Kirin Ichiban Shibori (US Edition)
In Guam, I had a chance to try Kirin Ichiban Shibori. I often avoid drinking Japanese beers when I travel as I want to try the domestic versions. The Saviour loves Ichiban Shibori and saw the $1.99 price and felt it was too good to be true; it turned out it was. I don’t know what they did but they completely changed the flavour. On the side, the can says “brewed under Kirin’s strict supervision by Anheuser-Busch”. I was not very surprised as many people told me that Ichiban Shibori is not the same in the US. I was surprised at how different the taste is. I don’t believe they added any rice to the recipe but the malts they used gave it a sweet taste. It was similar to the Guam1 I tried. I am disappointed in how they messed up the flavour but there really isn’t anything I can do about it. I guess I won’t be buying Kirin Ichiban Shibori in America or probably Canada either in the future. I’ll stick to the local beers.
Well they probably localized it to fit the needs of the buyers, which is a smart move for the company. But maybe disappointing for people who like the original taste 🙂
There is a fine line between fitting the local buyer’s taste and keeping to the original. I find it better to have the original and making a new beer for the foreign markets. Sapporo doesn’t call their US version “kuro label” or “black label”. I’m not sure how you can change the taste so much and still call it “Ichiban Shibori”. Needs more rice if you ask me. But that is just a guess. 😉