Okay flavour but light on body

Ichiban Shibori Howaito

Brand: Kirin

Price: 175 yen

Place of purchase: Belx Supermarket

Rating:

Every season, big breweries come out with new brews. In spring, many vernal beers get revived for a limited time. In April 2025, Kirin Breweries offers Kirin Ichiban Shibori Howaito, a white beer. The beer is brewed with domestic and imported wheat-based malt (an unspecified amount) , hops, and corn. The beer pours a little cloudy like a Belgian-style witbier. I carefully poured it, and it produced a copious amount of foamy head. The aroma is lightly fruity. Kirin recommends pairing the beer with delicately flavoured foods such as sushi. I imbibed mine with chilled zaru soba. The beer complements the subtle flavour of buckwheat.

Temper your expectations with this beer that appears to be a Belgian-style witbier. It's okay, reasonably priced (about 10 yen less than similar mass-produced beers) but it's no show-stopper. The beer has some characteristics of a witbier with a hazy appearance and foamy head. It's got some floral notes, too. However, it's light on body. I was surprised that it is so thin. The product page reveals that the wheat malt volume is not specified, so I guess they went light on it. Still, it's an okay beer with mildly flavoured foods.