe! Cheers!

Beer Challenge: 003: Asahi Super "Dry" Extra Cold Draught

I am sorry, but my love for Japanese beer cannot be stopped.

This week challenge, also one of the big four beer companies, is the Asahi Super Dry "Extra Cold" Beer

Asahi Breweries is the largest beer companies, with a 38% of market share, in Japan according to wiki. But you can clearly see how popular Asahi beer is in your daily life.

Like the other two companies (Suntony and Kirin) we went through, Asahi produces and imports lots of products including sake, wine, whisky, soft drinks, and others.

But for the product line and history of Asahi, I shall write another detail post after I have done researching (Learning Japanese for it now!)

Well, then, let's get back to the topic.

Asahi Super "Dry" Extra Cold, as the name of it tells you how does it different from the normal Super "Dry" Beer.

As you can see here (the products of Asahi Company) or down below, most of the beer are called Super "Dry" (スーパードライ)(Pronounced as: Su-Pa-Do-La-E). So, Super "Dry" basically is the standard, the normal version that we drink.

(Should try all of them...yum..)

We should then focus on the term - Extra Cold ( エクストラ コールド).

What is Extra Cold?

"Using the most advanced temperature management system with dedicated server(the tap), the beer is served below freezing, -2 degree to 0 degree."

So honestly, it is just the standard Asahi Super "Dry" Beer served in a very low temperature. Possibly the same as I put my beer in the snow during winter for 30 min.

BUT, now you can taste it in summer.

Let's take a look of the commercial.

Obviously the Extra Cold "most advance temperature management system" is the secret and not able to find any information about it (yet). However, I think we just need to know what it is for now (Well, we are make Extra Cold in winter too, aren't we?)

I tried this at the Shinjuku Station (新宿駅) in Japan. The store was in the middle of the station on the second floor, and no reason needed, I was attracted into it (Possibly it is not there anymore)

I did not order any food that they provided as they were so expensive as I wasn't hungry at that time, but I probably should if I have another chance.

You could see the foam was great, full and smooth, and nearly 8:2 ratio. Though the container was a plastic cup, it did not lower your eagerness to drink this. (I like glass for beer, but this time was ok, glass would be more perfect)

So from my unprofessional tasting test, it was:

- VERY fresh

- Cold (until the last sip), light, which you can hardly taste the hop

- You can still taste the malt, not much, but enough for the beer

In R scale, I rated it as 9/10. It was an awesome drink for gathering with friends, chit-chating, and definitely a good one after work.

Hmm..I am thinking what I should add in the coming posts, please comment if you are interested in anything about beer!

Well, let's call it a week then ! Cheers! and drink safe!

Beer Challenge: 002: Kirin Nodogoshi Beer 500mL Can

This week, a different beer, a different company, but from the same country, is presenting to you:

Kirin Nodogoshi <Nama> Beer キリン のどごし <生>





First thing first, the name of the company.


Kirin, is a mythical chimerical creature known in Asian culture. As you can see in the logo, Kirin has the head of dragon, the body of horse and the tail of ox. It can breath fire, and call like thunder. Kirin represents prosperity or serenity in ancient China.


But if you use google translate, it tells you kirin is a giraffe.


Well, that is basically because of there was no Kirin in the western myth and all they could imagine is giraffe.


Anyways, the Kirin beer attracted me by its name when I first saw it. (Actually all animal names or logos do)


Skipping the history of the company (as I would write one about it in later future), this company produces different beer products, including Lager, Stout, and with other favours. And Nodogoshi is then one of them.



Nodogoshi is different from other beers.


The name, again, means more than name.


What is Nodogoshi (のどごし)? It means the feeling when the beer goes through the throat, that special moment you feel the freshness in your body. (Nama means draught)


So drinking the beer does not only drink its taste with your tongue, and also the Nodogoshi by your throat.


The other thing that makes this beer special, is the beer is gluten-free, yes, which means it is free of gluten and no gluten involved. Yup, you did not see something wrong, the beer has no gluten.


Oh, come on, don't ask me what is gluten (I wikied for you).


Which means the ingredient of the beer is not barley or wheat, but soybean.


One of the great things is people who have coeliac disease can also enjoy the specialness of beer. I just cannot imagine how am I going to survive without beer. (Thou I almost certain I would keep living).


As I have never tried another beer of soybean before, I cannot tell how much different from it, but definitely the differences from the normal beer.




According to the official website, Kirin Nodogoshi Nama embodies a crisp and full-bodied taste.


And from my unprofessional tasting test, it is

- Actually tasted like barley or malt.

- The sweetness of the beer fulfilled the whole oral cavity once swallowed, and

- The bitterness came in after 5 seconds, the aftertaste stayed for a while until the next sip.


In R scale, it would be 8/10. Definitely worth trying it.






And in May 2015, a product of Nodogoshi has been published, which the ingredient changes from soybean back to barley AND wheat.


How would that different from the soybean one or the normal beer, we will find that out.



At last, just cannot ignore, and can't deny Japanese's creativity and earnestness.





This is the experiment of the Japanese scientists using electromyogram to test the muscle movement when drinking different drinks, including cold water, carbonated water and room temp water.


And I did not read thru the whole article coz im lazy (Yes, they published it - "Effects of taste solutions, carbonation, and cold stimulus on the power frequency content of swallowing submental surface electromyography" Chem Senses, 2009 May; 34(4): 325-31 Eoub 2009 Feb 16"


But check that out if you are interested.



Cheers, drink safe!

Beer Challenge: 001: Suntory The Premium Malt's 330mL Can

There was a long delay in the blogging, but what, I did not stop challenging after since.

SO, today, the first one I challenged, was the first one I drank in my trip to Japan back in 2013: Suntory The Premium Malt's

Suntory, one of the big four Japanese beer companies in my mind (The other three are: Asahi, Kirin, Sapporo), has been selling this product since 2003. 

The Premium Malt's granted the "Grand Gold Medal" from the Monde Selection in 3 continuous years started from 2005.

Well, well, well, so it said it's good. 

And after we go through the history, should we try that out then?

According to the official website, The Premium Malt's is "features a delicate floral aroma and a rich, quality taste. The Premium Malt's is made from carefully selected pure ingredients using original brewing methods, in pursuit of the perfect premium beer."

Also, in the official website, it teaches you how to pour the beer to a glass perfectly with the ratio 3:7 of foam and beer, to enjoy the best taste of it.

So...I did it, and in my personal point of view, The Premium Malt's is:

- Easy to drink, and thin
- Distinguishable hop, slight bitter
- Long aftertaste, with the taste of bitter and sweet

Overall in the R scale (Ray Scale :P), it would be 7/10



There are recently different volume of cans and bottles to choose from, according to your thirstiness.

Yet, there is another thing that we should not miss, i.e. the TV commercial in Japan. 

Japanese beer companies pay a lot in marketing, and their own interesting and special creativities, they are pretty enjoyable to watch.

The official website has the most recently commercial, but we can also search other years in youtube.

http://www.suntory.co.jp/beer/premium/ad/

Well, for the first challenge, I think that is it. Let's see if there are any other interesting facts or stuff to add in the coming posts.

Cheers! and drink safe.

References:

http://www.suntory.com/beer/premium/en/

http://www.suntory.co.jp/beer/premium/

Images are captured from the official website, I do not own the copyright of them.