Minami Shinsyu Beer - 2612 Chuo Alps Senjojiki

 

Name: 2612 Chuo Alps Senjojiki

Brewery: Minami Shinshu Beer

Style: Amber Ale

Purchased at: Komagane Ropeway Giftshop.

Price: ¥500

Taste: 9/10

Alcohol Level: 5%

Music: Summoning - Oathbound. 
 

Snack: Homemade Pizza. Earlier that day I ate Tonkatsu.

Website: http://ms-beer.co.jp/

Experience: A goal of mine in returning to Nagano was to spend more time in the Alps. During my last time here I did some climbing and snowboarding in the Northern Alps. Now I live closer to the central and southern alps. On this day I rode my bike to the train station, caught the train to Komagane station, caught a bus up to the ropeway and then took the ropeway to the Senjojiki Cirque. I was nervous the whole way that the bus or ropeway would be cancelled because of corona. Access to the Southern Alps has been made really difficult because a lot of buses have been totally stopped for the year. Luckily the bus was running and I was the only person to catch it from the station. There's a carpark closer to the actual road up the mountains and the bus completely filled up then. Before this I was thinking about going back up the ropeway in autumn since it is meant to be beautiful. Seeing how packed the bus was on this day, a normal summer weekday with a little bit of rain, I'm guessing it would be absolute hell in autumn so I'm rethinking that.

Stepping out of the ropeway station and seeing the Senjojiki Cirque is absolutely unreal. Definitely a moment I will remember forever. I was instantly struck with a glad feeling for returning to Nagano. The climb to the mountain tops was steep at the beginning, but once you make it past the first hour of steepness it gets easier. The views the whole way are amazing and gave me enough energy to keep going. It was a bit cloudy that day, so the views came and went as the clouds rolled through. The whole time I had the feeling of being in a high, remote place, which I don't always get when hiking. That feeling, like going out too far at the beach, is a little bit scary but exciting too. Once I made it to the top of the mountain the thunder and lightening started. No one else seemed too bothered, and I've read a lot of stories over the years of people surviving lightening strikes, so I didn't worry either.

I made it back to the ropeway station, a few minutes after I got back inside it began to rain like it had been holding it in after too many beers during the support band and there was finally a break. The lightening got really close too, so close that the windows were shaking, it felt like the building shook a bit too. The cable car was stopped for a while, so I had some beers and lunch. After that I bought the beer which is the subject of this review.

When I drank this beer I was glad to finally be home. I made a BBQ Chicken pizza in the pizza oven I bought off the internet. I didn't expect it to last more than a few times or I'd use it once and then never want to make pizza again, but I can gladly say I have made pizza many times now, each time getting a bit better.

Amber Ale is my favourite style of beer. I've never had a bad one, I love the colour and I love how it's associated with Autumn. The design of the bottle didn't reflect autumn at all, but the colour of the beer and the flavour did. The beer is names 2612 because, I'm pretty sure, the ropeway station where they sell this beer is 2612 metres above sea level. I'm fairly sure this beer is the same as Minami Shinshu Beer's regular Amber Ale, which I have had before and loved. I'd love to drink this beer a lot, but at 500 yen a bottle it's too expensive. I can have one or two special beers like this, and then drink the cheap stuff. This beer is so far away from cheap beer that switching between the two makes me appreciate it more. It also makes me miss making my own beer back in Australia.

While hiking I was listening Summoning - Oathbound. An old favourite that always makes me think of and appreciate mountains, forests and great views. Especially the track Might and Glory was perfect for walking at the of the mountains.

OH LA HO! Brewery - Amber Ale, Can.

Name: Amber Ale

Brewery: Oh La Ho! Brewing

Style: Amber Ale

Purchased at: Nagano train station.

Price: ¥350

Taste: 10/10

Alcohol Level: 5%

Music: I was still listening to Aura Noir from the previous review, but at the time of actually writing this I am listening to Summoning’s album, Oathbound.

Summoning – Oathbound.

Snack: Chicken sandwich with japapenos

Website: http://www.tomi-kosya.com/ohlaho-beer/ohlaho-beer.html

I drank this beer just after the Thrash Lager in the previous review. When I poured this beer into the glass, jeez I was admiring the colour. A beautiful, deep brown with slightly brown foam on the top. This is my absolute favourite colour for beer, love it when the foam is dark like that. I think it’s because one time a friend of a friend came around to our house with some beer he had made himself. I was like, WTF you can make your own beer??

The taste man. Just perfect. It’s got that slightly sweet and caramel flavour you’d expect from a beer of this colour, but not over the top so you feel sick by the end of it.

I’m gonna go ahead and say this is my favourite beer from Nagano that I’ve tried so far. The Yona Yona pale ale has been dethroned and a new power has risen. Hail, amber ale, king of the bar.

This is the type of beer I imagine them drinking in Lord of the Rings. In fact I am reading lord of the rings at the moment. I just finished the chapter where Aragon and company arrive at Isengard to find Merry and Pippin eating and drinking to their hearts content. When they sit down to lunch they are offered beer from a barrel. OH LA HO’s Amber Ale is what I imagine they drank. Oh and from the movie where he says, It comes in pints?? This is the beer I imagine. I thick, strong foam, hearty, warming flavour with naturally brewed flavours.

Maybe this beer simply came to me at the right time, but I really enjoyed it. I’m writing this review during down time at work now, but you had better bloody believe I’m going to pick up a few cans of it on the way home tonight, go ahead and put money on that. I reckon I’ll drink one or two while in the bath tonight. Sounds great to me.