So Someone Has Tried Their Hand at Brewing Beer

Last weekend I met up with a friend to go over a few e-mails.  She wanted to check with me to see if she had understood the contents of them properly as they were written in English.  After that was done we settled down to having a few drinks.

After we had finished a round at the place we had met, she asked me if I knew about Gokuraku Brewing.  I professed I wasn't aware of the company.  It turns out they are running a brewhouse restaurant and bar not far from her home.  Given the interest I displayed she guided me there to sample their beers.

The place is probably an old workshop or small factory which was converted into a microbrewery and restaurant.  The ceilings are high but the place is not too brightly lit.  So it's a comfortable place to be.

Initially I was going to order a glass of their "ukogi" beer.  "Ukogi" is a name applied to several species of plants in the genus Eleutherococcus.  The species typically grown in Yonezawa is E. sieboldianus.  Its Japanese name is "himé ukogi".   Anyways, I was dissuaded by my server who suggested a flight of beers instead.  In it are the two beers the company brews; ukogi beer, and Tateyama apple beer, and a sample of Sapporo, a commercial brand,

As much as I like to promote local products, I find it a bit difficult to recommend these beers.  They both suffer from a strong acidic aftertaste.  My friend says that they've improved since their initial offerings.  I sense there is some potential here but I believe the brew master might want to refine his skill making a decent pilsener or lager instead of starting off with esoteric flavours.  Nonetheless, I hope he can do well enough catering to the curiosity seekers so that he can afford the time to refine his brewing skills.