Fruity white beer

Spring Valley Silk Ale (white)

Brand: Kirin Breweries

Price: 260 yen

Place of purchase: Belx Supermarket

Rating:

Like Spring Valley's Hojun beer, Silk Ale is a premium beer that recalls white beers that are brewed with a higher proportion of wheat. Silk Ale's appeal is the use of Nelson Sauvin hops grown in New Zealand. Nelson Sauvin hops give beer a grape-like aroma that recalls wine, hence the Sauvin in the name, suggesting Sauvignon. I found it crisp, with a distinctly sweet aroma and little bitterness. The hop choice really does lend a fruity, light quality to the beer. I quite liked it, and would try it again.

Like Hojun, Spring Valley's flagship beer, Silk Ale is positioned as a premium beer and of course, at a premium price. The Nelson Sauvin hops do lend it an appealing flavor, and not something you come across in mass-produced beers in Japan. In that respect, it's a treat. However, some might argue that this is not a craft beer the way Spring Valley claims to be. While it's got a novel flavor, I don't think it can compete with a lot of the more complex white beers produced in smaller craft breweries in Japan.