Sunday, April 16, 2017

Asahi Soukai - the non turbo beer

Bless my wife, she can spot a bargain a mile off. And given how much I'm enjoying a cold brew to help relax after a big night of occasionally working, I was more than pleased when she handed me a coupon she found for 2x6 packs of Asahi Soukai for just twenty bucks. A cold beer for $1.67? Sign me up!
And with this bargain beer in bulk, are we finally able to cross our first international beer off our list?
Well not exactly...


Sure with the design, font and plenty of Japanese characters adorning the bottle you could be confused with the thought that this was made in the land of the rising son. But look a little closer at the label and you'll see in the smaller print that it's brewed and bottled here in Australia...under the supervision of the Asahi company. Which could be anything from 100 strict guidelines rigorously enforced at every step right down to 'we made it here and after a couple of brews on the back deck the head honchos told us they like it so we'll stick with this recipe..'

HOW MUCH DID IT SET YOU BACK: $20 for 12 with a voucher. A bargain really.

INITIAL THOUGHTS: It's a perfectly drinkable brew once you look past the amazing contrast of mixed reviews. Some absolutely love it on a hot day while some label it 'fizzy water' and feel ripped off (maybe they didn't take up the two 6 packs for twenty bucks coupon like I did?). Personally? I enjoy it's predecessor far more. I found the original Asahi has far more crispness to it (especially in a well chilled glass in which it really excels) than the Soukai (which apparently means refreshing in Japanese) but the Soukai is refreshing if it's your first beer of the night and you don't give it the chance to warm up. Drinking it in a pint glass or similar takes away a bit of the soapy aftertaste that drinking out of a bottle seems to add.

WHAT TO EAT WITH IT: Being both low carb and a mid strength, there's not too many lingering notes to go on with every swig which means it works well with lots of food because it doesn't really overpower anything but bad if you want to make the beer the hero of the meal.

WHAT'S IT IDEAL FOR?: If you're carb concious and need a beer for the sake of taking six to a bbq where you'll only eat salad.

DID IT HELP WITH THE BRAKE PAD CHANGE?: Not really but it did help me cool down a little when I worked too hard.

OVERALL: It's okay as a cheap fridge filler when on sale and great when you've worked up a sweat (like when you're changing brake pads in a hot garage for example) but it's not as enjoyable as its big brother sadly so don't confuse it as the next step up when you see them side by side in your local. Think of it like a sporty Japanese car - they built the lusted over twin turbo version there and gave us the plans to build the same looking car over here, minus the turbo and race suspension and therefore removing the character and cult appeal..

2/5 Nissan Pulsars.