Natsumikan Ale - Baird Brewing Company / Fishmarket Taproom

LumpyGuitar

New York

3.88/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

This was on sale at my local stop, picked it up because it piqued my interest.

Poured a slightly cloudy golden orange with a finger of strange offwhite head. The head was rather sticky, looked like swiss cheese, and had poor retention.

Smells of citrus (Natsumkian is a Japanese Tangerine) and very light malt, a bit of spice in the background.

Taste is very smooth, light sweet citrus up front which flows into a tart finish. Alcohol is completely undetectable and flavor balances great with the rest of the beer.

Mouthfeel is very light bodied. The beer has a strong dry acidity that, although not unpleasant, detracts overall from the "goodness".

Drinkability is average. I think this would be a great beer to pair with salad or for a really hot summer night, but the acidity was stronger than I'd like for something I'd drink regularly.

Serving type: bottle

05-02-2009 15:04:26 | More by LumpyGuitar

Nick3

California

4.13/5  rDev +7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Never had this style of beer and I wasn't sure what a Natsumikan was but I thought I'd give it a shot. Beer is a golden orangish color with little head. Good carbonation. Nose is mild and with subtle citrus notes. Taste is very refreshing and easy to drink. A but of grapefuit in there. Overall, a pleasant beer to drink in the spring and you could easily drink several.

Serving type: bottle

03-17-2009 03:54:32 | More by Nick3

RblWthACoz

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +3.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours a foggy brown touched orange/gold with a decent creme head. Flavor is interesting as you'd imagine it to be. Slight sweet citrus-like tone with a bare bitter side to it. Since I have no idea what a natsumikan tastes like so I have no point of reference as I'm sure most of us Yankees won't. Feel is good on liquid and carbonation. This is an easy to drink fruit beer.

Serving type: bottle

03-10-2009 05:39:15 | More by RblWthACoz

Georgiabeer

Georgia

4.33/5  rDev +12.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

This bottle was a recent addition to the lineup at Green's Package in Atlanta. Very nice to see another craft brewery from Japan available here. My bottle has the moniker "Shizuoka Natsumikan Ale", but it appears this is the same beer based on the description. Abv on this bottle is 6%. Pours a slightly hazy orange with a head that fades to a thin ring. The smell is very light, but there are very nice aromas of citrus peels, the esssential oils almost leap out of the glass when taking a whiff. Nice pithy bitterness as well. The taste has lots more of the pithy bitterness, some of the floral citrus oils, and some late citrus juice. This citrus is a bit unusual. Intensely citrusy, somewhat between a grapefruit, mandarin, and yuzu with some nice bitterness. Very clean and refreshing in the mouth, this is extremely interesting and would be superb with Sushi, Tempura, or soem nice Izakaya snacks.

Serving type: bottle

02-14-2009 20:56:10 | More by Georgiabeer

WesWes

New York

3.58/5  rDev -7.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

The beer pours a dark gold color with a thick frothy white head that slowly fades to lacing. The aroma is decent. It has a dry, bitter aroma that centers around this natsumikan fruit, which I'm no too familiar with. It's citrusy almost like an orange/lemon hybrid. The peel seems to add quite a bit of bitter zest. The taste is decent as well. It tastes like a witbier to me. It's light and refreshing with some bitter fruit rind in the finish. It's easy going down, but the peel flavor is a bit off putting. It's thin and dry with a moderate citrus zest. The mouthfeel is fine. It is a low bodied beer with adequate/good carbonation. This is an interesting beer, primarily because of the fruit of choice. I'm happy to have tried it, but I'll probably pass next time due to the $11.99 a bottle price tag.

Serving type: bottle

01-01-2009 20:47:53 | More by WesWes

Naerhu

Japan

4.63/5  rDev +19.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

A - Opaque orange body, with little to no pure white head.
S - Nice tangerine and grapefruit nose
T - Extremely well balanced, with minimal fruit or sweetness. Very similar to some of those over the top double IPAs without any of the excessive alcohol or bitterness. Very well balanced wheat bread like malt flavor and mild bitterness.
M - Very light and refreshing. Minimal carbonation.
D - Fantastic well balanced beer.

Had on tap at Beer and Bear here in Osaka.

Serving type: cask

05-26-2006 12:59:21 | More by Naerhu