Try?
What is this
stuff? That’s the $64 question. It’s a beer, I know that much, but what
kind? Grab a chair, dear reader, and allow me to explain the mystery of
Kuronama. Our story begins in Japan, where German beer styles are very
popular. Among them, Schwarzbier, or black beer is perhaps the most
loved specialty style of all. Asahi, Kirin, and Sapporo, Japan’s big three
brewers, all make one. I have seen Sapporo’s version here in the United
States, and I can tell you it is very, very good.
Tonight I’m tasting Asahi’s black beer for the first time, and it’s driving
me nuts. Ever seen that old Steve Martin routine where he’s pointing to an
off-camera object and keeps saying, “What the hell is that?……wait, I know
what it is……..what the hell is that?” As I sit here staring at my
glass of Asahi Kuronama, I’m giving a remarkably good performance of that
old skit.
Kuronama was introduced in October of 1995. Or was it? The beer called
Kuronama was, but Asahi has been brewing a black beer much longer than that.
Jackson describes a black beer from Asahi in his Beer Companion,
which was published in 1993, two years before Kuronama was said to have been
introduced.
Perhaps Kuronama is merely the bottled rollout of a smaller scale specialty
beer Asahi produced, and which Jackson describes. Jackson styles the black
beer he talks about as a black beer. My bottle indicates this is an ale,
however. Granted, some states require that beers above a certain alcohol
content be labeled as ales, but Kuronama has an alcohol content of 5% by
volume, about the same as Budweiser.
The mystery deepens. I’ll further explain after I describe the beer:
Asahi Kuronama pours to a very dark brown to light black color with a light
head formation and a sweet molasses nose. The light roasty palate is medium
bodied, somewhat smooth and drinkable, and hints at prune and fruitcake with
a little more of the molasses notes the nose promised. The finish is
slightly roasty, but again, very drinkable.
The flavors present in Asahi Kuronama are more common in ales than lagers.
So, as a Schwarzbier, Kuronama would be an oddity, since Schwarzbiers are
lagers. They are generally clean in the palate, lacking the fruity notes
this one packs. Then again, many of the traits I picked up in Kuronama were
described by Jackson in his notes on Asahi Black. If you’re thinking power
of suggestion, you should know I took my tasting notes before reading what
Jackson had to say about Kuronama.
Asahi has been around for a long time. They started out as the Osaka Beer
Brewing Company in 1889. You would think in all that time they would have
learned that it’s a good thing to get information about your beer out to the
public. But there is surprisingly little concerning this beer, other than
that it is brewed with several “original” black malts.
Kuronama is supposedly Japanese for black draft beer. Personally, I
think it means what the hell is this?. Whatever it is, it’s a tasty,
interesting beer worth checking out. Try it with a tin of mystery meat for a
real winning combo.
And remember, try a new beer today, and drink outside the box.
*Pricing data accurate at time of review or latest update. For reference only, based on actual price paid by reviewer.
(B)=Bottled
(D)=Draft
(G)=Growler
