Japanese Beer

[Nyororin]

Originally Posted by Columbine

Hah, I can't nomihoudai beer either. Too much liquid and too much fizz. I just stuck to umeshuu at those times. >.> admittedly that leads to a lot of umeshuu...

I can`t drink beer at all. :P It isn`t a nomihoudai thing.
I will do the required sip for kanpai, but after that it`s over to something a) not carbonated and b) with an actual amount of alcohol that will do something before I feel sick from sheer liquid intake. I would have to guzzle beer or chu-hai for anything to happen, so usually order something strong followed by something sweet.

[Tenchu]

I tried Asahi once. I didn't like it. I liked Australian beer a lot, it seemed very hearty. Where as the Japanese beer struck me as light and empty.

I drink Thai beer mostly, of course. I only drink Chang. 6.8% alc, it's pretty strong.

[GTJ]

Originally Posted by ThaDuke

It always takes people aback when I can read the Asahi label. I guess they don't expect it..or they just don't believe me.

"Supa Dorai! Asahi Biru!"

Why, is it in kana or something? I can't remember...

Originally Posted by Columbine

Club Pure is a bona fide skanky gaijin dive. Basically where all the american guys of the "we can DRINK LEGALLY-whoa-my-god-let's-get-trashed" mentality go and pick up drunk japanese girls, and the foreign girls get letched at by dirty drunk guys.

Quoted for truth. I'm glad someone can succinctly describe that place. I've never been but I heard all the stories from my friends who did. I was never impressed.

That's pretty tragic about Japanese Guinness. I'd have thought it would just be imported, so it would be the same, but I guess not... sad gaijin.

Am I the only person who can't do nomihoudai cuz I get FULL? Beer and other fizzy beverages are carbonated = full tummy. I dunno how people do it.

[bELyVIS]

Originally Posted by GTJ

Not to mention that's like the nastiest place on earth. Apart from Sam&Dave's, which is also downright nasty. Ugh. >_>

As far as boozing in Japan... I hate to admit it but I usually go with chuhais and the cocktail beverages. They're cheapish, tasty, and do the job. For Japanese beer, Asahi Dry is pretty good (I love the CM.. "Super DRYYYYYY"), but I'm picky about my beer.

I'm a Guinness man through and through, and I've only found one place with Guinness on tap in Kansai so far, and that's in nara for ¥800 a pint, so it's not even worth it.

It depends on if you go there for drinking or to meet someone.
As far as Guinness, Blarney Stone in Higashi Umeda has it. Same price I think. I think all the Irish Pubs have it.
What about beer gardens? It always seems to rain when I plan on going.

[GTJ]

Originally Posted by bELyVIS

It depends on if you go there for drinking or to meet someone.
As far as Guinness, Blarney Stone in Higashi Umeda has it. Same price I think. I think all the Irish Pubs have it.
What about beer gardens? It always seems to rain when I plan on going.

There's supposed to be a great beer garden in Namba my friends wanna take me to. ¥3,000 nomi/tabehoudai for god knows how long.

I haven't hit any irish pubs yet but I would like to. Are they generally pretty good gaijin hangouts? I hear hobgoblin's pretty popular, they advertise in kansai scene all the time...

[Columbine]

Originally Posted by GTJ

Quoted for truth. I'm glad someone can succinctly describe that place. I've never been but I heard all the stories from my friends who did. I was never impressed.

That's pretty tragic about Japanese Guinness. I'd have thought it would just be imported, so it would be the same, but I guess not... sad gaijin.

Am I the only person who can't do nomihoudai cuz I get FULL? Beer and other fizzy beverages are carbonated = full tummy. I dunno how people do it.

I didn't actually venture in either, but I've been in enough seedy clubs (haha, my old local. Urghhhh~) to be able to spot them just from the doors and who's hanging around outside.

