A little more body, a little milder

Extra Draft Black Label

Brand: Sapporo

Price: 220 yen

Place of purchase: Belx Supermarket

Rating:

The popular Black Label beer produced by Sapporo Breweries is pretty good as Japanese mass-produced lager beers go. This one, Extra Draft, is brewed with the same recipe as Black Label with additional malt and aged longer at a very low temperature. This is intended to give the malt a more mellow flavor. The brew is made with the usual hops with the addition of corn, starch, and rice. It's got slightly more body than the regular Black Label, a light flavor, and a bit of sweetness tempered by a hint of bitterness.

Sapporo's Black Label is a reliable beer, appealing to Japanese and international beer drinkers alike. Extra Draft is not a bad beer, but not much different from the standard Sapporo mass-produced beer. This beer comes out periodically, so you may see it in the shops but not for long. It's a good enough "drinking beer", mild-tasting, but not spectacular. As the beer tax laws have changed recently, here's hoping that the major brewers will take advantage of the interest in beer varieties and produce brews that are a bit more distinctive.