During the pandemic, as folks weren't able to head down to bars, pubs or restaurants, there was instead an interesting but unsurprising increase in sales of canned beers - people were having their drinks at home instead.

Most beer makers believe that nothing beats drinking beers on draft - that fresh pour is simply unbeatable, with great carbonation and freshness of the brew that can be distinctively felt and tasted by customers. And so we've got to give it to Asahi to figure a way to try and bring that fresh draft experience to people's homes.

This new product came in the form of a Jokki or Mug style can where the entire lid could be pulled out with a *POP* and along with that, the beer can itself had an interior coating that would allow for tinier bubbles and the can would be canned at a higher carbonation pressure. 

Altogether the ideal effect was that this should be able to recreate the fresh pour (hence "Nama" which means "Fresh") and smoother head that customers would get if they had it on draft, and also you could drink it basically like a mug instead of through the small opening of a usual can.

So let's give it a try! 

Asahi Super Dry Nama Jokki Kan Mug Style | アサヒスーパードライ生ジョッキ缶大生 - Review /レビュー

Tasting Notes

Color: Gold

Aroma: Bright honey with lemon zest.

Taste: Medium-bodied, really silky and creamy. Mellow notes of honey with a light hoppy bitterness and alittle bit more of lemon zest and also some wheat. Very smooth and easy to drink.

Finish: More buttery maltiness here - really satisfying. Clean, crisp finish with a touch of honey and oat. There is a slightly peculiar metallic note nonetheless that becomes quite apparent on the finish.

My Thoughts

Very interesting experience! As mentioned, unlike standard beer cans, here you pull out the whole lid to a big *POP*. It’s super frothy, which Asahi says the whole point of which is to get the gas out for a mellow taste - to which I can definitely attest. It really is very mellow on the palate with very rich yet gentle and flavourful notes of honey, zest and wheat - really smooth and silky and easy to drink. 

Very tasty to be honest!

What is even more lovely is that on the finish this wave of buttery maltiness comes out and is just an absolutely luxurious delight.

However, the only downside here was the metallic note on the finish that becomes quite apparent and is alittle bit like licking a piece of tin - which I presume is not an ideal part of the beer’s design. It’s definitely a peculiar taste that you don’t find in most canned beers. Nonetheless on the whole, I did get over it and still enjoyed it for the most part.

Kanpai!

@111hotpot