Guinness just doesn't travel well, it just tastes different outside of ireland, even in England. Combination of preservatives and low turn over that means the brew is just sitting around too long getting old. I did find one place that did a good one outside of Ireland in Chiang Mai Thailand; quite a surprise but it was in an ex-pat's bar and there was a licensed brewery for it pretty close. Actually, probably the same brewery that supplies Japan, unless there's one closer. Same with Kikkoman soy sauce, the stuff you buy in the UK is mostly brewed in Europe so it tastes different.

*raises hand* I can't physically hold more than 2 pints of beer. Anyway, I see beer (proper beer, not the binger's gnats piss in a pint glass) as a slow drink. Something you pick up at lunch when you want to make a long sunday afternoon of it and put down about 10, not something you want to chug pint after pint of. You probably wouldn't get your money's worth anyway.

[bELyVIS]

Originally Posted by GTJ

There's supposed to be a great beer garden in Namba my friends wanna take me to. ¥3,000 nomi/tabehoudai for god knows how long.

I haven't hit any irish pubs yet but I would like to. Are they generally pretty good gaijin hangouts? I hear hobgoblin's pretty popular, they advertise in kansai scene all the time...

There is a couple of Irish pubs in Kansai area. Murphy's is good but it's a little bit hard to find and there's one at Nishinomiya on the way to Kobe that is pretty good, by the Hankyu railway exit. I can't remember the name but you can find it in Kansai scene Magazine. The Japanese Guinness doesn't taste too bad, it's better than most beers they have there.

[Columbine]

Originally Posted by bELyVIS

The Japanese Guinness doesn't taste too bad, it's better than most beers they have there.

Oh sure it's not undrinkable. If it were sold as a 'kuronama' with a different label it would be perfectly acceptable. Just not when you're expecting actual Guinness. XDD

[dirtyroboto]

You are all a bunch of beer virgins in my book. Not one person has mentioned the two best and cheapest beers you can buy.

Kirin Strong 7 - Ahhh! this is a deep coloured and flavorsome beer with a knockout 7% alc content. This is a beer that will give many Euro brands a run for their money. It is a new beer that has all of the history of the Stella's and Kronenburgs of this world in it's taste. Average price per 500ml can ¥178, best price I have so far ¥159

Suntory STRAIGHT - w00t for one of the most drinkable beers going. I have one on the go as I type this. This absolutly rocks over Stella/Kron and is 6%, with a great colour and even better taste. American beers pale away when compared to this superior brew. Suntory have got this one spot on and I would bet anyone serious money in a blind test that this beer would come out on top. This is a drinkers drink and is ranked by me in the top 3 canned brews. Average price per 500ml can ¥178, best price ¥156.

Other noteworthty cheap brews (all at the prices mentioned above) are Sapporo gold and Suntory Rich Malt. Both are a very nice summer swigg and are at 5% alc.

Any beer related questions PM me...

[GTJ]

Originally Posted by dirtyroboto

You are all a bunch of beer virgins in my book. Not one person has mentioned the two best and cheapest beers you can buy.

Kirin Strong 7 - Ahhh! this is a deep coloured and flavorsome beer with a knockout 7% alc content. This is a beer that will give many Euro brands a run for their money. It is a new beer that has all of the history of the Stella's and Kronenburgs of this world in it's taste. Average price per 500ml can ¥178, best price I have so far ¥159

Yanno, I wasn't so impressed with this one. I think the commercials put me off more than anything else... some guy standing on top of a building with the wind whipping his coat, takes a swig and reacts like he just swallowed a beaker of acid. Most of the beer commercials do this, too, and I invariably find myself rolling my eyes and muttering about how the locals can't drink. Culturally imperialistic of me, yes, but even though it's 7%, it's just the same watery substance with just more alcohol. It's not THAT strong.

Don't get me wrong, I still drink it cuz it does the job. XD

I'm just not a beer guy outside of lagers.

What do you think of chuhai? It's beer but not technically beer so they can dodge the beer tax, right? (Or so I'm told)