Samurai Champloo | Brewerianimelogs (Anime and Beer Lore)

Rating: 4.25/5

Vernal Equinox by Avila Ales is a 5.51% ABV California Common.

==Introduction==
Originally brewed at the Avila Household, my friend Richard Avila wanted to create 2 beers for his son’s birthday. This one and a Pilsner. After talking it over, we took both of our brewing supplies and double brewed both the recipes that day at his parent’s place where he used to live. I figured, the more equipment, the faster we can get the brew day finished rather than doing one brew at a time. Thanks to my friend Richard, he has given me these homebrews for review.

I bring forth the California Common, a light ale made famous by Anchor Steam. It is not often brewed style but it is definitely a staple in the craft beer world. So let’s take a look at this refreshing beauty and see how it turns out. Cheers!

Aromas:
Honey, rye bread, caramel, toasted bread, mild orange preserve hints, pilsner grains, toasted cereal and cane sugar.

Flavors:
Biscuit bread, rye bread, citrus, piney hop notes, caramel, toffee hints, light cherry notes, brown sugar hints, cane sugar, toasted bread, mild orange preserve hints, butterscotch hints, vanilla hints, pilsner grains, toasted cereal and mild dark fruit hints.

Aftertaste:
Finishes dry with notes or citrusy, piney hop notes and rye bread. No alcohol in the taste, copper colored light body, crisp, clean, refreshing and smooth mouthfeel and easy to drink.

Overall:
A very delicious California Common and reminiscent of the Anchor Steam one, if not better. This one was brewed and fermented very well. There was no homebrew taste and as difficult as these beers are to make due to less complex flavors, my friend Richard made a fantastic brew. Delicious amounts of nice caramel essence that still remains loyal to the non-craft drinker and would appease anyone at a party. I hope my friend makes this recipe again. Awesome beer!

Anime Corner:
Fuu from Samurai Champloo was used in this pairing as I wanted to show some aspects of the Vernal Equinox which is at the point where the longest day of the year is the last time the sun stays up late into the nightly hours. The picture she is in represents a lot of those aspects. As the long days say goodnight.

Sources:
https://i.ytimg.com/vi/PltaZ59OY0U/maxresdefault.jpg

Rating: 5.2/5

Japanese Green Tea IPA collaboration by Baird, Stone and Ishii brewing is a 10.1% Double India Pale Ale brewed with Green Tea.

Label:
Our style of brewing has always been about taking chances. It’s an extension of our “what-if” mentality, wherein we ask ourselves what would happen if we did things di¬fferently in the brewhouse, such as fermenting with a di¬fferent strain of yeast or, in the case of this beer, incorporating whole-leaf green tea imported from Japan. The answer, embodied in this IPA when we first released it in 2011, was something truly magnificent, delicious and as proven by the reissued edition you hold in your hand in 2015, well worth brewing again. But what if we changed it up a bit? Yes, it’s riskier to change something most people thought to be liquid perfection, including out two-time collaborators Bryan Baird of Japan’s Baird Brewing Company and Toshi Ishiii, a former Stone brewer and the founder of Guam’s Ishii Brewing Co., but we’ve found that, when approached with cautious curiosity and logic-driven creativity, reward often follows such risk. So, in bringing this IPA back to life, we followed the same recipe developed four years ago, but exchanged Pacifica hops from New Zealand,a hop-growing region that was becoming quite popular in 2011, for Helga hops from Australia, an area with burgeoning botanical scene right now. The result is an IPA that’s as bright, herbaceous and bitingly hoppy as the one that’s had our fans requesting its return ever since its depletion from store shelves, but with a modern, hop-driven twist that makes this second draft unique and tasty in its own right.

==Introduction==

Oh My God It’s Back!! The Green Tea IPA is back! The one beer that actually managed to nail the green tea flavors. The original brew was made in support of the Japanese Tsunami from March 2011. I had received my first sample from my friend Julio who got me a bottle of this and had traded for a St. Bernardus back in 2011. This beer was very special and as I remember it was very delicious. It’s return and especially in a bigger quantity is baffling. I am hoping and praying and a return of the Chocolate Cherry Stout collab. That beer was damn out of this world and even aged well too. Well, let us take a look at the re-release, Cheers!

Aromas:
Green Tea, caramel, vanilla, grassy, piney, herbal, floral and mild grapefruit hops, stone fruit like lychee, apricot, pears, apple, guava, dragon fruit, green tea ice cream, mango, purple sweet potato ice cream, sweetened condenced milk, vanilla, oranges, tangerines, prickly pears, lemon grass and brown sugar.

Flavors:
Rich Green Tea Ice cream, vanilla, biscuit bread, grassy, piney, herbal, floral and mild grapefruit hops, garlic and oniony notes, citrus, pineapple, rich Green tea leaves, spearmint/yerba buena, sweetened condensed milk, strawberry notes, flan, dragon fruit, lychee, pears, apples, stone fruit hints, purple sweet potato ice cream, guava, tangerines, oranges, coriander spice, lemon peel, lemon grass, mango, pineapple hints and prickly pear.

Aftertaste:
Green tea, rich vanilla, caramel, sweetened condensed milk hints, rich hoppy, grassy notes, citrus and honey. No alcohol in the taste, clear golden body, creamy, crisp, refreshing and smooth mouthfeel, easy to drink. 10% really ain’t nothing for this beer.

Overall:
Damn perfect IPA. Just as good as what I can remember from when I first had it in 2011 but maybe better. It is like a fusion between an IPA and a Green Tea Ice cream. So far, it is showing me it is the best Double IPA in 2015 and very damn unique. The variety and change slightly in the recipe is showing me some stuff I have not seen before. I would highly recommend this one as it has become one of my favorite IPAs.

Anime Corner:
Fuu Kasami from Samurai Champloo was used in the original review way back in 2011. I chose her for the review in this pairing since I wanted to pair with the aspect of Japanese Culture and Green Tea. Fuu has a back up of Samurais by the names of Mugen and Jin so if she is in trouble they are there to protect. The overall aspect of Japanese influence in this beer is insane so the perfect pairing back then was just the one for this one too. Definitely even at 10%, it has Samurai Champloo all over it.

Sources:
http://genzoman.deviantart.com/art/Fuu-Samurai-Champloo-165865071
http://denoro.deviantart.com/art/Fuu-78135233